Coffee Knowledge 1: Espresso Foundations
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Most coffee drinks in an Australian café start with espresso. You will learn what espresso is, how cafés build drinks from it, and why every new barista must learn the café's own recipe.
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Introduction
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Text to type: Most coffee drinks in an Australian café start with espresso. You will learn what espresso is, how cafés build drinks from it, and why every new barista must learn the café's own recipe.
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Before you begin
Warm-Up Questions
Which coffee drinks do you know?
Have you watched a barista make espresso?
Why can the same drink taste different in two cafés?
A trainee watches espresso flow from a professional machine into a small cup.Reading
1. Espresso Is a Brewing Method
Typing practice
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Text to type: Espresso is not one special bean. It is a way to make coffee. A machine pushes hot water through finely ground coffee under pressure. The result is a small, strong drink called an espresso shot. A café can use different beans and roast levels for espresso. The word espresso tells us about the brewing method, not the country, bean, or roast. This is an important difference. A dark-roasted bean is not automatically espresso, and a lighter-roasted bean can also be used in an espresso machine.
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Check your understanding
1. What does the word espresso describe?
Sample answer
It describes a brewing method that uses hot water, fine coffee grounds, and pressure.
Think one step further
What did you think espresso meant before this lesson?
Helpful clue
- I thought espresso was __.
- Now I understand that it is __.
Several different black and milk coffee drinks show how one espresso base becomes many drinks.Reading
2. One Base, Many Drinks
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Text to type: The espresso shot is the base of many Australian café drinks. A short black is espresso by itself. A long black adds hot water. A flat white, latte, and cappuccino add textured milk in different amounts and styles. A mocha adds chocolate and milk. Some cafés also serve espresso over ice or use it in cold milk drinks. The order may sound complicated, but the barista can listen for the drink base and the added parts. For example, a mocha needs espresso, chocolate, and milk. A long black needs espresso and water.
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Check your understanding
1. What three parts are used in a mocha?
Sample answer
A mocha uses espresso, chocolate, and milk.
Think one step further
Which espresso drink would you like to understand better?
Helpful clue
- I want to understand __.
- It is made with espresso and __.
The trainee weighs, tamps, steams, and cleans at an organised coffee bench.Reading
3. A Barista Does More Than Press a Button
Typing practice
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Text to type: Making espresso is only one part of a barista's work. A barista grinds coffee, checks the grinder, prepares the coffee in the basket, starts the shot, and tastes the result. The barista also textures milk, cleans the machine, keeps the work area safe, and manages customer orders. Coffee changes during the day. Heat, humidity, and the age of the beans can change how quickly a shot runs. For this reason, a barista watches the coffee and adjusts the grinder when needed. Good training teaches the worker how to notice a problem and make one careful change.
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Check your understanding
1. Why may a barista adjust the grinder during the day?
Sample answer
Coffee and café conditions can change, so the shot may start running differently.
Think one step further
Which barista skill do you think needs the most practice?
Helpful clue
- I think __ needs the most practice.
- A barista needs to notice __.
The head barista teaches the trainee to measure and follow the cafe's house recipe.Reading
4. Learn the House Recipe
Typing practice
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Text to type: Every café has a house recipe. The recipe tells the barista how much ground coffee to use, how much espresso to make, and how long the shot should take. It may also tell the worker how many shots go into each cup size. One café may use 18 grams of ground coffee. Another may use 20 or 22 grams. A large flat white may have two shots in one café and a different recipe in another. A new worker should not guess. The professional action is to ask, watch, measure, and follow the café's system.
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Check your understanding
1. Why should a new barista learn the house recipe?
Sample answer
Coffee amounts, shot numbers, cup sizes, and drink methods can be different in each café.
Think one step further
What recipe detail would you check first on your first day?
Helpful clue
- I would check how much coffee to use.
- How many shots go in this cup?
- Could you show me your house recipe?
Reading
Useful Speaking Patterns
Typing practice
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Text to type: - How much ground coffee do you use here? - How many shots go into this cup size? - Could you show me one before I try?
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Story
Typing practice
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Text to type: It is Mia's first morning in an Australian café. She asks the head barista about the espresso recipe before making a flat white.
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Roleplay
Dialogue Practice Role-play
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Read once.
Mia
Good morning. I am ready to learn your espresso recipe.
Head Barista
Welcome, Mia. Let's start with the dose.
Mia
Thanks. How much ground coffee do you use here?
Head Barista
We use 20 grams and aim for 40 grams of espresso.
Mia
And how many shots go into a medium flat white?
Head Barista
We use two shots for that size.
Mia
Great. Could you show me one shot before I try?
Head Barista
Of course. Watch this one, and then you can make the next.
Mia
Thanks. I want to follow the house recipe correctly.
Head Barista
Good. Asking first is exactly the right thing to do.
Mia
Thank you. I am ready to start.
Head Barista
We will start together. See you there.
Speak
Final Speaking Task
Explain espresso and name three drinks that start with it.
Describe three jobs a barista does.
Ask a head barista about a house recipe.
What you can do now
Final Reflection
Learning cards
My cards
Coffee Knowledge 1: Espresso Foundations
0 due · 7 new · about 3 min
Learn the sense first · then retrieve it
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Reading
1. Espresso Is a Brewing Method
Reading
2. One Base, Many Drinks
Reading
3. A Barista Does More Than Press a Button
Reading
4. Learn the House Recipe
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