Thursday afternoon I got to sit in on the first “Espresso 101″ course at Liberty Market’s E61 Bar in downtown Gilbert. Our professor was none other than owner Joe Johnston himself (pictured at left), who organized the class over the social network Twitter.

The student body consisted of the first 10 lucky people who responded to Johnston’s “tweet” announcing the class last week. The pilot class lasted nearly two hours, and tuition was just $5.

(By the way, Johnston is planning more Espresso 101 classes, along with others, like a delicious-sounding Pizza 101. So you might want to start following @libertymarket on Twitter if you’re not already.)

Joe’s teaching assistant was E61 barista Teresa Fulk (pictured behind him), who goes by the name @e61queen on Twitter.

The class began with an introduction to what espresso is (a coffee beverage made by forcing hot water under pressure through coffee grounds) and what some of the myths about it are (a typical serving of espresso, at just one ounce, has less than half the caffeine that a cup of coffee has).

Joe explained how water temperature (it must be right around 200 degrees) and brew time (10 to 30 seconds, depending on how fine the coffee is ground) are two of the most important keys to good espresso.

Joe’s students had the opportunity to ask plenty of questions. Joe even handed out a class outline with space to take notes.

About halfway into the class we got to the good part: Espresso samples! Teresa made everyone small doses of three different types of espresso coffees — Neapolitan, French Roast and Kenyan — and Joe even provided biscotti.

In case you’re wondering, Liberty Market uses the Mr. Espresso brand. You can even buy bags of beans to take home.

One of Joe’s students takes a whiff of espresso before tasting it.

As a point of comparison, Joe busted out a package of strong-flavored Lavazza Crema E Gusto, a wince-inducing blend of robusta and arabica beans.

After the tastings, the topic turned to the techniques of making espresso. Teresa demonstrated how to properly grind the coffee beans.

Ground coffee then is packed into this device, which is called a portafilter. You have to push down on the grounds with 30 pounds of pressure and get a level, “polished” surface to get good espresso.

Liberty Market uses a fully restored 1965 Faema E61 espresso machine, the model that revolutionized espresso technology, imported from Milan, Italy. This one has three stations or nozzles, which we learned are called “groups.”

For their final exam, each class member got to go behind the bar and make their own espresso with Teresa or Joe. As a final surprise, in lieu of a diploma, each graduate received his or her own espresso shot glass to take home.

Posted in: Gilbert • Liberty Market |

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