Page 1
- COFFEE GUIDE -
Page 2
Coee, crafted in science.
Welcome to the world of coee with La Specialista Maestro, the manual coee machine
that’ll transform you into a true coee expert. La Specialista Maestro grants a perfect balance
between the science of coee and the art of texturing milk, empowering you to master both
the coee and the milk preparation processes. Your advanced coee trip with La Specialista
Maestro has just begun.
Page 3
The Coee
plantation
Espresso starts out as a question of botany, fruits
and cultivation. The coee plant is an evergreen
shrub that belongs to the Rubiaceae family and
thrives in tropical climates.
Its fruits are called berries, drupes or cherries and
they are harvested by pickers mostly one by one.
Coee species
There are two main species of beans cultivated
worldwide: Coea Canephora and Coea Arabica.
The most common variety of Coea Canephora is
Robusta.
If you’re drinking a coee right now, chances are
you’re drinking one of the two.
Arabica
The ideal climate for the Arabica species is a
tropical-mountainous one, over 1,000 metres
above sea level. Here there’s less humidity and
rainfall and the temperature range between day
and night is greater.
At this altitude the fruit ripens more slowly
allowing it to store more sugars, which will be
transformed into rich aromas iin your cup.
Espresso prepared with high quality Arabica
has an intensely pleasant acidity for discerning
palates, and produces a clean cup full of aromas,
silky body and long aftertaste.
Did you know?
One of the
most important
reasons we
drink coee is
for the caeine
hit. On average,
Arabica has
1.2% of caeine,
while Robusta
has double
the amount,
2.4%. Caeine
is a natural
stimulant to the
nervous system
and gives us
an extra boost
to be more
awake and more
concentrated
with a better
mood.
Page 4
Robusta
Coea Canephora, or the Robusta variety, is more
resistant to diseases and pests and has a much
higher yield. Robusta coee prefers low-altitude
tropical climates with more rainfall, greater humidity
and higher temperatures.
It is, therefore, an easier species to grow as it’s more
resistant and economically more protable for coee
farmers.
The ripe cherries
Coee harvesting is the rst step to bringing the
fully ripe cherries to our cups. It usually occurs just
once a year and can last 3-4 months. Harvesting is
either manual or mechanical.
Manual picking is done by pickers who select only
the ripe fruits one by one.
The mechanical method uses harvesting machines
that can only operate on at surfaces and big
plantations, like in Brazil where they work 24 hours
a day during harvest season. Mechanical harvesting
collects ripe, over ripe and some immature beans
that must be selected before processing.
Cherries
and leaf
of Arabica
Cherries
and leaf
of Robusta
Post harvest processing methods
Once the coee cherry has been picked, processing
must begin as quickly as possible to prevent fruit
fermentation. There are three main processing
methods: natural, wet and honey or pulped natural.
The natural method is the simplest as it doesn’t
require any machinery and guarantees excellent
coee bean quality. How does it work? The
harvested cherries are sorted and cleaned using
water. Then the selected cherries are dried under
the sun for 8-12 days.
The wet method uses a depulping machine to
separate the bean from the pulp. The beans are
left to ferment from 8 to 72 hours, then they are
washed in a concrete channel with fresh water. After
channelling, the wet beans are left to dry under the
sun or in mechanical driers.
The honey method sits between the natural and the
wet methods. It’s almost entirely practiced by the
specialty market and generates unique and more
fruity avours, with a pleasant sweet taste.
Page 5
Coee
Roasting
The green bean does not release any particular
aromatic avour when it’s raw. During the roasting
TIP!
Remember to choose the roast that matches your coee brewing
process. Usually this information is shown on the coee beans
packaging or on roaster
websites.
During roasting three main phases
happen:
1.The bean loses most of its
moisture content, becoming
cinnamon in colour.
2.The most important chemical
reactions take place, like Maillard
and caramelization, and the bean
turns brown.
3.The roasting process is interrupted
and the bean starts cooling
down.
process the beans change colour, increase slightly
in volume, and lose weight as thousands of new
chemical compounds are created. The darker the
roast, the less moisture remains in the bean and the
more fragile it becomes.
After roasting, the bean is
ready for grinding.
With La Specialista Maestro
you have all the tools you
need to master the coee
preparation process and extract
the delicious avours and the
aromas of the beans, ensuring
they arrive undamaged into
your cup.
Page 6
Did you know?
The primary
enemies
of roasted
coee beans
are oxygen,
high storage
temperatures,
humidity and
direct sunlight.
They cause
the oxidation
of the bean
to speed up
and produce
rancid aromas
and avours
.
TIP!
To keep your coee beans fresh and tasting at their best, only ll
the bean container with what you need and store the remainder
in a vacuum sealed container in a cool dark place
.
Dierent Roasting
levels and why
It’s quite easy to understand the
quality of your coee beans. The
packaging and roaster websites are
the best places to understand their
tasting information. This will help you
choose beans that are a close match
to your preferred palette of avours.
Did you know?
Each dierent
brewing
method has
its own ideal
roasting
prole.
Usually a
darker roast is
for espresso,
while a lighter
one is for
ltered coee.
However, it
also depends
on tastes:
lighter
roasting
proles are
becoming
more
and more
common.
Page 7
How to prepare an espresso with La Specialista Maestro
1. Search for information on species and variety:
100% Arabica, single origin, Arabica and Robusta
blends.
2. Look for the Coee Beans Roasting Scale in the
“Coee Toolkit” inside the machine’s packaging and
follow the steps.
3. Take a handful of beans out of the coee beans
package.
4. Place them on the colour chip that seems closest
to the beans’ colour.
5. Check the roasting level number on the back of the
chip: #1 Light Roasted, #2 Medium Roasted, #3 Medium
Dark Roasted, #4 Dark Roasted.
Light roasted coee beans have a complex avour prole
that can be described as bright and acidic. Dark roasted
coee beans have a simpler avour prole, characterised
as bold and robust.
6. Refer to the Settings Table to nd the suggested
parameters for grinding and infusion temperature.
The pillars
of Espresso preparation
GRINDING
Grinding your beans on demand ensures the fresh grind
releases the most aroma and the highest quantity of CO
helping create a thicker crema on your espresso.
It’s important to make sure your grinder is set to the
right grinding size: too ne and you’ll get a slow, overextracted shot that tastes bitter and burnt, too coarse
will result in an under-extracted shot that is weak, watery
and tastes sour.
The grinding levels of La Specialista Maestro go from
1 (very ne) to 15 (coarse) and they have been dened
in order to produce the perfect-sized powder and the
best aroma in your cup depending on the type of coee
beans you have chosen. Each type of coee bean
behaves dierently when grinding due to its dierent
densities.
2,
This is why we recommend setting your grinder by
following the indications on the Settings Table, available
on the following pages of this Coee Guide.
COFFEE DOSE
La Specialista Maestro oers 2 lter baskets for dierent
dose sizes:
- Single lter basket: for doses up to 12g of coee. Best
for a single espresso or a weaker large coee.
- Double lter basket: for doses up to 20g of coee.
Best for two cups of coee, a double shot for a larger
cup, stronger single coee or to use with lighter roasted
coee.
Set the right coee dose by turning the dose dial in small
increments starting at minimum until you have reached
the mark inside the lter basket. Refer to the Coee
Dose Graph for a guide to set the dose for your coee.
Page 8
Coee Dose Graph
Tamping consistently with the right amount of pressure
is fundamental to obtain perfect extraction results.
The Smart Tamping technology of La Specialista Maestro
allows you to reach consistent pressure results on your
dose, without having spilling coee grounds on the
machine and on the working area.
After grinding, use the lever on the left side to manually
tamp your coee dose.
BREWING
When the water hits the ground coee in the lter, the
coee increases in volume. During this pre-infusion
phase it is important that the coee grounds can
accommodate this expansion otherwise there’s a risk
that under extraction can happen.
Thanks to the exclusive and new Dynamic pre-infusion,
La Specialista Maestro works by automatically adapting
the pre-infusion length to the density of the coee
dose to ensure the entire surface of the pod is even and
slightly wet for an optimal extraction.
WATER TEMPERATURE
Water temperature is one of the main factors that
contribute to the result in your cup.
Each type of coee might need a dedicated temperature
to extract the best avours. The way in which the water
penetrates the coee dose is fundamental to a perfectly
balanced extraction.
For example a lower temperature is preferred for
Robusta coee beans than for Arabica; the same is
applicable to beans with a darker roasting colour.
La Specialista Maestro oers 5 infusion temperature
proles to select, corresponding to a range of
temperatures between 90° and 98°C.
The water temperature is precisely controlled
throughout the entire brewing process to ensure the
ideal temperature stability for the extraction.
To understand what the ideal temperature to brew your
coee is, please refer to the Settings Table.
Page 9
THE PERFECT ESPRESSO
SETTINGS
TABLE
GRINDING
SETTING
INFUSION
TEMPERATURE
WHICH FILTER
SIZE CAN I USE?
5 - 7
5 - 4
(~98°C) - (~96°C)
BOTH
single (x1), double (X2)
GRINDING
SETTING
INFUSION
TEMPERATURE
6 - 8
4 - 3
(~96°C) - (~94°C)
BOTH
single (x1), double (X2)
5 - 7
5
(~98°C)
6 - 8
3 - 2
(~94°C) - (~92°C)
BOTH
single (x1), double (X2)
WHICH FILTER
SIZE CAN I USE?
7 - 9
3 - 2
(~94°C) - (~92°C)
BOTH
single (x1), double (X2)
DOUBLE (X2)
GRINDING
SETTING
INFUSION
TEMPERATURE
WHICH FILTER
SIZE CAN I USE?
These settings are our best recommendation but the taste in the cup is always your best guide, especially because there are so many
variations of beans and blends on oer. Have fun experimenting with the avours and suggested settings to nd your perfect cup.
*This temperature refers to the water inside the thermoblock. This diers from the temperature of the beverage in the cup or the temperature
measured when the beverage comes out from the portalter spouts.
5 - 7
4 - 3
(~96°C) - (~94°C)
BOTH
single (x1), double (X2)
6 - 8
4 - 3
(~96°C) - (~94°C)
BOTH
single (x1), double (X2)
6 - 8
3 - 2
(~94°C) - (~92°C)
BOTH
single (x1), double (X2)
7 - 9
2 - 1
(~92°C) - (~90°C)
BOTH
single (x1), double (X2)
Page 10
What is
Espresso?
Espresso is simple enough:
the crema and the dark liquid,
in two layers.
On top is the golden thick crema.
Crema, acting as a stopper, restrains
the volatile aromas contained in the
underlying liquid for longer.
The main part of the espresso is the
dark liquid that contains dissolved
sugars, acids, salts, caeine and
other substances. This is the part
that contains most of the delicious,
rich avours and aromas that we
love in a great cup of espresso.
CREMA
DARK LIQUID
R
R
T
T
A
A
A
R
R
C
C
T
T
T
T
X
X
E
E
R
R
E
E
D
D
N
N
U
U
E
E
D
D
C
C
E
E
F
F
R
R
E
E
P
P
A
X
X
C
C
E
E
T
T
T
T
I
I
O
O
N
N
R
R
E
E
V
V
O
O
C
C
A
A
T
T
R
R
E
E
T
T
X
X
E
E
D
D
How to evaluate the characteristics of the crema?
By colour, texture, consistency, elasticity and persistency.
Colour: perfect extraction gives the
crema an hazelnut colour.
Under-extraction or old roasted coee
produces a colour that goes from light
yellow to pale hazelnut.
Over-extracted coee or blends with a
high percentage of Robusta produces a
colour from brown to dark brown.
Tex ture: is the thickness of bubbles.
Arabica light roasted coee typically
produces a ne texture, dark roasted beans
and Robusta produce a coarser texture.
Consistency: is the crema’s ability to
remain compact as if it were whipped
cream. Usually the best consistency
is obtained by using medium/dark
roasted blends of Arabica and Robusta
for espresso.
Elasticity: is the principle by which, if
you break the crema with a spoon, it
stretches back over the coee.
Persistency: is the ability of the crema
to stay over time, until the last drop.
Did you know?
How many cups
of coee you can
drink in a day?
The quantity
depends on
the subjective
capability of
your body to
metabolize
the caeine
molecules.
If you want to
drink more
espresso shots,
while avoiding too
much caeine,
remember to use
100% Arabica
beans and the
ristretto recipe –
less water used,
less caeine in the
drink.
Page 11
What is
Cold Brew?
Cold Brew coee extraction is a method
of brewing coee with the use of room
temperature or cold water.
This feature makes the extraction of
the drink unique and very dierent from
methods that use hot water.
Cold Brew uses a longer infusion time
instead of heat to extract the properties of
the coee beans, since the low temperature
decreases the solvent power of the water.
The traditional method of extracting cold
brew calls for a light roast, a coarse grind
and a brewing time of up to 18 hours.
Cold brew is very dierent to iced coee.
Iced Coee is traditionally an espresso
extracted with heat and made cold
afterwards.
The end result of a Cold Brew coee extraction
is a light and refreshing drink, the avour is
smoother, less bitter and less acidic.
Cold Extraction Technology: Cold Brew
De’Longhi has succeeded in replicating the quality
of traditional Cold Brew coee with a new
technology – Cold Extraction Technology- which
has been implemented on the
La Specialista Maestro coee machine.
De’Longhi Cold Brew coee has sensory
characteristics that are identical to coee made
using traditional cold brew extraction methods,
but with the dierence that the extraction water
is at room temperature and the extraction time is
under 5 minutes.
To enjoy Cold Brew coee made with La
Specialista Maestro to the full, we advise adding
ice in the glass to cool the drink or placing it in
the refrigerator and wait until it reaches 4°C.
Before drinking, always remember to stir well.
Cold Extraction Technology: Espresso Cool
Espresso Cool is a completely new drink with a
unique mouthfeel and sensorial prole.
The closest example would be a cold brew drink
delivered by hydrogen insuation, so-called
nitro coee.
The extraction parameters for Espresso Cool
drinks are dierent to those used for traditional
espresso extraction. The water comes in contact
with the ground coee at room temperature and
at a very high pressure, thanks also to the use
of dedicated pressurized baskets. This allows
the water to extract the carbon dioxide that is
naturally contained within the ground coee
particles and which forms the surface crema on
top, resulting in a black drink with a light-coloured
foam on the surface.
Page 12
Alone, Coee
is pleasure,
with Milk it’s love
Milk frothing has two purposes: the rst is to create a foam
by incorporating air in small bubbles, the second is to heat
the milk to an ideal temperature of up to 65°C.
Creating creamy, textured hot milk for coee beverages
Plant-based drinks
Plant-based drinks are suitable for use in
all recipes where cow’s milk is used, either
at cold temperatures (unfoamed) or at hot
temperatures (foamed).
In order to perfectly foam and create a layer
of ne, compact, silky bubbles, the right
proportion of fat and protein is essential.
This is why the range of plant-based
drinks for baristas is fortied with natural
ingredients in order to achieve the correct
balance of fat and protein for foaming. With
the addition of proteins, the right amount
of air can be incorporated into the drink to
create micro-bubbles, while the addition
of the right amount of fat enables a froth
similar to that produced using cow’s milk.
better with cold coee and some are more
universally used for both hot and cold
beverages. For example, Oat drink is the
perfect all-round alternative, providing
a thick and creamy taste for both hot or
cold beverages. Almond pairs well with a
coee blend that compliments this such as
a medium-dark roast or a bold coee with
tasting notes that are chocolaty, nutty or
caramel.
The most important thing to remember
when using plant-based alternatives is
to chill and shake well to ensure all the
properties can join together.
takes practice to achieve the best results. Dairy is the easiest
to stretch or texture as it contains the most natural proteins.
Proteins help create the microbubbles that make the milk
thick, shiny and creamy to taste, with a long-lasting mouthfeel.
Before deciding on which milk alternative to
use, think about what avour combination
you would like to achieve. Almond drink is
very nutty, Oat is sweet and creamy, Soy
is somewhere in between, with a creamy
nutty avour. Some alternative drinks pair
Page 13
Manual
How to create
Milk frothing
A good microfoam should be velvety, silky smooth,
dense with little to no air. Creating microfoam is not an
easy task and requires you to put your barista skills to
good use!
When preparing the milk, temperature is a crucial
element both at the beginning and at the end of the
process.
The rst thing to do to ensure a correct texturing time is
to start with fresh cold milk from the fridge.
The end temperature, too, is critical: when milk exceeds
65-70°C the fats it contains begin to separate, and this
leads to a loss of texture but also to a souring of the
coee avour.
the perfect Latte Art?
Scan the QR code to nd out tips and hints.
Page 14
Quick tips and
Automatic Milk
things to know
Fresh is best: always use cold milk, just out of the fridge, and never
reheat it. In fact, cold milk enables the proteins, which are responsible
for creating and stabilizing the milk froth, to keep it thick and creamy.
Fill the stainless steel milk jug to about 1/3 full, because when you
steam milk it will increase in volume.
When you’ve nished steaming, swirl the jug and tap gently on a table
to remove any unwanted bubbles in the milk.
Clean the steam wand before and after steaming, taking care to purge
steam and wipe the wand each time. This ensures the ow is correct
and there are no residual milk fat deposits in the way.
When making Latte Art, practice makes perfect. The trick to know the
correct temperature is to hold the side of the jug while texturing the
milk. Once you cannot hold your hand on the jug for more than three
seconds the perfect temperature is reached and it’s time to turn o the
steam wand. As an alternative, you can use a milk frothing temperature
thermometer.
frothing with
LatteCrema Technology
La Specialista Maestro also oers simplicity and
convenience thanks to the fully automatic milk frothing.
De’Longhi has devised technology for automatic
milk frothing with a single touch thanks to its special
LatteCrema carafe. Steam, air and milk are mixed in
ideal proportions to create perfect froth delivered
directly from the carafe to the cup.
Lattecrema is designed to work awlessy with all
kinds of milk, from dairy variants to plant-based
alternatives, mainly soy, oats and almond.
The quality results may dier according to the type
or to the specic brand of milk-based drink used.
Page 15
Cinnamon
Cardamom
Butter
White chocolate
Honey
Potato
Pea
Onion
Dry wood
Green pepper
Cucumber
Earth
Moss
Wet dirt
Mould
Wet wood
Fermented fruit
Rotten
Manure
Medicinal/phenolic (rio)
Hides
Leather
Sweat
Rancid
Fish
Coffee aromatic vocabulary
Smoke
Burnt bread
Ash
Peanuts
Corn/popcorn
Walnut
Nuts shell of almond/hazelnut
Pineapple
Papaya
Mango
Lemon
Lime
Pink grapefruit
Bergamot
Mandarin
Orange peel
tropical
citrus
Apricot
Peach
Plum
Cherry
Apple
Pear
Currant
Raspberry
Wild strawberry
Blackberry
Blueberry
Black currant
Apricot
Plum
Figs
Raisins
Dates
Orange slice
Citrus peel
Jasmine
Rose
Violet
Orange blossom
Lemon blossom
Tobacco
Roasted bread
Cookies
Cocoa bean
Caramel
Almonds
Walnut
Hazelnuts
White pepper
Clove
P
O
S
I
T
I
V
E
A
R
O
M
A
S
FRUITS
FLOWERS
PLANT
TOASTED
NUTS
FRUIT
SPICES
ANIMAL
PLANT
FERMENTATION
ANIMAL
BURNED
NUTS
N
E
G
A
T
I
V
E
A
R
O
M
A
S
stone
fruits
red wild
berries
black wild
berries
dehydrated
candied fruit
copyright © by Edizioni Medicea
all rights reserved
Coee is
TIP!
a sensorial
experience
The extraction method of espresso allows most of the
roasted bean compounds to end up in the cup with an
extraordinary aromatic complexity.
This makes the espresso a unique sensory experience.
The espresso avours
Coee drinks have a natural balanced combination of
three tastes: acidity, sweetness and bitterness.
Acidity
A low acidity is pleasurable because it often reminds
us of ripened fruits. Too much acidity could lead to
an unpleasant perception, caused by excessively
light roasting or perhaps even under extraction. You
can choose a darker roasting level or change the La
For a better tasting experience, we recommend pre-heating
your cup. Avoid eating very hot and chilly spices or drinking
very cold sparkling drinks just before tasting.
Specialista Maestro setting parameters to correct the
under extraction.
Sweetness
Sweetness concerns the sweet, smooth sensation we
experience when tasting a coee. Sweetness is sensed
primarily at the tip of the tongue. Arabica is sweeter
than Robusta due to its higher sugar content.
Bitterness
High quality coee has a low bitterness and is
characterized by aromas of grapefruit, liquorice, roasted
cocoa beans or rhubarb. Robusta variety, dark roasted
beans and over extracted coee produces higher
bitterness levels in the drink.
Page 16
TIP!
Is your espresso shot weak? Check your La Specialista
Maestro Settings Table and try to grind the beans ner and/or
increase the coee dose in the lter and/or increase the water
temperature.
If you are bothered about it and you want to decrease
it change your beans, preferring lighter roasting
colours and 100% Arabica. In case of over extraction,
change the brewing parameters on the La Specialista
Maestro.
The tactile sensations
Espresso produces a thick and intense body and a
variety of sensations in the mouth.
Positive mouthfeel characteristics of espresso coee
are smooth, creamy, buttery, velvety, silky;
the negative ones are dry and astringent.
Robusta always causes some astringency.
Espresso has the most complex, intense and long
aftertaste.
Aftertaste is everything you can perceive in your palate
after drinking your coee.
Coee is rich in oils that remain attached to your palate
for a long time.
Tasting experience, like a coee expert
Now it’s your turn to be a real coee expert: prepare an
espresso with La Specialista Maestro and start smelling
it, breaking the crema with a spoon. In order to recognize
all the aromas, simply follow the Aroma Wheel, starting
from the centre. Are you recognizing positive or negative
aromas? If you move toward the edges of the wheel, you
are now becoming more of an expert and can now get
specic descriptions. This is what the wheel is meant to
do, enable anyone to recognize as much of the aroma
as possible.
Now let’s practice to become a real coee expert.
Page 17
www.delonghi.com
57132C9033_01_0724
Loading...