Espresso comes from the Italian word "Express," meaning fast, and it can be extracted within just a few dozen seconds, making it one of the core offerings of modern coffee shops. From the birth of the espresso machine in the late 19th century to Gaggia's introduction of the spring piston pressure system in the mid-20th century, which brought the golden Crema to the surface of coffee for the first time, the craft of making espresso has continuously evolved. An ideal espresso should be rich yet not scorched or bitter, full-bodied and solid, with a clear sweet aftertaste, covered by a delicate and smooth golden crema. This article will comprehensively outline the knowledge system of espresso, from its historical context, flavor standards, and coffee bean selection to specific preparation steps, and use Front Street Coffee's blend beans as an example to demonstrate the production process for espresso and Americano.

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The name Espresso comes from the Italian word Express, originally meaning "fast," which directly points to the core characteristic of espresso—it is a coffee beverage that can be produced in an extremely short time.

Early espresso machines relied on two separate boilers to heat water to boiling to produce steam, then used steam pressure to pressurize hot water to about 1.5 bar, forcing it through the coffee grounds to obtain a highly concentrated coffee liquid. However, the espresso made this way did not taste ideal. So in the early 20th century, an Italian named Luigi Bezzerra bought the patent for the first-generation espresso machine, added a device to stabilize air pressure, and introduced the coffee filter basket to filter and keep the coffee bed thickness even.

Hot water, after being pressurized, quickly passes through the finely ground, evenly distributed coffee bed in just a few dozen seconds, extracting a more balanced flavor, with the espresso falling directly into the cup—this is the most basic design concept of modern espresso.

Although Italian-style coffee had already appeared when the espresso machine was invented in 1884, at that time coffee shops were mainly patronized by male workers, and women were not allowed to drink coffee in coffee shops. Therefore, not all Italians had tasted espresso, and its taste was not accepted by everyone.

The Birth and Flavor Characteristics of Modern Espresso

As times developed, more and more Italians began to taste espresso, and this intense beverage gradually became Italy's national coffee. As the drinking population expanded, people's pursuit of coffee taste and quality also rose. In 1946, a man named Gaggia further improved the piston pressure system—replacing manual pressing with spring pressure, causing a layer of golden coffee oil—Crema—to appear on the surface of the brewed coffee.

After Crema made its first appearance in coffee history, it quickly gained recognition and favor among Italians, and subsequent espresso preparation gradually set requirements for coffee crema. Today the industry generally believes that a high-quality espresso should be rich yet not scorched or bitter, full-bodied and solid, with a clear sweet aftertaste and distinct layers, and the golden crema brings a smooth and delicate mouthfeel to the coffee.

How to Make Espresso with Golden Crema?

When coffee shops produce espresso, they usually choose fresh medium-dark roasted blend beans, first because it can bring rich coffee crema, and second because extraction is more stable. The following four coffee shop-style blend beans can be chosen according to personal taste preferences:

If you pursue rich crema and want to make a latte with dark chocolate and cocoa flavors, Front Street Classic Blend is recommended. It has rich chocolate, nut, cocoa, and caramel flavors with a long finish;

For coffee with low acidity and a rich mouthfeel, we recommend buying Front Street Commercial Blend, which delivers a full-bodied taste whether as Americano or latte;

If you want a balanced, slightly acidic flavor profile, you can try the espresso bean recommended by many baristas, made from Yunnan smallholder beans and Brazilian Red Bourbon—Front Street Black Cocoa Blend. It extracts stably and offers extremely high value for money;

If you are just starting to explore espresso and do not accept bitterness, then choose Front Street Strawberry Candy Espresso Blend. It brings distinct aromas of rose, ripe grapes, and strawberry gummy candy. As an Americano, it bursts with fruity juice; as a latte, it has a silky flavor like cream cookies.

During roasting, coffee beans undergo structural changes and the bean body produces a large amount of carbon dioxide. After roasting is completed, as time passes, the carbon dioxide is released on its own, simultaneously carrying away volatile aromatic substances in the coffee. Therefore, if you want espresso to have rich aroma and abundant crema, using freshly roasted coffee beans and grinding only right before extraction is especially critical.

Front Street Coffee's espresso beans are all freshly roasted within 5 days and shipped within 24 hours after ordering, ensuring that every customer receives the coffee in its freshest state. The resting period for coffee is about 4 to 7 days, so when customers receive it, it is exactly at its best flavor.

Steps for Making Espresso

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) stores use about 10 grams of coffee grounds to extract about 20 grams of coffee liquid for a single shot; for a double shot, about 20 grams of coffee grounds are used to extract about 40 grams of coffee liquid. The extraction water temperature is 94°C, and the extraction time is controlled at 20 to 30 seconds.

A single espresso uses a single filter basket and single-spout portafilter, extracting one shot at a time; a double espresso uses a bottomless filter basket and bottomless portafilter, extracting a double shot of espresso at a time.

First, you need to prepare a dedicated espresso machine, then remove the portafilter and clean the coffee filter basket with a dedicated cloth to ensure the basket is clean and free of water stains.

Next, use a dedicated grinder to grind the coffee beans very finely. When catching the coffee grounds, pay attention to where the grounds fall into the portafilter to ensure the coffee grounds evenly cover all areas of the portafilter.

Third, use your finger to distribute the coffee grounds in the filter basket as evenly as possible, keep your arm vertical, and use the tamper that comes with the coffee machine to tamp the coffee bed. Then gently lock the portafilter onto the coffee machine, avoiding knocking the portafilter against the machine—extra knocking will cause cracks in the coffee puck inside the portafilter, leading to channeling, resulting in under-extraction and uneven extraction.

After locking the portafilter, immediately turn on the extraction switch to begin extracting espresso. While extracting, use an electronic scale to weigh the espresso liquid, and constantly pay attention to the extraction time and the color and state of the coffee liquid. When the coffee liquid reaches 40 grams, press the extraction button to stop. After extraction is complete, knock the puck out into the knock box, clean with a dedicated cloth, and finally lock the portafilter back onto the coffee machine.

However, rather than drinking the strong, bitter espresso directly, more people prefer the refreshing and comfortable Americano, and its preparation method is extremely simple. Below, using Front Street Strawberry Candy Espresso Blend as an example, we will briefly demonstrate the production process.

When producing Americano, Front Street grinds the coffee beans into powder and extracts espresso at a 1:2 coffee-to-water ratio, then pours it into water to dilute, meaning 20 grams of coffee grounds are used to extract 40 grams of coffee liquid. According to Front Street's repeated experiments and adjustments, when the ratio of coffee liquid to water is 1:6, it best reveals a warm sunlight-like aroma, that is, pouring 40 grams of coffee liquid into 240 grams of 88°C hot water, and the hot Americano is complete.

If producing iced Americano, replace the hot water with 120 grams of ice cubes and 120 grams of room-temperature water, and the taste is best before the ice melts. Front Street's iced Americano presents a fresh and pleasant sweet-and-sour taste, which is easy for even friends who do not often drink coffee to accept.

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