The Coffee Pressure Principle in PTE Academic Preparation

To create the best cup of coffee, we need to put appropriate pressure on the coffee powder. Without pressure, coffee is not strong, it is weak and vulnerable. It is not even coffee.

We are similar to the coffee powder that pressure makes us stronger, and more resilient, and we are able to deal with more challenging tasks in the time to come. The Coffee Pressure Principle utterly reflects our lives by applying appropriate pressure on ourselves every single day to be the change that we seek. 

The above image includes four parts of a Vietnamese Coffee Phin to make one of the best cups of coffee in the world. For your information, Vietnam is the second largest country on earth exporting coffee after Brazil, so Coffee is one of the famous drinks, and the Vietnamese Coffee Phin is a signature. 

To make a great cup of coffee, we put the coffee powder in the Phin, place the strainer on top of the powder, and pour hot water into the Phin after applying proper pressure. How much pressure we press on the strainer determines how good the cup of coffee is, as we use pressure to control water flow through the coffee powder and extract our favourite flavours. If the pressure is weak, the water will go through the coffee powder pretty quickly because the intensity is low, which makes the coffee tasteless. If the pressure is too hard, it will take super long for the water to go through the coffee powder. Sometimes, we don’t have time to wait that long or if you are a Coffee house owner, customers will go far away before the coffee is completed extracting. However, if we apply proper pressure on the strainer, it will take enough time for the water flow to go through the coffee powder in order to make your favourite smell and taste. It’s no different if we use commercial-grade espresso machines to make espresso. Bartenders have a coffee puck and a handle to do it similarly to the Vietnamese Coffee Phin. We also need to apply appropriate pressure on the puck and ensure the right intensity to extract coffee for the right taste.  

In a Vietnamese Coffee Phin set, let’s imagine, the strainer is the pressure and the rest is your family background, education, and so on. Regardless of the rest (the cover, the Phin, and the base filter), if we don’t put pressure on the strainer appropriately, there is literally no room for improvement because without pressure, we, as a human, would be weaker and more vulnerable day after day when we face with challenges. Nevertheless, we need to pay close attention to the intensity of pressure put on our shoulders every time. If the pressure is weak, it will make literally no difference. If the pressure is too hard, it could be counter-productive because we are not yet able to deal with the level of intensity. Therefore, understanding yourself is a key element to press the strainer hard enough for advancement, not weak and not too hard. 

When it comes to taking the Pearson Test of English or the Duolingo English Test, we know it’s not easy to achieve the desired scores. Nonetheless, IT IS WORTH everything we invest in. The preparation time before taking the test is the most essential period as we put pressure on ourselves every single day for improvement, to upgrade our English level in order to obtain the scores we set our hearts on. Students should remember that the sooner you prepare, the better, so we have enough time to test ourselves, to put pressure on our shoulders for enhancement, and to see how strong we are in dealing with challenges. 

In a nutshell, it’s very challenging to prepare for any English Proficiency tests, but you are capable of achieving your wanted scores if you apply proper pressure and see pressure as an opportunity for improvement. Just like making a great cup of coffee, we put enough pressure on the coffee powder, and it also immerses itself in hot water long enough to create the best smell and taste.

Here are our Preparation guides for the PTE Academic and Duolingo English Test developed in a simple five-step strategy, let’s read it carefully and apply it to your case.

• Pearson Test of English Preparation Guide
• Duolingo English Test Preparation Guide

 And remember to put pressure appropriately for the best outcome!