If you ask local barista and coffee connoisseur Gino Rutigliano what got him so into the art of roasting, blending and brewing fine espresso’s, he’ll take you back to 2002 when he ran a coffee shop below the Bowen Island Pub, called the Happy Italian. Taking the step of getting serious about espresso has helped him grow his business, and is sending him to the World’s Best Espresso competition for the third year in a row.
Going back to 2002, he says, he was selling coffee made by a company called Torrefazione Italia.
“One day, after they were bought out by Starbucks a woman walked into my shop and asked if I’d ever considered learning to roast my own, and left me a card,” says Rutigliano. In the next year, both Gino and his wife, Victoria, came into some inheritance money and that spurred them into taking that step.
“In 2004, we went to Florida for a one-week course on roasting. When we got back, we invested $30,000 into our first roaster, then we spent the next two years experimenting with different blends. At one point I had 17 different blends, all named after different neighbourhoods on Bowen.”
Since then, Rutigliano has reduced the number of blends to just six, which he sells in his shop, the Bowen Coffee Store.
His house blend, Valhalla Esresso Royale, has been entered into the World’s Best Espresso competition at a trade show called Coffee Fest for the past two years. In 2012, Rutigliano brought back a third place prize.
“I was so non-chalant that first year,” says Rutigliano. “I remember going up against Veltons, from Seattle, and the barista was shaking when he handed his espresso to the judge. But I wasn’t even thinking about winning.”
Rutigliano says the 2012 competition made a huge impact on his business, raising awareness about his product all over North America.
“I did an interview on Tacoma Radio, and started getting orders from all over the place,” he says. “Our wholesale business doubled within eight months.”
Rutigliano says his experience in 2012 also changed the way he views these competitions.
“I now know how truly hard it is to win these things,” he says. “This year, everyone who’s in the bracket has won an award. If I can get through the first round, it will be massive and I think I might have a real shot at the finals. I have a one in 16 shot at winning the grand nationals, that’s huge!”
At the upcoming competition, in Portland, Rutigliano says he will be introducing an organic Ethiopian bean from the Kaffa Forest into his house blend. The beans grow wild in this region, which is believed to be the birthplace of Coffea Arabica.
“The flavour profiles of this particular bean are a lot brighter, so they will bring out the berry tones in our traditional Italian espresso with , caramel-flavour tones. This brightening is called “third wave” flavour and is very trendy right now. It’s all about subtlety.”
Gino’s tips for great homemade espresso:
There are three methods to making a great home espresso using the following equipment:
- an electric espresso machine
- stove top espresso pot
- aeropress
The three key basic elements to making a great home espresso are good beans, good water and proper grind. Always try to buy your beans direct from a local roaster if possible. Ideally buy clean, fresh, organic espresso. Coffee stays fresh for up to one year when packaged properly.
Espresso is not a roast, it is a blend of different beans. Espresso is simply referred to as shots. A single shot is equivalent to one ounce or 30 ml of coffee, a double (2 oz. or 60 ml) and so on. When extracted properly, this will produce a nice velvet like, golden-brown colour on the top portion of the espresso shot called the creama. Espresso can be sipped on its own or used to make milk based coffee drinks such as lattes or cappuccinos.
Since coffee is made up of over 98% water, it is very important to use good clean filtered water. You can be a very good barista using the best equipment and beans available but if the water isn’t good, neither will the end result. Chlorine in the water will ruin your coffee.
If your grind is too coarse for your method of extraction, the end result with be a weak, watery tasting shot with no body. If the grind is too fine for your method of extraction, the end result will be a bitter tasting shot that isn’t very palatable.
Firstly, you MUST match your grind to your equipment. This is one of the most important steps.
Most grocery and coffee stores will offer the use of a commercial grinder but it is always best to grind your beans fresh at home if possible right before preparing your espresso. If this is not possible, try and only buy enough coffee to last you no more than two weeks. Once coffee is ground it is oxidized, once it is oxidized, it will be flat within two weeks.
Commercial grinders will usually have two settings for grinding espresso: “fine” and “Turkish,” which is even finer.
When using an electric espresso machine, the grind must be set to the “second” espresso setting...a slightly finer grind.
When using a stove top espresso pot you must use the “first” espresso setting...a slightly coarser grind.
When using the Aeropress, I recommended using a “fine” grind setting. My personal favourite for everyday home use is the Aeropress. They are excellent for travel, super fast and convenient to prepare, small, light weight and portable. They are also very affordable (sells for $39.95) and are very economical as they use less coffee. This self contained unit extracts a very nice espresso for making great tasting Americanos (my drink of choice). We use them everyday at home and never leave home without them.
Bodums are great too and we love them but they are incapable of making a espresso style shot of coffee.
