How does the espresso extraction process shape every coffee drink?

Espresso is the base of the Italian beverage system, and americano, latte, cappuccino, flat white, and mocha all start from it. Hot water at about 92 degrees is pushed under high pressure through a bed of finely ground, tamped coffee, and the dissolved solids that come out form the shot. Dose, liquid weight, and time decide the result.

Americano can be made two ways: brewed directly on drip coffee machines, or made by adding hot water to espresso. Drip machines became common in American homes and produce a lighter, thinner cup, while the espresso-plus-water route keeps more body. Seven standard steps cover dosing through cleanup, and the Italian blends differ in roast and crema.

Espresso is the core foundation of the Italian beverage system, from which Americano, latte, cappuccino, flat white, mocha, and others all extend. This article, drawing on the hands-on experience of Front Street Coffee, outlines the extraction principles and standard parameters of espresso, compares the historical origins and taste differences between Americano and Italian coffee, and introduces the recipe concepts and flavor profiles of Front Street's four Italian blend beans. At the same time, the article also fully lists the seven steps of making espresso, giving specific suggestions on dose, liquid weight, time, etc., to help coffee enthusiasts understand the logic behind bar operations and produce a qualified cup of espresso more consistently at home or in a shop.

Although most people who come to Front Street for pour-over coffee make up the majority, there are also quite a few customers who choose Italian coffee. Everyone knows that espresso forms the foundation of all kinds of Italian beverages—Americano, latte, cappuccino, flat white, mocha, none of them do not start from it.

Front Street has learned that espresso is written as "espresso" in English, and the amount of caffeine contained per unit volume exceeds that of most coffee beverages. It is extracted by an Italian coffee machine under high pressure. Specifically, the principle is to let hot water at about 92 degrees pass through a layer of finely ground and tamped coffee powder, and through dissolution and extraction of solid components, the resulting liquid is espresso. Espresso is certainly the origin of all coffee beverages, but it is also an independent coffee beverage in its own right. Many people also regard espresso as the representative of Italian coffee and compare it with Americano. So where exactly is the difference between Italian coffee and Americano?

There are two paths to making Americano. One is to extract directly with an American drip machine, and the other is to add hot water to espresso. To understand the difference between these two methods, the answer can be found in the historical evolution of Americano. American drip machines were first widely popularized in American households, and Americans had long been accustomed to the taste produced by drip machines—lighter flavor, thin body, and an obvious watery feel. During World War II, the coffee that American officers drank in Europe was almost all espresso, which was strong and stimulating on the palate.

In order to replicate the flavor of drip machine coffee, they added water to dilute the espresso liquid. In this way, the coffee tasted much softer and became easier to drink. At that time, people in other European countries did not drink it this way, so this beverage was given the name "Americano." In fact, this name carries a bit of sarcasm behind it; it was the locals' teasing of Americans for not being used to espresso. The French even privately called Americano "sock coffee" to describe how bad its taste was.

The Americano at FrontStreet Coffee is made by adding water to espresso, and the vast majority of coffee shops on the market also use the same method. Generally speaking, the ratio of water to coffee liquid in Americano is between 1:4 and 1:9, and the standards vary from coffee shop to coffee shop. Front Street's hot Americano has a water-to-coffee-liquid ratio of 1:4.5, which was determined by taking into account the characteristics of the Warm Sun blend espresso and the shop's serving cup size. Front Street's iced Americano, however, has a water-to-coffee-liquid ratio close to 1:9. Because it uses the shop's own house blend Italian coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee's Americano does not deliberately pursue nutty notes, but instead presents a rich vinous aroma, abundant crema, overall full body, a creamy mouthfeel, and a long chocolate finish. Compared with hot Americano, iced Americano is more refreshing. Switching to different Italian coffee beans also produces coffee beverages with different flavors. In response to different needs, Front Street has designed a total of four Italian coffee beans: Specialty Blend, Commercial Blend, the Italian moka pot coffee beans recommended by many baristas—Front Street Dark Cocoa Blend, and Warm Sun Blend.

The Italian moka pot coffee beans recommended by many baristas—Front Street Dark Cocoa Blend—respectively uses beans commonly used for Italian coffee such as Brazil, Colombia, and Yunnan, with the goal of obtaining better flavor performance at a lower cost. For coffee shops pursuing rich crema, Front Street's Commercial Blend adds 10% robusta beans, which while enhancing the overall body also makes the coffee flavor richer and more mellow. The nutty flavor is prominent, and the chocolate flavor paired with the sweetness of milk is very harmonious. The Specialty Blend, on the other hand, uses arabica coffee beans from Brazil and Colombia. All-American arabica can show a cleaner coffee taste, and the flavor performance of these two producing regions is nutty and chocolatey, making them very suitable for Italian coffee output.

Sunflower Warm Sun Blend coffee beans were a new experiment by Front Street in 2019. At that time, the concept of specialty (single-origin) coffee was in full swing, and many SOEs marketed for their flavor had appeared on the market, but Front Street planned to use high-quality single-origin beans for blending to make a blended coffee bean whose main goal was flavor. In the end, Front Street decided to use 30% Yirgacheffe Red Cherry and 70% Honduras Sherry as the recipe for Sunflower Warm Sun Blend coffee beans. The rich vanilla cream and fermented vinous aroma attracted a large number of enthusiasts.

Generally speaking, espresso extraction has a set of reference standards. Depending on the portafilter basket specifications, the weight of coffee grounds usually falls between 18 and 22 grams. Be sure to ensure that the weight of the coffee grounds meets expectations, because a tiny difference can lead to a huge error. The most common brewing ratio is twice the coffee grounds, which means that if you use 18 grams of coffee grounds, it is best to extract 36 grams of espresso liquid. Once this value is exceeded, the coffee is prone to an over-extracted taste.

Of course, this set of standards can also be flexibly adjusted according to actual needs. For example, the espresso served at Front Street stores uses 20 grams of grounds to extract 36 grams of coffee liquid, with the aim of making the Americano and latte richer and fuller in flavor. It should be noted here that the weight of the liquid coffee is best 1 to 3 times that of the dry coffee grounds, with 2 times being the commonly used value.

The brewing time starts from pressing the button and ends when extraction is complete, and is usually controlled between 25 and 35 seconds. If the extraction time is longer or shorter than expected, the main reason is the coffee grind size, and at this point it needs to be adjusted according to the actual situation to optimize the extraction parameters.

Generally speaking, a relatively fast extraction speed will make the coffee's acidity prominent and reduce its sweetness; a relatively slow extraction speed will give the coffee a bitter and dull flavor.

The most direct way to judge whether espresso is ready to serve is to taste it. Taste is a good way to measure the quality of espresso. However, because judging whether espresso is normal by taste alone is too subjective, some far-sighted baristas and roasters use a refractometer to measure the total dissolved solids (TDS) in espresso. TDS measurement can help them determine accurate brewing strength and extraction percentage, and relate preferred brewing parameters to numerical data. Measuring TDS also means that we can calculate the extraction percentage with the following formula:

(%TDS x brewed coffee weight) / coffee grounds weight = extraction percentage

Many coffee enthusiasts who come to Front Street show admiration for the baristas operating the coffee machine at the bar, curious about how they handle this seemingly complex machine. In fact, what baristas master is merely the detailed steps of making Italian coffee. As for how the inside of the coffee machine operates, most baristas are not clear either. So today, Front Street will introduce the detailed production process of Italian coffee for everyone. Taking the normal operating process of FrontStreet Coffee as an example:

Step one: Wipe the portafilter basket to ensure the coffee basket is dry and free of water

Step two: Weigh the coffee grounds, use an electronic scale to weigh an appropriate amount of coffee grounds, and control the error to within plus or minus 0.1 grams

Step three: Distribute the grounds

Step four: Tamp the grounds

Step five: Lock in the portafilter

Step six: Press the button to extract

Step seven: Knock out the portafilter, clean the group head.

Front Street espresso extraction recipe recommendation: dose 20g, extract 40g coffee liquid, time 30 seconds

Just like that, a serving of espresso is extracted. If you want to make other coffee beverages, it is nothing more than adding sugar or milk to it. Iced coffee is relatively simple to make; you only need to pour hot espresso into cold milk. As for hot milk coffee, you will need to use the steam wand on the coffee machine. As for how to steam milk, FrontStreet Coffee has also written a dedicated article for teaching, and if needed, everyone can look it up on their own. It is worth mentioning that many coffee chain brands today use fully automatic coffee machines, making operation even simpler—just press a button and it is done.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.