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Coffee quiz

How well do you know coffee?

Ten questions about beans, brewing and what changes the taste in your cup. No barista training needed. Let’s see what you’ve bean learning.

?coffee craftquiz
10 questions

Choose one answer.

No barista training needed. Answer all ten, then mark your answers to see how you did.

01Let’s start at the very beginning. What is a coffee “bean”, really?

Answer: Strictly speaking, it’s a seed from inside a coffee cherry. “Coffee seed” just never had quite the same ring to it.

18.0g
02Behind every good espresso is a recipe. What does the barista actually measure?

Answer: Baristas weigh the coffee going in and the espresso coming out, and time the shot. Then comes the most important measurement of all: a taste.

03Light, medium or dark: what does the roast level really tell you?

Answer: It’s about how far the beans were roasted, not how strong your drink will be. A dark roast may taste bolder, but it doesn’t pack more of a punch.

04Your espresso is in a hurry. It gushes out far too fast and tastes thin and sour. What’s the barista’s first move?

Answer: Grind finer. A finer grind slows the water down, giving it time to pick up more flavour. In espresso, as in life, rushing rarely ends well.

05Now the opposite: the espresso crawls out and tastes dry and very bitter. What should the barista try first?

Answer: Grind coarser, so the water can flow more freely. Then the barista pulls another shot, measures and tastes again. It’s a grind, but someone has to do it.

06Why is coffee best ground just before it meets the water?

Answer: Grinding exposes far more of the coffee to air, so its aromas fade quickly. That’s why we grind to order: the aroma belongs in your cup, not just in the room.

07Our V60 is something of a local celebrity. Which description best fits how it’s made?

Answer: A V60 is a cone-shaped pour-over brewer. The pour, grind, water, dose and brew time all shape the result. Slow coffee, in the best possible way.

08Same beans, same machine. So why would a barista keep fiddling with the grinder during the day?

Answer: Coffee changes as it ages, and temperature and humidity affect how beans and grinders behave. Knysna’s weather keeps our baristas on their toes, so they adjust the grind to keep every shot on recipe.

09Under-extracted coffee has left some of its flavour behind. How is it likely to taste?

Answer: It tastes sharp and sour, with little sweetness. It’s not bad coffee, just coffee that hasn’t finished its sentence.

10Last one, and it’s a deep one. Why does the water used for brewing matter?

Answer: Brewed coffee is mostly water, so its taste and mineral content affect how the coffee extracts and how it tastes. Water is the unsung hero of every cup.

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