Galbu Ceramics

Ahh Coffee!! As a lover of a beautiful morning brew, the step of getting an espresso machine created a unforeseen adventure. Firstly, after taking a course in how to use our new machine to make a good cup of cofee, we started using the machine. As we used the machine, more and more we started noticing shortcomings in some of the supplied or suggested equipment

Starting with something to contain and enjoy the freshly extracted brew – we found most typical cups are too big and encourage dilution of the fresh flavour, or having too much milk. Some glass coffee cups, while the size was good get cold far to quickly, forcing the coffee connosuer to scoff down their cup quickly or else suffer a lukewarm cuppa.

This led to the start of my Yunomi range! Yunomi’s are the perfect size to savour the flavour of a fresh shot or two of coffee. Whether it is Short Black, Long black, Latte or Cuppucino, the Yunomis are a great size. They are ceramic which also helps to keep the heat in.

But in moving to drinking coffee’s from Yunomis, another problem was highlighted – the amount of milk that was being wasted using the supplied stainless steel jug for frothing the milk. A typical milk frothing jug needs a minimum level of milk to generate a good froth. That minimum is more milk than needed for 2 large cups of coffee. And waaay too much for a nice Yunomi sized coffee. Which meant a lot of milk was going to waste.

That waste triggered the development of a vessel we call call the ‘Foofler’, named after the sounds of steaming the milk.

The Foofler is the perfect size container to froth just the right amount of milk for a single cup of coffee.

Being made out of ceramic naturally means a slower transfer of thermal energy. This delay has 2 distinct advantages:
1: It stops your hands from burning (which the thin metal jugs are prone to doing, even when the milk is not warm enough for the latte)
2: It allows more time between frothing and pouring into the cup meaning you have a much higher chance of getting the perfect cup of coffee.

There was another problem with the stainless steel jug – it was too short to set up in position and leave alone while steaming. A barrista has to hold the stainless steel jug for the entire process. So to overcome that the Foofler is sized so after starting the steam, you can place down on the bench as it finishes the steaming process so you can continue to extract the coffee. Saving a small amount of time and hassle.

In short – easy to use, no/minimal milk wastage, better insulated, durable, easy to clean and dishwasher safe.

Then there is the need to empty the spent grinds into something- such as a bang bang.

The Bang Bangs have been made in a variety of shapes over the years. Some to represent animal feet, some like trees, some like geometric shapes and some in a style to match other Yunomi.

Each and everyone is unique. And while no 2 are the same, all share many key characteristics:

• They are solid.
• They are designed to contain roughly a day or three’s worth of spend coffee grinds.
• They have a durable plastic coated tube for banging the coffee head onto to extract the spend grinds.
• The plastic coating on the tube protects the coffee head from damage.
• The ceramic material is good for remoisturizing the grinds.
• The Bang bangs can be easily rinsed out in a sink and even put through the dishwasher for a thorough wash once in a while

And that is how the range of coffee equipment came about