barista skills test Flashcards
What does organic mean, in the context of coffee? Describe some details about the organic program regarding cash
flow and structure.
Organic coffee is grown and processed without the use of chemicals or pesticides, from seed to cup. Organic
certifications are given by private organizations, that in return for a fee, certify the coffee organic, which guarantees
the farmer a “higher than market price” for the coffee they produce.
What are the 4 primary variables that you have control over when extracting espresso?
- Dose
- Output
- Grind
- Time
Why does whole bean coffee stay fresher than ground coffee?
Coffee degrades as it is exposed to oxygen. Ground coffee has more surface space than whole bean coffee and therefore
degrades faster.
How would you handle the order of a “Caramel Macchiato?”
Note to the guest that we have a drink similar known as a Caramel Con Panna. The drink contains half caramel and
vanilla, similar to the caramel macchiato. As a note, the Con Panna is also our recipe for creating “white chocolate.”
What is a “frappuccino” and what do you do when a guest orders one?
A frappuccino is a sweet, blended coffee beverage that Starbucks serves. When a guest requests one at Kaldi’s, we can
offer them one of our Frozen Toddies.
How often do we rotate our brewed drip coffee?
Every 1.5 hours.
What is a lighter bodied coffee we roast and offer at Kaldi’s?
Many of the single origins we offer are lighter bodied. Origins that tend to produce lighter bodied coffees (though not
always) are Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Colombia.
What is a heavier bodied coffee we roast and offer at Kaldi’s?
Some of the single origins we offer are heavier bodied. Examples include (but are not limited to and not
always) Ethiopian Naturals, Sumatran coffees and Brazils. Other heavier bodied coffees include blends like Caf Kaldi
and Espresso 700.
What year and by whom was Kaldi’s Coffee Roasting Company founded?
Kaldi’s was founded in 1994 by Howard Lerner and Suzanne Langlois.
Who are the current owners of Kaldi’s Coffee Roasting Company
The current owners of Kaldi’s are the Zimmer family. Tricia, Tyler, Josh, and Don.
Where in St. Louis does Kaldi’s roast its coffee?
3983 Gratiot Street, St. Louis, MO, 63110
What are the locations of the 10 St. Louis Kaldis or 2 Kaldi’s Kansas City cafes?
- Chesterfield 5. Farrell 9. Euclid
- Columbia 6. Kayak’s 10. Trulaske
- Crescent 7. Kirkwood
- DeMun 8. MCC
Generally, how do we roast our single origin coffees and why?
We roast our single origin coffees light enough to preserve the enzymatic flavors inherent to the beans, though
long enough to caramelize the sugars, all in an effort to provide the best balance of acidity, sweetness, and bitterness
in the cup.
What is our standard water to coffee ratio when brewing coffee?
1 g of coffee to 16 g of water
How does Kaldi’s recommend storing whole bean coffee?
In a cool, light-tight, air-tight container/environment.
How does roasting coffee until it is dark and oily affect the flavor?
Flavors exhibited by coffees roasted this long will include (but are not limited to): burnt caramel, carbon, smoky, dark
chocolate, bakers chocolate.
Many people think dark roasted coffee is “stronger”. What would you say to a guest who inquires about this?
Dark roasted coffee may contain some more intense flavors than light roasted coffee (generally not better), but
in terms of caffeine the difference between light and dark roasted coffees is negligible. Generally when a guest says
strong they are talking about the intensity of the flavor.
At what temperature does Kaldi’s brew its coffee?
Between 195 and 205 degrees.
List two coffees we carry in each of the following categories: Blend, SO, Decaf
Blend: Espresso 700 and Cafe Kaldi
Single Origin: List two current single origin offerings
Decaf (list one): Decaf Cafe Kaldi
What are the six essential elements of proper brewing?
- Correct coffee to water ratio
- A grind that matches the brew method
- Good quality water
- Proper operation of brewing equipment
- Optimum brew method
- Appropriate filtering medium
Extraction time
between
20-30 seconds.
necessary tools to
clean espresso machine
blind insert,
Purocaffe/Cafiza, screwdriver,
grouphead brush
steps of back
flushing:
- remove baskets from portafilters and place with screens/screws for soaking
- place blind baskets in each portafilter
- place puro in each blind basket
- place portafilters in grouphead and engage pump for 10 seconds. stop pump and wait 5
- repeat 5 times
- remove and dump out
- engage pump again for 10 seconds
- repeat until water runs totally clean
milk temp average
130-140
flavor amount pumps for: 8 oz 12oz 16oz Iced
8oz: 2
12oz: 3
16oz: 4
Iced: 3
(Mayan/Matcha = half of all)
taste characteristic:
aroma body acidity sweetness bitterness finish
Cafe Au Lait, Tea Latte, Matcha, Chai’s are all made how?
1/2 steamed milk, 1/2 beverage/concentrate
Chocolate Chai is made how?
1/3 rooibos chai concentrate, 2/3 milk, Ghiradelli chocolate steamed togeth
Americano 16oz has how many shots?
3
Espresso and Gibraltar has how many shots?
2
Macchiato and Cappuccino has how many shots?
1
Sidecar has how many shots?
1 & 1
Details cleaning of portafilter,
and basket.
- remove blinds from portafilter and soak in hot puro-water
- backflushing
Details removal of dispersion
screen, the brushing of group
head and proper reassembly.
use gasket brush to ensure clean portafilters and no sediment or residue
Details grate and drain tray
cleaning. Notes washing them and wiping down machine.
- take it to dish station to wash
- pour cup of hot puro water down drain to ensure no clogging
coffee producing countries
central america
south america
asia
africa/middle east
too course?
fine it
too fine?
coarse it
acidic?
bright up front
bitter?
biting on the finish
The proper temperature of water for brewing coffee is
195°-205°F
Espresso machine should have a boiler level of
9 bars of pressure
Dialing in dose range should be
19-21 grams
Output yield should be what ratio?
20g of coffe with final brew weight of 40g OR 2:1 ratio water to coffee
Dialing in: in dose should be…?
1:2 ratio OR 20g in, 40g out
If the espresso tastes bitter or has a dry finish →
slightly coarsen the grind.
If the espresso tastes overly acidic/sour →
slightly fine up the grind
Kaldi’s standard output ranges between ____ and ____ initial dose weight
1.25 and 2.25 initial dose weight
