Caffe Massimo

Massimo Takapuna

Thu, 08 May 2014 07:41:15 +0000

Located in the heart of Takapuna, Caffé Massimo is the closest café to a favourite North Shore beach, the Takapuna shops and iconic Sunday market. The Manager knows most of his customers by name and with his loyal, efficient staff, offers service with a soul. As well as being big and airy, with comfy, cushioned high-backed bench seats, a large area of outdoor seating allows customers to maximize its beach side location.

Info

1/3 The Strand PO Box 331641 Takapuna North Shore City New Zealand

: +64 9 486 5550 : +64 9 486 5554 : [email protected]

Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday 6:30 a.m to Late Sunday and Monday 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Now serving Tapas from 3 p.m. & Dinner from 5 p.m. Available for private / corporate functions

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Massimo Newmarket

Thu, 08 May 2014 07:34:20 +0000

Situated amongst the designer shops of re-developed Nuffield Street, Caffé Massimo Newmarket is the sophisticated member of this growing café group. Floor to ceiling fold-back doors and additional pavement seating give a light airy feel to this European-style café. And for those chillier days, comfy chairs around the fire offer a cosy alternative. Whether you work locally or on a shopping spree, the fresh Caffé Massimo coffee, roasted on site, is sure to lure you in for a welcome break.

Info

Shop 11B, 23-27 Nuffield Street Newmarket, Auckland Albany, New Zealand

: +64 9 522 6700 :+64 522 6701 : [email protected]

Opening hours: Daily 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

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Massimo Albany

Thu, 08 May 2014 07:16:25 +0000

Conveniently situated next to SkyCity Cinemas Albany. The cinema is an attraction for parents, together with the adjoining limitless car park, making it a safe, accessible option. Caffé Massimo Albany also boasts an area of outdoor seating in a large awning with clear windows, allowing for al fresco dining whatever the weather.

Info

Shop 246, Westfield Shopping Centre 219 Don McKinnon Drive Albany, North Shore City

: +64 9 444 6944 : +64 9 444 6940 : [email protected]

Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday 6:30 a.m to Late Sunday and Monday 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

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Coffee Facts

Mon, 07 Apr 2014 12:30:37 +0000

‪Arabica‬ – around 80% of the world’s coffee production is arabica. It produces a superior coffee with better flavour and aromatic qualities. Robusta‬ – robusta trees are easier to grow, more disease resistant and produce higher yields. Robusta beans contain twice as much Caffeine and have a more bitter flavour. They tend to be used in lower-priced coffees, or as a small proportion of espresso blends as they produce coffee with richer crema.

Roasting Roasting coffee beans is both an art and science, transforming a bland green-coloured bean into a rich roast. Roasting unlocks aromatic ‘oils’ by caramelising sugars and starches. These so-called oils are not technically oils because they are water-soluble, but give the coffee flavour and aroma. Coffee can be roasted in two ways – turning in a drum over a flame or tumbling through hot air. Either way, the beans are generally roasted around 180-200°C.

1st stage:  Roasting begins by turning the green beans yellow. As the beans dry out, they turn yellow and begin to smell like toast. 2nd stage: Known as the first crack, gas builds up inside the beans, causing them to swell and rupture. At this stage, they are light brown in colour and have a wrinkled surface. 3rd stage: The beans are now losing weight – a 7kg bag of beans will weigh around 6kg when roasted. They are also expanding in size, deepening in colour and the skins are becoming smooth. It can be just matter of minutes before the second ‘crack’ is heard. This stage requires careful monitoring to ensure the beans aren’t ‘overcooked’. The beans may have an oily sheen as oils rise to the surface. Beyond this point, the beans may smoke as the sugars carbonise.

The roaster must use his skill and judgement to stop roasting at just the right moment, and release the beans into a cooling vat to prevent any further cooking.

Roasting takes about 25-30 minutes depending on the weather conditions. Roasting times increase with humidity, as the beans absorb more water in the damper conditions, taking slightly longer to dry out. The beans will continue to give off vapours, mainly carbon dioxide, for a day or two before reaching their optimal flavour.

We roast every day at Caffé Massimo ensuring a continuous supply of beans in the perfect state of readiness for your daily needs, both in the café and at home. Roaster’s tip: When grinding your own coffee at home, grind the beans to a slightly coarser size in the humid weather, as the beans will be stickier.

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Coffee History

Mon, 07 Apr 2014 12:29:50 +0000

An Ethiopian goatherd, named Kaldi, noticed his goats were particularly lively after eating the berries from a certain bush. Whether true or not, we do know it wasn’t long before coffee berries found their way into Arabia, through a port called Mocha, a name now synonymous with coffee. At this time, it was still the whole berries being used as a food or made into a drink. It wasn’t until coffee arrived in Turkey the beans were first roasted, making a boiled coffee similar to the present day Turkish coffee. Espresso coffee was developed in the 19th century in France, although it was the Italians who perfected the technique, and were the first to manufacture espresso machines.

As demand for coffee spread across Europe, suitable coffee-growing areas had to be found. The Dutch started cultivating coffee in Java, now Indonesia, India and several parts of South and Central America, whilst the British headed for the West Indies. Coffee from the Blue Mountains of Jamaica now being the world’s most famous and expensive. The first European coffeehouse opened in the 17th century, but the most famous, Caffé Florian, started up in 1720 and is still trading today. Coffee was taken to the USA from Europe, and has continued to make its way around the world ever since.

Coffee drinking is now a global phenomenon, and an industry employing more than 20 million people, over 5 million in Brazil alone. Coffee comes second only to petroleum in terms of trading, and is crucial to the economies of many developing countries.

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Coffee Making

Mon, 07 Apr 2014 12:28:18 +0000

Selection of quality coffee beans Skillful, patient roasting Experienced baristas

We roast our own coffee beans in small batches, using the drum roast method, to enhance the unique flavour. This involves the beans being roasted in a drum over a flame, and requires skill and patience from the coffee roaster, checking the colour and smell until it is just perfect. Using this method enables us to control the amount of smoke being used during the roasting process to achieve the flavour you enjoy from all Massimo coffee.  This highly-skilled process allows us to tailor-make roasts to suit your individual needs. Talk to our coffee roasters if you have a particular type of blend you require. Whether you’re enjoying a coffee in Caffé Massimo or preparing your own at home, our traditional roast makes a difference you can see, smell, and taste.  Our aromatically-roasted house blend follows traditions dating back to the 13th century to create a rich, dark, smooth popular coffee, with the perfect full flavour for drinking with or without milk. If you prefer your coffee with milk, such as in a flat white, latte or cappucino, we will make it with standard milk unless you request otherwise. Trim and soya milks are also both available to suit your taste or nutritional requirements. Some people believe a certain type of milk makes a better coffee, but a good barista should be able to use any milk. In Caffé Massimo you can be assured of the same high standard of coffee irrespective of the type of milk used.

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