How hard should I tamp the ground coffee beans?

While this is a very common question I get, it is by no means a really important factor to consider when making coffee at home when compared to bean freshness, dose size, grinding etc. At Black Market Roasters, we have experimented with many different tamp pressures and styles and on a minute scale it makes […]

How fresh should the coffee beans be?

This is a common question when I am at the espresso bar. Should the beans be straight out of the roaster? Are they better and brighter as soon as they roll out of the cooling tray? In this blog post, Black Market Roasters will take you through the ideal roast timing for your home use. […]

How do I make a short black coffee?

Technically, a short black is the 25-30ml extraction of coffee beans ground finely for the espresso machine. Looking at a range pour time of 15-30 seconds, the short black is traditionally served in a demitasse, or small ceramic cup with a handle, which is preheated. This is the traditional way to serve it….at Black Market Roasters, […]

How do I make a long black coffee?

A long black in our opinion is a bit of an art form. If done well it can leave a prefect mouthfeel that lasts till lunchtime, though if done poorly it can scald your mouth so you don’t taste anything till lunchtime! Black Market Roasters looks at the ultimate long black making process and what […]

How do I make a cappuccino?

What does our strong soy cappuccino with 2 sugars have in common with 17th C Viennese Monks? A lot apparently! Here at Black Market Roasters, we like to find out the story behind everything coffee, and this one is great! First….a little history lesson: At the time of the Ottoman/Turkish empire, they were pro’s at […]

Storing coffee beans at home

Very simple this one…YOU DON’T! Well, in an ideal world, you will not keep coffee for longer than a few weeks. In this short post Black Market Roasters looks at the best way to keep your freshly roasted coffee…fresh! Firstly, we need to realise that freshly roasted coffee, as it ages, loses volatile aromatics, beautiful […]

Making coffee with a stovetop coffee machine

As previously mentioned, this contraption was invented in 1933 by a dude named Luigi and it hasn’t changed a bit since then. Due to its large coffee dose to water ratio, you get a full bodied cup of coffee, the trick here is to ensure you use freshly roasted quality coffee. Here is a basic rundown […]

Cleaning your coffee machine

How do I clean my coffee machine? This is a simple guide to ensure you are getting the most out of your domestic coffee machine. We spend so much time fussing over the quality of our coffee, that can all be undone if you are using a dirty machine. Items Needed Old toothbrush Ratchet that […]

Australia’s love affair with piccolo lattes

Did Australia invent the flat white or did New Zealand? Well it’s for sure that the Sydney-siders and Melbournians brought the world the piccolo latte. Australia has been heavily influenced and setup by European immigrants, which brought technology to coffee making. Though we weren’t stuck in the tradition of having to froth Mount Everest in […]