THE PERFECT CUP

Perfecting a cup of coffee at home can be a daunting task, but according to Santo Bucchero (Map Coffee’s Master Roaster), it’s all about quality – quality of your tools and quality of your coffee.

Here’s his top three tips:

STEP 1

A CLEAN MACHINE

You wouldn’t drink your coffee from a dirty cup, and yet Australians across the country are drinking espresso made from dirty coffee machines. It’s an unsavoury thought and yet the biggest mistake you can make is not keeping your machine clean. A clean machine will ensure that your daily espresso tastes fresh. Use Clean Bean, a universal tablet, to rid your machine of old coffee residue and clean the pipes from the capsule right through to the cup. Clean Bean is different is to a descaler, which only cleans the water in the boiler, and is seven times more effective at cleaning than rinsing through with hot water alone.

STEP 2

ONLY THE BEST COFFEE

Buy good quality coffee which has been roasted to its fullest potential. Map Coffee’s beans are roasted using traditional Italian methods perfected over the last 40 years.

STEP 3

THE RIGHT BLEND

Select a blend of coffee that’s right for your palate.

Map Coffee uses a combination of Arabica and Robusta beans lovingly and expertly blended by the Map Coffee team. My personal favourite in the range is the Venezia, a blend of Asian and African Robusta with a strong, well defined temperament, softened by the presence of Arabica to bring out the aromatic qualities. It’s great for an energy hit first thing in the morning.