Chocolate Shaker

CHOCOLATE POWDER SHAKERS FOR COFFEE

If you like cappuccinos, then a chocolate powder shaker is pretty self-explanatory. Fill with cocoa powder chocolate and shake the cocoa shaker over cappuccino or hot chocolate cup. Not only does the shaker make for tastier coffees, it also helps with the creation of latte art! Yes, that is right, using chocolate powder prior to pouring your milk will create a beautiful canvas for your latte art.

If you plan on upping your latte art game, remember the importance of milk texture through correct milk frothing techniques and with the right equipment such as a Milk Frother, Milk Jug, Thermometer and of course... a chocolate shaker. If you are an at home barista and do not have a milk wand attached to your Espresso Machines, have a look at our beautiful milk frothers from brands like Subminimal, Bialetti and Bellman.

The real choice in chocolate shaker is fine mesh or perforated tops, and handle versus no handle. With the fine mesh top you get a finer powder evenly distributed, which is generally nicer and better for latte art. While with the perforated top you get small chocolate beads which tend to caramelise externally and remain power inside...

It's not always chocolate power these shakers are used for. It is common to used them as a cinnamon shaker and even an icing sugar shaker. This may not be our choice of use for the shakers and braking from the norm in coffee, but hey, we understand rules aren't always there to be followed.

Shakers come in both hard wearing polypropylene and stainless-steel bodies. Both are cool, but the polypropylene bodies allow for a fun choice of colours which can be useful if you are using shakers for not only chocolate but cinnamon and icing sugar too. And then with the stainless-steel chocolate shaker there is the choice of having a handle or not. This is a personal preference, yet no handle is generally more practical in busy environments.

Cleaning your Chocolate Shaker

Whether you are in a commercial kitchen or at home, a chocolate shaker can be used on a frequent basis. With high usage, you may find that the distribution of chocolate from the shaker could be quite hard to shake out. This could be brought down to one of two elements. Either the cocoa you have filled the shaker with is too coarse, or the perforated holes/meshing has become clogged with chocolate.

We would suggest removing the lid from the shaker and soaking it in boiling water. This will melt any attached cocoa powder and allow the holes/mesh to be freed up. This process is fast, easy and can be done in a few minutes.

Ensure the the lid is entirely dry prior to reassembly, as any moisture in the shaker or mesh may create even worse clogging and pour quality chocolate powder.

What is a Cappuccino?

A cappuccino is known for it's rich, foamy and creamy mouthfeel with hints of chocolate to complement it's espresso. Prepared with a full length espresso within a 160ml, handled, ceramic cup. The cappuccino or otherwise known as 'cap' in your local coffee shop, is dusted with chocolate and topped with steamed milk. Thick microfoam of 1cm adds to it's delicious and smooth texture.

How to pour amazing milk

The following pouring tips proceed the first two fundamental steps of milk frothing. Stretching and Texturing. Check out our Thermometers page for how to froth the best milk!

• Stretching isn’t easy, let's be honest here it's going to take a fair few Cups before you get this down pat. So, you’re almost bound to have a few bubbles floating on the surface of the milk, firmly tap the bottom edge of the jug on the bench, swirl and repeat a few times till they are removed.
• Just before pouring the milk into the cup, try to swirl it around to keep the foam from separating prior to departing the jug.
• Hold the cup containing the espresso shot in one hand and jug in another.
• Slowly and gently pour the milk directly into the surface of the crema. Hold the pour still before you move the pour around the centre of the cup. Remember there is no rush through the pour, you control the speed so go at your own pace.
• Once the cup reaches ¾ full, briefly pause the pour. Keep your jug low and work your way from the middle slowly wiggling the jug from left to right to create a pattern.

As we know by now, there’s a little more to brewing coffee than just putting a coffee capsule into a machine and hitting a button, well for a quality cup of coffee anyway. All of our accessories are meant to complement and significantly enhance your brewing experience and ability! Usually, you’d begin your espresso process by using a Dosing tool to weigh the appropriate amount of beans with your Coffee Scales before grinding your fresh coffee!

Your coffee grounds will be put back into your dosing cup and transferred into your Portafilter Basket which may be a single, double or triple! The Distribution tool will help you to evenly distribute the grounds within the Filter Basket prior to using a coffee tamper to compress the grounds. By placing your portafilter onto a Tamping Mat you’ll prevent damage to the portafilter handle or bench, simply place 10-30kg of even pressure down on the tamper and twist to polish. Lock the portafilter into your machine, use the scales under the spout with whichever cup, glassware or reusable cup you prefer and commence brewing.

Now when texturing milk it's important to use the correctly sized milk jug for the amount of milk you require. Once you texture the milk, use a milk Thermometer to get the ideal steaming time for whatever milk you’re working with and if in a cafe you might have the option of a Milk Jug Rinser which is incredibly convenient for the post brew clean! A chocolate shaker is a must for those mocha or cappuccino lovers. When the shot is pouring, make sure to use a barista timer or your scales to measure for the perfect extraction, we recommend 23g in and 46g out at an extraction time of 25-30 seconds. Knock the puck out in either a Knock Box at home or a Standing knock tube or in bench shoot if you’re in a cafe!

Now every machine deserves a good clean, check out our range of Blind Filters, cleaning brushes, cleaning products and chemicals! Everyone loves having a few beans up your sleeve so be sure to check out our favourite Coffee Storage units for home or cafe! If you've got a passion for coffee, well there's nothing tastier than some cupping, use some of our coffee Cupping Tools, such as bowls and spoons to bring this professional experience into your own home!