There is no secret ingredient in CaffeMona coffee other than our own unique blend of coffee beans. The beans come from South America, Ethiopia and Turkey. Much has been written about the very low prices that farmers are receiving for their coffee beans however the quality of beans we purchase is a long way from the poor quality bulk coffee beans, which can only achieve the lowest prices. We pay fair prices well above the market lows as we believe that if farmers are rewarded for growing and harvesting quality beans they will be motivated to continue to improve quality. And we will have a sustainable long term, consistent supplier of coffee beans. Our beans are roasted to our own specifications before they are packed and sent to us. We use a typical Italian espresso blend, which includes a small amount of Robusta coffee to give an extra 'kick' and depth to our coffee and ensures a good rich 'crema'. Unlike many of our competitors we use double shots of coffee in all our small, medium and large size coffee drinks which means you get a good coffee flavor even when mixed with milk. Of course some of our customers prefer a weaker coffee and ask for a single shot. We only use manual coffee machines, which rely on the skill of the barista because automatic machines do not give the same quality. We try to avoid jargon in CaffeMona and if you insist on asking for a ‘skinny latte with wings on ’ you might need to translate it into Italian before you get the right drink!
HOT COFFEE DRINKS
Espresso
The heart of every CaffeMona coffee drink, and one of the hardest to get right. A double
shot espresso consists of 7gr of coffee. The cup must be warmed before hand and the
perfect espresso will have a good hazelnut brown 'crema' on top which reforms if stirred
and lasts at least one minute. We always teach our barista; 'No crema, no serve!'
Most People drink single espressos standing up and fast! They would rather have two
singles than a double so that it is always fresh with a good 'crema'.
Espresso Macchiato
This is an espresso with a dollop of milk foam on top.
Americano
Basically a double espresso topped up with hot water. However you should still see the
'crema' indicating that the espresso was correctly made.
Cappuccino
A long espresso (1/3 of a cappuccino cup) made up with hot milk (1/3) and milk foam (1/3).
Steaming milk is quite an art however as long as you remember to start with cold milk and
slowly draw the steam wand out of the milk as it froths up you will probably be okay. There
is nothing wrong with using a milk thermometer if you wish and burnt milk is not nice. If it
has been made correctly you should still see the 'crema' around the rim of the cup.
Caffè Latte
A double espresso topped up with steamed milk and a small amount of milk foam on top to
seal the drink.
Mocha
Basically a cappuccino with chocolate added. That is it really. Of course there are many
variations on the above using syrups, skimmed milk rather than our standard semi-skimmed
etc. but at the heart of every great coffee drink is a great espresso.
