Becoming a home barista (almost) with the Philips Barista Brew

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Coffee is a life essential, right up there with the traditional five. As Johann Sebastian Bach aptly put it, “Without my morning coffee, I’m just like a dried-up piece of roast goat.” (I’m with you, Johann.)

Beyond the necessity of caffeine though, there’s far more depth to coffee, as anyone who’s ever tried to make a coffeehouse-quality latte with foam art can attest. Coffee truly is one of those science meets art things. The aspiring home barista can nerd out to their heart’s content on roasts, grinds, water temp, room temp, humidity, etc. And when it comes to making a latte or cappuccino there’s milk temp, fat content, frothing technique, and the most important aspect: the deft touch to artistically pour a perfect tulip. (The tulip is one of the first steps in the latte-art journey and trust me it’s not as easy as a good barista makes it look.)

My journey into the land o’ lattes began about 6 months ago. I’m always up for a new challenge. Trying new things feeds the creative process. Science says so. According to the Center for Brain Health at University of Texas: “Trying new things activates dopamine, a brain chemical that makes us feel good. When we learn new things, our brain forms new connections. Breaking out of your normal routine can renew your energy by giving you a fresh perspective and expanding possibilities.”

Anyways, back to coffee. Our client, Philips Home Living, was launching the Barista Brew, a slick semi-auto espresso maker aimed at the aspiring-to-moderately-accomplished home barista.

As we were creating videos in the agency, I watched as our resident expert barista/motion designer/videographer, Kyle, created beautiful lattes (tulips, rosettas, even swans) and I asked him to show me the ropes in crema and foam. (Note: In his previous life, Kyle worked in the coffee world as a content creator and was a competition barista!)

What’s possible, if you’re Kyle…

The Barista Brew makes step 1, pulling a great espresso shot, pretty darn easy. I always go with a double shot. Set the grind, set the amount, pop the portafilter in and hit the grind button, and the machine serves up the perfect amount of ground coffee of your choice. (Side note: The machine has two bean hoppers, which is nice to give you options to try side by side, literally.)

Next step, tamp the grounds in the portafilter. The Barista Brew makes that idiot-proof too with a calibrated tamper. The tamper is stainless steel and has some heft to it. Tamping the grounds into place gives you that pro barista feel. Pop in the portafilter, then give it a little turn into place. Again, you’ll feel like a pro. Press the brew button and watch as that beautiful cascade of crema fills your shot glass.

With shot in hand/glass, next comes the foam. The Barista Brew includes a nice steam wand. Flip the switch to clean, and you’re ready to get frothy, which is where things start to get arty. Fat content helps with foam, so I go with whole milk. The keys to frothing are to place the wand at the proper depth in the frothing pitcher (just below the surface to avoid any loud frothing sounds) and to get a little swirl going. And don’t burn or curdle your milk!

Now that you have a double shot and some foam, the real fun/frustration starts. Select your favorite 6oz or 8oz coffee cup and pour in your shot. Then tap your frothing pitcher on the counter a couple times to settle the foam, pour some foam in the espresso and stop pouring. The stopping is key to getting separation in your tulip parts. I’ve seen this described as push, push, push (with stops in between). This really is a trial and error thing. Like learning how to ride a bike, one day it just clicks, and the training wheels come off even if you fall down a few times along the way.

“Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” – Samuel Beckett

When that inevitably happens, get up off the kitchen floor, dust yourself off and try again. And even if your failed latte art attempts don’t look barista quality, the taste will still be very much on point, and you’ll still be learning, growing and building new neural pathways in your brain, all thanks to the Philips Barista Brew.

You got it, Samuel!