As part of wider growth in the Middle Eastern market, Saudi Arabia’s coffee sector is booming. Not only is the government investing heavily in coffee production through initiatives like the 2022 Year of Saudi Coffee Campaign, but domestic consumption is also rising.

With specialty coffee becoming more popular across the region, coffee shops are playing increasingly important social and cultural roles in Saudi Arabia. And given that the sale and consumption of alcohol is legally prohibited, third wave coffee shops are seemingly becoming new social spaces – particularly for younger generations.

To find out more, I spoke to Osamah Alawwam, co-founder of Roasting House, and Mazen Baset, business development manager and coffee specialist of Coffee Bean Supplies.

You may also like our article on whether Dubai is becoming the specialty coffee hub of the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia & coffee: A brief history

The modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded in 1932, but the country’s roots can be traced back centuries.

Like many other Arab countries, Saudi Arabia has a longstanding history of coffee consumption. Many people drink traditional Arabic coffee – known as qahwa – at home and in coffee houses. 

Prepared similarly to Turkish coffee, qahwa is brewed in a dallah, which is a traditional Arabic coffee pot. The coffee is boiled for around 20 minutes, before it is poured into fenjals (small cups with no handles)

In addition to serving qahwa in coffee houses and at home, many people also prepare Arabic coffee at social gatherings in Middle Eastern countries, including weddings and religious events. So given its cultural significance, in 2015, UNESCO added qahwa to its Intangible Cultural World Heritage list.

Moreover, preparing and serving coffee is a sign of hospitality for people from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds in many Arab countries.

The emergence of third wave coffee culture

Compared to other countries around the world, specialty coffee is relatively new to Saudi Arabia. And the market began to mature in line with a wider period of social and political change.

During late 2010 and throughout 2011, anti-government protests spread across several Arab countries – with some resulting in civil unrest and governmental changes. This period of time is referred to as the Arab Spring.

In Saudi Arabia specifically, minor protests led to significant reform, especially in terms of expanding women’s rights in the country. Additionally, former King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud implemented a number of reforms which boosted the country’s economic growth.

As a result, Saudi Arabia’s middle class began to grow – which encouraged more specialty coffee shops and roasters to open.

Premiumisation in the Saudi market

Mazen works at green coffee trader Coffee Bean Supplies in Saudi Arabia.

“Ten years ago, you didn’t see any specialty coffee shops or roasters in the country,” he tells me. “Today, there’s huge demand for high-end or unique coffees, with a lot of competition between Saudi roasters to bring quality coffee to market.”

Premiumisation, as Mazen describes, is a process by which roasters sell more exclusive, rare, and superior quality coffee to drive brand appeal and increase prices. Ultimately, this adds a greater sense of value for the buyer, and makes them more willing to pay higher prices.

“There’s also been, however, a big move for roasters to sell quality coffee at affordable prices to B2B clients, so they can sell the coffee to end consumers at very low prices,” he adds. “The most in-demand coffee is Ethiopian, which is always popular in the Saudi market.”

Osamah co-founded Roasting House, which is one of the first specialty coffee roasters in Saudi Arabia.

“The first specialty coffee shop in the country opened in 2012,” he explains. In a little over ten years, the market has exploded – with an estimated 3,550 branded coffee shops according to data from World Coffee Portal.

Are coffee shops becoming new social hubs?

As in many other markets around the world, larger chains like Starbucks helped to popularise specialty coffee in Saudi Arabia – and established coffee shops as the “third place” where people meet and socialise.

This concept, however, seems to have taken on even more meaning in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern markets. As the sale and consumption of alcohol is illegal in the country, many people drink more coffee – including at later hours in the day.

In turn, some coffee shops in larger cities like Riyadh, Jeddah, and Buraydah are extending their opening hours to become late-night social hubs, with some even open 24 hours a day. 

Drinking coffee at later hours is not uncommon in Middle Eastern countries, particularly during Islamic religious holidays like Eid and Ramadan (except during daylight fasting hours for the latter). In other cultures where people tend to drink and socialise in bars or pubs (which both serve alcohol) late in the evenings and at night, coffee shops are instead acting as these important social spaces – particularly for younger generations.

Additionally, gender-segregated coffee shops are becoming less common in Saudi Arabia, with more women also working in these businesses. 

There has been clear progress made in taking steps towards achieving gender equity in the country (although more can certainly be made), which is largely a result of the government’s Vision 2030 initiative. A key priority of the development strategy is to create 1 million jobs for women, as well as to improve access to education and promote active participation in competitive sports.

Naturally, more inclusive social policies are also encouraging more and more young people to socialise and mingle in coffee shops in Saudi Arabia.

Looking to the future

With economic prosperity and more progressive policies, the future of Saudi Arabia’s specialty coffee market is promising. As younger generations continue to have higher disposable incomes, it’s likely they will keep visiting coffee shops on a regular basis.

In recent years, we’ve seen a number of premium café chains launch in the country, including:

• Most notably Japanese chain % Arabica – which opened its largest roastery in Saudi Arabia in 2022
• Barn’s
• Half Million
• France’s Café Kitsuné
• EL&N, which is a UK-based company

“Alongside a growing number of annual events, more and more young coffee professionals are also taking part in competitions,” Osamah says – which is likely to drive premiumisation even further.

As well as encouraging more domestic consumption, the Saudi Arabian government is investing significantly in increasing coffee production, too. Mazen explains that the government-backed Saudi Coffee Company has invested US $320 million to boost annual production from 300 tonnes to 2,500 tonnes by 2032 – an ambitious goal to say the least.

Coffee has played an important role in Saudi Arabian culture for centuries, but specialty coffee is certainly shaping modern-day KSA in a truly unique way.

Market growth is exponential and shows no signs of slowing down. And with coffee shops acting as essential social spaces, we can expect to see Saudi Arabia become even more of a key player in the global specialty coffee sector.

Enjoyed this? Then read our article on what it’s like to be a barista in the Middle East.

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So considering that different processing techniques have such significant influence over sensory profiles, it also makes sense that certain processing methods work better when paired with different brewing methods.  

One example is natural processed coffee and espresso. With natural processing methods resulting in fruitier flavours and a more pronounced body, these coffees tend to work well as espresso.

So, what do coffee professionals need to know when using natural coffees for espresso? To find out, I spoke to Leif An, founder and head roaster at Stereoscope Coffee, and Altuğ Baser, founder and head roaster at BOXX Coffee Roasters.

You may also like our article on coffee roasting and experimental processing methods.

What is natural processing?

First and foremost, let’s break down what natural processing is.

Believed to be one of the oldest processing methods, this technique (also known as dry processing) is relatively straightforward to carry out. However, if not implemented to high standards, it can be difficult to achieve consistently good results with natural processing methods.

Essentially, the process involves a few simple steps:

• After cherries are harvested and sorted, they are placed on raised beds or patios to dry in the sun
  • The cherries are left completely intact. This includes the fruit and mucilage (the sticky layer between the outer skin and parchment that surrounds the seed, or bean)
• Farm workers leave the cherries to dry until they reach between 11% and 12% moisture content
  • Producers and farm workers need to frequently turn the cherries while they’re drying to avoid mould development
• Once dried, the cherries are depulped and hulled – and turned into green coffee ready for export

It’s safe to say there’s a lot of risk involved with natural processing methods. As this technique so heavily relies on plenty of sunlight and warm, dry weather conditions, the cherries need to dry within a certain amount of time. If not, the chance of over-fermentation increases significantly. This results in more unpleasant flavour notes, including overripe fruit or sour yoghurt. Conversely, the cherries can also dry too much – which can lead to a number of problems, such as uneven roast development.

When done right, however, natural processing methods can create more interesting and “funky” fruit flavours, as well as an enhanced body and velvety mouthfeel. In turn, a growing number of specialty coffee shops and roasters are including more and more natural processed coffees on their menus.

Using natural processed coffees for espresso

Natural processed coffees certainly work well as both filter and espresso. But there are several reasons why the latter brewing method helps to highlight the more desirable characteristics of natural processing methods.

As many baristas know, it can be difficult to achieve consistent results when extracting washed and experimentally processed coffees as espresso. Leif explains that this could be a result of roast profiles.

“It’s usually easier to develop roast profiles for natural processed coffees, more so than washed coffees,” he says. “This means it’s usually easier to replicate flavour profiles.

“With washed coffees, it can be difficult to develop roast profiles enough sometimes,” he adds. “This underdevelopment then affects espresso extraction because the washed process results in brighter and cleaner flavours. It’s harder to dial in these coffees as espresso is more concentrated, so trying to balance out brightness can be trickier.”

Altuğ, meanwhile, tells me how roasting in larger batches can impact roast profile development – and thereby the final cup profile.

“When roasting washed coffee in big batches, you need to roast at higher temperatures,” he says. “Natural coffees, however, require less heat, so they are often easier to roast – which can produce better results when prepared as espresso.”

Both Leif and Altuğ say Stereoscope and BOXX always have a natural processed coffee on bar.

“The flavour profiles of these coffees are more suited to people who are not familiar with specialty coffee,” Leif tells me. “They’re a lot sweeter and fruitier, so it’s like a gateway to drinking more specialty coffee.”

What about milk-based beverages?

In recent years, more and more coffee businesses have started creating roast profiles for milk-based drinks to complement coffee’s inherent characteristics. So considering natural processed coffees already have more prominent sweet flavours, do they pair well with milk?

“Washed processed coffees can sometimes taste astringent as espresso, which can lead to unpleasant flavours when you add milk,” Leif says. “It’s much easier to make a good cappuccino or cortado with natural processed coffees, and the flavours tend to resonate more with customers.”

Altuğ agrees, saying that natural processed coffees often have more lactic flavours and creamier mouthfeel. These sensory descriptors often denote more of the sour and acidic characteristics of yoghurt, which can work with milk-based beverages – as long as the coffee is extracted well.

Tips and advice on using natural coffees for espresso

No matter which processing method is used for a specific coffee, Leif tells me baristas should focus on highlighting its innate characteristics.

“Coffee has unique flavours depending on how it’s grown, processed, and roasted,” he says. “Baristas should focus more on trying to highlight inherent flavours, and not so much on trying to bring out a certain flavour.

“It’s best to cup the coffee to understand its full potential, regardless of which brewing method you use,” he adds.

However, when it comes to natural processed coffee specifically, there are certain factors baristas need to keep in mind.

Based on his experience, Leif says the degassing period for natural coffees usually takes longer than other processing methods. For comparison, he explains that while he finds washed coffees often take about two weeks to fully degas, natural processed coffees will typically degas in about three weeks. This then makes it easier to extract more of the coffee’s flavours.

Tweaking extraction variables

Leif also suggests extracting natural processed coffees as espresso for longer to better highlight sweetness. Moreover, the natural process tends to result in a slightly higher moisture content than washed processing methods, which can impact the solubility of the coffee. In line with this, using a slightly finer grind size can help to achieve better-tasting and more consistent results.

Increasing the yield for natural processed coffees can also produce sweeter and fruitier flavours in the cup. Altuğ suggests starting with a 1:2.5 water to ground coffee ratio, and then tweaking accordingly from there.

Over the past few years, we can see that specialty coffee has certainly embraced natural processing methods. More and more coffee shops and roasters are offering natural processed coffees – both as filter or espresso.

But when preparing as espresso in particular, it’s important to treat natural processed coffees differently to other processing methods. That way, these coffees can truly shine – and customers can potentially experience completely new flavour profiles.

Enjoyed this? Then read our article exploring naturals, pulped naturals, and honey processed coffees.

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In fact, this opinion is now so widely held that some specialty coffee shops have stopped serving batch brew (or drip coffee) altogether.

Although this brewing method can highlight coffee flavour and aroma more effectively, there are some downsides to exclusively offering pour overs – especially if coffee shops don’t have high-quality automated equipment. Given that it can often take more than five minutes to prepare just one pour over, the most obvious disadvantage is that customers can end up waiting much longer for their drinks.

So, we have to ask: how long should you wait for filter coffee? And in line with the answer, is it better for coffee shops to serve batch brew or pour overs – or even both?

To find out, I spoke to Sophie Turner, Assistant Manager at Rosslyn Coffee in London, and Pedro Miguel Echavarría, general manager at Pergamino Coffee in Colombia.

You may also like our article on how agitation affects filter coffee brewing.

Why is waiting time so important to customers?

Convenience has been an important purchasing factor for coffee drinkers for many years now – and it’s arguably never been more so. According to a recent study by Deloitte, in the months following the pandemic, 80% of surveyed consumers reported they value convenience more than ever. 

We often associate convenience in the coffee industry with ready-to-drink products and capsules, however, it also plays a huge role in coffee shops.

When visiting a specialty coffee shop, the majority of customers expect streamlined and smooth service, and to receive their order in a timely manner. Research conducted by University College London found that the average customer is prepared to wait in line for 5 minutes 54 seconds before they think about leaving. The study also found that after waiting for five minutes, customer satisfaction can fall from 95% to 85%.

In line with this, baristas need to strike a balance between beverage quality and service time. If not, they risk serving lower-quality drinks more quickly or taking too long to prepare higher-quality beverages – both of which have a huge impact on the customer experience.

Any highly-skilled barista should know how to execute an effective workflow, however, there is a limit to how many beverages they can prepare and serve at one time – especially manual pour overs. To make sure customers receive consistently high-quality filter coffee, some specialty coffee shops offer batch brew, too.

Batch brew (also known as drip coffee in North America) is prepared using automatic commercial machines. These systems work similarly to automated home brewers – the barista adds a paper filter and ground coffee to the basket before pushing a button to initiate extraction. 

Most batch brewers are designed to prepare several litres of coffee at a time, which means baristas can serve filter coffee more quickly.

Is batch brew more efficient than pour over?

Although pour overs are certainly popular, batch brew has been a staple of many specialty coffee shops for years. There are a number of reasons for this, but mainly because they can help speed up service times.

“Coffee shops should definitely serve batch brew,” Sophie says. “It’s one of the most efficient and easiest drinks to make.

“Having exciting pour overs is a great option and is also super important, but it doesn’t reduce the value of batch brew,” she adds. “Being able to serve high-quality filter coffee quickly and immediately can make specialty coffee shops even better.”

This is especially important during busy rushes when baristas may not have the capacity to prepare pour overs to a high standard. In fact, a small number of specialty coffee shops may not even offer pour overs during these periods so they can continuously serve high-quality beverages as quickly as possible – making batch brew an essential menu item.

“When it’s busy, batch brew is one of the most popular drinks at Rosslyn,” Sophie tells me. “We use a Bunn machine, which we believe is one of the best solutions for high-volume coffee shops.”

At the same time, however, the recent huge uptick in automated pour over solutions has made it easier than ever for baristas to prepare consistently high-quality filter coffee. But although these machines allow baristas to focus on other tasks, there is a limit to the capacity of automated pour over brewers – with many only capable of preparing up to 600ml of filter coffee at a time.

Batch brew vs pour over: What about flavour and quality?

Compared to other filter brewing methods, pour overs are often favoured by specialty coffee professionals and consumers alike for their ability to improve flavour clarity. However, that’s not to say that batch brew doesn’t serve an important purpose in coffee shops.

“Next to a pour over, batch brew may seem less interesting, but it’s a classic option for many coffee drinkers,” Sophie says. “What’s more, having different options for preparing filter coffee is what makes specialty coffee shops stand out.”

It’s often more challenging to brew larger volumes of coffee, including batch brew. As brew weight (or yield) increases, baristas need to correspondingly tweak different variables, such as:

• Dose and brew ratio
• Grind size
• Total extraction time
• Water temperature
• Level of agitation

In line with this, when customers order a quick batch brew rather than a pour over, they may not necessarily expect to receive a high-quality beverage. Pedro, however, explains that this gives specialty coffee shops the opportunity to serve excellent batch brew.

“Specialty coffee shops should serve batch brew,” he says. “It’s possible to make batch brew to a really high standard, so there’s no limitation in terms of quality and sensory profile.

“However, you have to do it right and you have to spend time developing and honing your recipes,” he adds.

Sophie agrees, saying: “Batch brew is just as important as other filter brewing methods. You have to put in the time and effort to make it taste as good as possible. 

“As a result, I’ve seen how amazing batch brew is and can be,” she adds. “Whenever I go to a coffee shop, I always order their batch brew.”

How can baristas better communicate waiting times to customers?

Both Sophie and Pedro agree that batch brew should be a staple of most coffee shops’ menus – not only for speed of service, but also because of the potential to serve high-quality coffee.

However, if a customer orders a pour over instead, how can baristas effectively communicate longer waiting times?

First and foremost, it’s safe to assume customers who order pour overs will already know these drinks will take more time to prepare – and are therefore willing to wait longer.

In any case, baristas should let customers know it will take around five minutes (or sometimes even longer) to prepare a pour over, and explain the reasons why to avoid any confusion or dissatisfaction. For example, the barista can inform the customer that their coffee needs to be ground to order, which means purging the grinder beforehand to reduce the chance of flavour contamination from other coffees.

It’s inevitable that after receiving this information, some customers may prefer to opt for a batch brew instead. In these instances, baristas need to make sure they are always serving high-quality filter coffee.

“The key is to put the same level of effort and care into your batch brew as every other brewing method,” Sophie says. “The first task we do every morning is to dial in and prepare the batch brew to make sure it tastes great.

“Just like any other brewing method, it’s likely that you will need to make some changes to your batch brew recipe,” she adds. 

Without investing in high-quality batch brew equipment, coffee shops won’t be able to serve consistently excellent filter coffee. Now more than ever, there is a wide range of machines available that can prepare different volumes of coffee, and that also offer baristas more control over extraction variables.

Tips & advice to improve batch brew

“It takes a lot of trial and error because you’re brewing a large volume of coffee at one time, so it can be hard to make the right changes,” Sophie explains. “Sometimes making the smallest adjustments will completely change how the coffee tastes.

“When I first received training, I was taught to change one variable at a time,” she adds. “So, for example, when I taste coffee, I ask myself if the texture is too watery or if it should be more juicy, so I adjust the dose or yield accordingly.

“I then move on to intensity – is the flavour too overpowering or not prevalent enough?” Sophie continues. “I adjust the grind size accordingly, and then focus on balancing bitterness and sweetness. Every coffee is different, but that’s my go-to process when dialling in filter coffee.”

Pedro agrees, telling me: “Every barista has to play around and experiment with different coffees to make sure their batch brew recipes result in great tasting filter coffee.”

In recent years, the popularity of pour overs has been hard to ignore – especially because these brewing methods serve such an important purpose in specialty coffee.

However, considering that both waiting time and quality are essential to the customer experience, batch brew still very much has its place in specialty coffee shops – and continues to deserve plenty of care and attention from baristas.

Enjoyed this? Then read our article on achieving even extraction with filter coffee drippers.

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Essentially, good distribution and tamping techniques help you to achieve even extraction and allow you to get the best out of your coffee.

During his winning 2022 World Barista Championship (WBC) routine, we saw Australian competitor Anthony Douglas use several distribution and tamping tools before he pulled his espresso shots. One of his tools was specially designed to carry out a distribution method known as the Weiss Distribution Technique (WDT).

So what is this technique, and why did Anthony use it in his routine? Moreover, should more coffee shops be using these distribution and tamping methods, too? 

I spoke to Anthony to find out more information – read on to find out what he said.

You may also like our article on channelling and how it affects espresso extraction.

What is the Weiss Distribution Technique and why is it used?

Before we discuss the WDT, as well as other similar methods, we first need to understand why distribution is so important.

In order to pull high-quality espresso shots, coffee needs to be ground very fine to increase the surface area of the particles. This is because espresso is extracted over a very short period of time using high-pressure water – which means you have a smaller window to extract desirable flavours and aromas in comparison to filter brewing methods.

Furthermore, because the grind size for espresso is so fine, this can sometimes lead to clumping. This is when ground coffee sticks together, which can cause a number of problems during extraction, such as channelling.

In coffee shops around the world, there are a number of ways that baristas can distribute grounds in a portafilter before extracting the coffee as espresso. 

One of the most common methods is to simply “tap” the basket of the portafilter against your hand or the surface of the counter. You need to repeat this until all the clumps break down and the grounds are evenly distributed throughout the basket.

This distribution technique is by far the most efficient one – especially during busy periods – but it doesn’t always produce the best results. 

The WDT, meanwhile, requires you to use a fine needle or similar utensil to stir the coffee grounds in the portafilter basket. Most WDT tools have around five needles, which help to break down clumps and create an even density of ground coffee.

The WDT was developed by John Weiss in 2005 after he found that some home grinders caused coffee to clump particularly badly. Since then, many baristas and coffee enthusiasts have adopted the technique. 

You can also place a funnel over the portafilter basket when using the WDT to make sure you contain all the coffee grounds while you stir them – otherwise your dose could be too small.

In his 2022 WBC routine, Anthony used a WDT tool which isn’t currently commercially available. This device (developed by Barista Hustle) is mounted on top of the portafilter and lowered down so that its needles run through the entire depth of the basket. You then spin the handle of the tool to remove any clumps and evenly distribute the grounds.

Anthony, who is also the training manager at Axil Coffee Roasters, explains why he used this specific WDT tool.

“During my 2022 Australian Barista Championship routine, I used one of Barista Hustle’s manual WDT tools,” he says. “It produced great-tasting espresso, but Matt Perger [the founder of Barista Hustle] was sat in the audience.

“After the competition, Matt approached me and asked if I would like to try a new WDT tool that they were developing,” he adds. “I then used this WDT tool on stage at the 2022 WBC.”

How effective is the Weiss Distribution Technique?

Anthony believes that the WDT is the most effective distribution method for baristas to use.

“It’s the best distribution method that I have used because it’s the only technique that evenly distributes ground coffee from top to bottom, as well as side to side,” he explains. “In turn, I’ve experienced the best results with this method.”

So are there certain procedures you should follow when using the Weiss Distribution Technique to get the best results?

Firstly, we need to consider which type of tool you are using – particularly the size and length of the needles. Ideally, the needles need to be thin, but not too thin that they could break as a result of heavy use. Some professionals recommend using needles which are no wider than 1mm to ensure grounds are distributed evenly.

Moreover, all needles should be able to reach the bottom of the portafilter basket so that they can evenly distribute ground coffee throughout the entire basket. If the needles aren’t long enough, for example, only the surface of the puck will be distributed, which could lead to channelling or other issues.

Anthony explains that the needles of the WDT tool he used in the 2022 WBC were spaced in a way which meant they distributed the entire surface area of the basket in one spin. Ultimately, he says this helped him to extract a repeatable and consistent flavour profile, with blackberry as one of the most prominent tasting notes.

“They help to ‘fluff’ up the ground coffee more, which means that it’s easier to distribute the grounds,” he tells me. “This is because the more compact the grounds are [before tamping], the harder it is to distribute them.”

During his 2022 WBC routine, Anthony also spun his WDT tool for just under ten seconds, which he says helps to result in more even distribution, too.

However, when carrying out the WDT, it is possible to overstir the grounds or distribute too aggressively. Ultimately, you should always stir the grounds in a careful and controlled manner to achieve the best results.

What about tamping?

As well as distribution, it’s also important that we consider tamping techniques.

In simple terms, tamping is when you apply force to ground coffee in a portafilter basket, which makes the puck compact.

However, if you tamp unevenly distributed coffee, you can create an uneven puck. In turn, this can negatively affect your espresso extraction.

Knowing how much force to apply when you tamp is important, but you also need to factor in the shape of the tamper you are using. There is a wide variety of tampers available – including convex, flat, calibrated, and even automated tampers. 

In recent years, we have also seen the emergence of height-adjustable levelling tampers, such as the Nucleus Coffee Distribution tool which was designed by 2015 World Barista Champion Sasa Sestic. These types of tampers have angled slopes instead of a flat base, which helps to move ground coffee in a circular motion, thereby improving the evenness of the puck

No matter which type of tamper you use, one of the most important things is to ensure that your tamper fits snugly into the portafilter basket. Many coffee professionals recommend using a tamper that is around 0.3mm smaller in diameter than a portafilter basket. 

This is because if the tamper is too small, you won’t be able to evenly tamp the entire puck. Conversely, if the tamper is too big, you could risk getting the tamper stuck in the portafilter and disturbing the coffee puck.

In his winning WBC routine, Anthony used a two-step tamping process for all of his beverages – he first used a levelling tamper before using a Great Leveller spring-loaded tamper.

“The outer rim of the calibrated tamper I used in my routine is 58.5mm in diameter, so it sits on the edge of the portafilter basket,” Anthony says. “Because it’s spring loaded, it means you push down on the handle and the base of the tamper goes into the basket to compress the coffee grounds.

“It helps to maintain a level tamp, so there’s no way that you can tamp unevenly,” he adds.

Should we be using more Weiss Distribution Technique tools in coffee shops?

Anthony says he would like to see more baristas using the WDT in coffee shops.

“Baristas should know how to tamp properly in the first place, but using the WDT also helps to improve consistency,” he explains. 

Ultimately, if carried out correctly, using the WDT would allow baristas to achieve more even extraction, and therefore serve better-quality beverages.

“If you’re doing the WDT manually, it can be difficult to do it with every drink you make, so maybe it could be used for more expensive coffees,” he adds. “But if you use a WDT tool like the one I used at the 2022 WBC, it can be much quicker and easier.”

On a similar note, the increasing number of automated tampers in coffee shops means that tamping can also be a more efficient process, especially during busier periods. 

“In my experience, I get better results with manual tamping, but if I’m working behind a busy bar, an automatic tamper like the PUQpress would help to improve my workflow,” Anthony explains.

There are many important steps to consider when preparing high-quality espresso, including distribution and tamping. However, when you distribute and tamp your puck correctly, you can extract coffee more evenly and end up with better-tasting results.

And while tamping is a common practice in the vast majority of coffee shops, the WDT is certainly less popular. However, whether or not this method will be used more widely by baristas remains to be seen.

Enjoyed this? Then read our article on why it’s time to rethink coffee distribution.

Photo credits: World Coffee Events

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However, in his winning 2022 World Barista Championship (WBC) routine, Australian competitor Anthony Douglas also weighed his milk course beverages to create a more consistent sensory experience for all four WBC judges.

Naturally, this has led to a pertinent question being asked in the specialty coffee sector: should more coffee shops also be weighing milk? And if so, how would this influence both barista workflow and the customer experience?

To find out more about weighing milk in coffee shops, I spoke with several coffee professionals. Read on for more of their insight.

You may also like our article on whether we should allow plant milks in the World Barista Championships.

Why weigh milk?

First and foremost, weighing milk-based beverages can help to reduce milk waste, which is particularly useful for coffee shops. Most baristas are trained to carefully eyeball the amount of milk they pour for each drink, but even the most experienced baristas can sometimes use too much.

Of course, this leads to leftover steamed milk, which if not used for other beverages, can quickly increase a coffee shop’s waste costs. In fact, some coffee shops can waste up to US $15 of leftover milk every day.

Anthony Douglas is the training manager at Axil Coffee Roasters in Melbourne, Australia. He is also the 2022 World Barista Champion.

During his winning WBC routine, Anthony prepared his milk course beverages for the judges before weighing each drink on a scale. But why did he do this?

“Baristas and WBC competitors weigh coffee doses and yields, so also weighing your milk can add another level of consistency – especially in competitions,” he says.

Kirk Pearson is the founder of Sub-Zero Coffee, a frozen coffee pop-up shop in Victoria, Australia. 

He emphasises that much like using an optimal coffee-water ratio, baristas and coffee shop owners should do the same with coffee and milk.

“A few years ago, we were using an espresso blend from ONA Coffee,” he says. “[After some experimenting], we found it tasted best with 110g of milk – no less and no more.

“It’s a great example of how weighing milk is so important,” he adds.

Most different kinds of milk (including cow’s milk and certain types of plant milks) taste sweet and have a creamy mouthfeel. In some cases, using too much milk can overpower the delicate and complex flavours in coffee – although this very much depends on the coffee you use. For instance, preparing a Gesha as a milk-based beverage could minimise the more delicate floral flavour notes.

Angus Mackie is a barista trainer at ONA Coffee and the creator of Nucleus Coffee Tool’s Compass. 

“Milk-based coffee beverages shouldn’t be considered any less important than black coffee,” he tells me. “Different amounts of milk can result in different sensory experiences when drinking a milk-based beverage, as different volumes and textures of milk can change the sweetness of a drink.”

Angus explains that after he was diagnosed with tongue cancer a few years ago, more than half of his tongue was surgically removed – leading to significant damage to his taste receptors. He says that while he was training to regain more of his palate back, milk-based beverages were particularly useful for identifying certain flavour notes and aromas.

“Moreover, weighing milk is a useful practice when training baristas to improve their milk steaming and pouring skills, as well as their palates,” he adds.

Should more coffee shops be weighing milk?

Considering the various benefits that we’ve just listed, should more coffee shops start weighing milk?

“In Melbourne specifically, around 80% of drinks served in coffee shops are milk-based – typically flat whites and lattes,” Anthony explains. 

However, Kirk tells me that weighing milk is not a common practice in the country.

“Only around 5% of Australian coffee shops weigh milk, but I would love to see more of them doing it,” he says. 

He emphasises that weighing milk for each milk-based beverage is often not practical for many baristas, which could be the reason for low uptake. However, he adds that automated milk steaming and foaming systems could help to improve barista workflow if weighing milk is something they want to start doing.

“Some coffee shops, like Axil and ONA, use automatic milk foaming systems like Übermilk,” he says. “Although it may not be realistic to weigh milk for every beverage, automated systems can dispense predetermined amounts of milk.”

Hany Ezzat is a Sales and Guest Roaster Manager at ONA Coffee. He explains that the practice of weighing milk is more common in specialty coffee shops which serve more exclusive and high-end coffees.

“Coffee shops are more likely to weigh milk if they’re using single origin coffee roasted for espresso, or if they’re serving a reserve coffee,” he says. “If a customer is paying a more premium price then they should receive a more premium service, which includes baristas being more accurate and precise with coffee to milk ratios.”

Anthony agrees, saying: “Weighing milk helps to ensure consistency, as well as training baristas to understand how different amounts of microfoam affect milk-based beverages.”

Considering the impact on baristas and consumers

Although weighing milk-based beverages could significantly slow down workflow during busy rushes, baristas could instead carry out this practice during quieter periods. This way, they have more time to focus on how they need to steam the milk to reach the required weight.

Overall, Hany believes that weighing milk is advantageous for baristas.

“It’s a positive thing,” he says. “It allows them to understand more about how to prepare and serve high-quality beverages.

“Personally, I teach the baristas I work with that they should texture milk to one consistency so that every milk-based drink has between 0.75cm and 1cm of microfoam,” he adds. 

Hany explains that in his experience, preparing milk-based beverages (mainly of a similar size, such as cappuccino and a flat white) to a more consistent texture and weight means showing the full spectrum of each coffee’s flavours.

“For instance, a roaster may develop a roast profile so that when extracted as espresso, the coffee can be paired with around 120g of milk,” he tells me. “This means that baristas should steam the milk [with a target weight in mind].

“Milk with more microfoam will weigh less than milk with less foam,” he adds. “The amount of microfoam will also have a big impact on beverage texture.

“You can weigh 120g of milk for a 6oz (170ml) drink, but if the milk isn’t textured correctly, it can negatively affect the consumer experience,” Hany continues.

Ultimately, if the coffee to milk ratio is too overpowering, or the milk texture isn’t smooth enough, consumers could receive a lower-quality beverage. However, for the most part, if baristas are trained to steam and pour milk well, the majority of consumers will receive high-quality milk-based drinks.

Will we see this practice more in coffee shops and competitions over the next few years?

In general, all of the coffee professionals I spoke with believe that Anthony’s winning WBC performance will lead to more coffee shops – as well as other WBC competitors – weighing their milk-based beverages.

“Throughout the years, WBC competitors are starting to control more and more variables,” Anthony says. “I definitely see consistency in the weight of milk becoming more prominent moving forward.

“Although two different types of steamed milk may reach the same level in a cup, they could have completely different textures,” he adds. “If you weigh the beverage after you have poured the milk, however, it’s a useful indicator as to how much foam you have created.”

He tells me how weighing milk helped him to develop the milk course section of his 2022 WBC routine.

“I trained a lot using the same amount of milk and the same workflow,” he says. “The difference between each beverage I weighed was roughly 0.2g.”

Competitions like the WBC assess a variety of technical barista skills, including precision, accuracy, and consistency. In theory, this means serving more consistent drinks to competition judges – whether in weight, flavour, appearance, or any other factor – could lead to higher overall scores.

However, despite indications that the practice of weighing milk could become common, Angus believes it could take some time for coffee shops to start adopting it.

“Milk-based beverage tasting workshops could be a useful tool,” he says. “Many coffee shops hold black coffee cupping sessions, but milk-based beverages can have a different range of sensory experiences [for both baristas and consumers]. 

“Adding milk to coffee can emphasise different levels of sweetness,” he adds. 

In order to assist baristas to understand more about weighing milk-based beverages, Angus suggests a training exercise:

1. Prepare two milk-based drinks using the same espresso recipe and steam two jugs of milk to the same texture.
2. Pour each beverage, but with a 10g weight difference. Taste to compare how different weights affect the beverage.
3. Then, prepare two-milk based drinks using the same espresso recipe, but steam two jugs of milk to different textures.
4. Pour the same weight of milk in each drink. Taste to compare how different textures affect the beverage.

Although it may not be suitable for every coffee shop, there are clear benefits to weighing milk-based drinks for baristas, café owners, and consumers alike. Not only can waste be reduced, but overall beverage quality could also increase – an important consideration for WBC competitors, too.

However, whether or not we will see more coffee shops weighing milk-based beverages in the coming years remains to be seen. But with more and more coffee shops implementing automated milk foaming solutions into their businesses, it could become easier for baristas to start weighing their milk while also maintaining a good workflow.

Enjoyed this? Then read our guide to working with plant milks.

Photo credits: Hany Ezzat, World Coffee Events

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