There are espresso machines and there are espresso machines. The cornerstone at Bel Cafe, quite literally, is our gorgeous, sexy, fancy Kees Van Der Westen Mirage espresso machine. Some would say there is no better machine in the world, that it’s the machine. And that’s fine, good for us. But having an exceptional piece of equipment means nothing when it’s not used properly. Kind of like a great car owned by a lousy driver. You know the one? There’s an illusion that if you have a great espresso machine you will make great espresso. There’s so much more to coffee than that. You need talent and a whole lot more.
Our sexy Kees
Talent in the coffee world gives us the coffee geek. But first you must begin with well-sourced beans that have been perfectly, carefully roasted. And those beans must be ground flawlessly and then scaled or otherwise measured and skillfully tamped with juuust the right amount of pressure to result in an excellent extraction for the precise amount of seconds at the correct temperature and should one pre-infuse or just go with a straight infusion and should you use a portafilter with spouts when all the kids are talking bottomless? What’s a portafilter? Uh, you think you know what bottomless is.
David sent me this video a couple of months before we opened and, while we take our coffee seriously, we are, at Bel, geeks not snobs when it comes to coffee and service. We agree with milk in coffee and some are even laced with homemade caramel. And, by the way, unlike the video, our baking is very, very good. I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to baked goods.
Espresso made with a bottomless portafilter
PS – Bottomless, defined by a professional barista aka coffee geek, is a portafilter with the spouts chopped off. Otherwise known as naked or chopped, they became popular five or six years ago. It allows the bottom to be visible as the espresso runs through, so that the barista can see what’s happening with the extraction. It sounds dirtier than it is.