Espresso is hailed as the soul of coffee, and its rich, intense flavor makes it both captivating and intimidating to first-time tasters. A good cup of espresso—from the presentation of golden crema to the layered flavors on the palate—tests both the quality of the coffee beans and the skill of the barista. Front Street Coffee will guide you through a comprehensive understanding of espresso tasting methods, including the three steps of smelling the aroma, observing the crema, and tasting, as well as different ways to drink it, such as drinking it straight or blending it with milk. We will also delve into the bean selection approach behind Front Street's espresso specialty blends and commercial blends, from Colombian Huila to Brazilian Cerrado, and the use of Robusta varieties, helping you find the espresso beans suitable for making espresso.

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Espresso has long been known in the coffee world as the "soul of coffee." Its flavor is intense and its body is heavy. Many people new to it find it a bit overwhelming, but once they get used to this powerful expression, they often come to see it in a different light. At the same time, espresso is also an important benchmark for measuring coffee quality and barista skill.

Since espresso has so many devotees, it naturally has its own unique appeal. Now, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) will take everyone into the world of espresso!

Espresso

A freshly extracted espresso will have a pleasing golden layer of crema on its surface, usually called crema. The formation of crema is closely tied to the 9 bar extraction pressure—under heat and pressure, water draws soluble components out of the coffee bed, and this process emulsifies the naturally occurring fats and oils in the coffee. In addition, freshly roasted coffee beans contain carbon dioxide inside, and when making espresso, this carbon dioxide dissolves into the coffee liquid under pressure.

How to taste espresso?

Smell

When you pick up a cup of espresso, the first thing to do is usually to take in its aroma. You may detect notes of nuts and caramel, and if the roast is on the lighter side, you might even smell fruity, sweet-and-sour aromas.

Observe

After smelling the aroma, next observe the color and thickness of the crema, because these two points alone can give you a rough idea of the quality of the cup.

Taste

An espresso is a small serving and is usually served with a glass of ice water. First take a sip of ice water to cleanse the palate, then drink the espresso in one go and experience its creamy texture in the mouth, along with rich caramel and nutty flavors.

Besides drinking it straight, are there other ways to drink it? Of course there are. For example, some people cannot handle the intense punch of espresso, so they add a small amount of milk, which makes the coffee smoother, reduces the bitterness, and highlights caramel and chocolate notes.

Of course, if you find it too strong, you can also dilute it with water, but then the original character of the espresso is lost.

Which espresso coffee beans make good-tasting espresso?

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) espresso specialty blend coffee beans : The goal is to create an espresso blend with nutty and cocoa aromas.

Colombia Huila Region

Huila is located in southwestern Colombia and is one of the country's main coffee-growing regions. Colombian coffee is generally grown at altitudes between 1,500 and 1,800 meters, with varieties mainly Bourbon and Caturra, using the washed process. The beans have relatively high density, uniform screen size, and plump shape (greater thickness from the center to the surface of the bean). Because the Huila region contains many well-known coffee origins, the names of its small subregions gradually came into circulation as brand names. Although the cultivation conditions in this region are excellent, the planting infrastructure of coffee farms and surrounding areas is still not well developed, and the green bean drying equipment and washing facilities are not yet complete, which is quite a pity. Coffee from the Huila region has a strong flavor and heavy body. The reason Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) chose coffee from Huila as a blend component is that the nutty, chocolate, and caramel aromas and suitable acidity of the coffee beans from this region make them very suitable as the base note in a blended coffee.

After cupping comparisons at Front Street, it was concluded that Colombian Huila coffee beans have a rich and solid mouthfeel, with a pleasant acidity, mellow aroma, moderate acidity, and a rich, intriguing sweetness. Because they are affordably priced and the beans are on the smaller side, they are very suitable for use in blended coffee. Their coffee has a strong flavor and relatively heavy body, and the nutty, chocolate, and caramel aromas plus suitable acidity make it a high-grade specialty coffee, suitable as a single origin or as an espresso blend base.

Brazil Cerrado Region

Brazilian coffee is usually grown at altitudes between 1,000 and 1,300 meters, so its density is relatively low. The varieties are mostly Bourbon, using the semi-dry process. The moisture content is moderate, the bean texture is softer, and the thickness from the surface to the center of the bean is relatively thin, so it is not suitable for roasting at too high a temperature; otherwise, the temperature on the inner wall of the roaster will scorch the bean surface and produce a burnt, bitter taste. At the same time, in order to bring out its better characteristics of nuts, milk chocolate, and body, and to use it as a blend base, Front Street's roaster chooses to drop the beans at medium heat, maintaining the heat through the dehydration stage, then making slight adjustments as the temperature rises after first crack begins, promoting a fuller caramelization reaction, and discharging the beans when the temperature approaches second crack. After cupping comparisons at Front Street, it was concluded that Brazilian Cerrado coffee has a comfortable bittersweet taste and is extremely smooth on entry; it has a faint grassy aroma, with a light bitterness amid the fresh fragrance; it is sweet and smooth, with a pleasant aftertaste.

After blending, Front Street adjusts the grind size and extracts it, producing an espresso with a soft, slightly acidic taste, light sweetness, and a nutty sweet aftertaste. Overall it is not too aggressive, with a mild style, and the crema is medium.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) espresso commercial blend coffee beans : The goal is to create espresso coffee beans with nutty and cocoa notes as the main profile and a mellow body.

Robusta Variety

Robusta beans have strong resistance to pests and diseases and high yields. They usually do not have the acidity of Arabica beans and often carry a slight woody aroma. Their caffeine content is 2.2%, higher than Arabica's 1.2%, and their chlorogenic acid content is also higher, so they are quite bitter and are usually used for commercial beans, with a lower cost than Arabica beans. In terms of the flavor of a single bean, coffee made from commercial beans is far inferior to specialty coffee beans. Generally, commercial beans are chosen for blending, and after blending they can also make decent coffee, suitable for making espresso drinks such as lattes and cappuccinos. When Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) commercial blend coffee beans are used to make espresso, because they contain Robusta beans, the crema is richer, the taste is classic, with caramel sweetness, nutty, cocoa-like, and dark chocolate flavors, balanced acidity and sweetness, a slight bittersweet note, and a lasting finish.

After blending, Front Street adjusts the grind size and extracts it, producing an espresso with caramel sweetness, nutty, cocoa-like, and dark chocolate flavors, balanced acidity and sweetness, a slight bittersweet note, and a lasting finish.

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