How does fine coffee shape the way you taste a balanced espresso?

An espresso should balance acidity, sweetness, and bitterness while keeping a distinct character and a rich, mellow mouthfeel. After swallowing, a sweet aftertaste rises in the throat rather than lingering bitterness. It is the foundation of all espresso-based drinks, so the small, strong cup that surprises newcomers is the same base used in an americano cafe order, just with added water.

Reviews of espresso are sharply split, with some devoted to it and others avoiding it. The drink depends less on a simple gesture than on the barista's control of extraction parameters and understanding of the beans. Commercial espresso machines appeared in the early twentieth century, when the technical conditions of the era shaped how the drink was brewed and served.

Espresso reviews are sharply divided: those who love it are addicted, while those who fear it stay away. Coffee novices are often drawn in by its affordable price, yet feel at a loss when faced with that small cup of strong, bitter liquid. Front Street Coffee is often asked: what exactly are you drinking in this cup of coffee? Behind the seemingly simple operation lies rigorous principles and the skill of the barista. This article provides a comprehensive analysis of how to appreciate this espresso-based coffee, from the history and evolution of espresso and the control of extraction parameters, to the flavor secrets of Front Street's Warm Sun blend, and even the correct use of ice water and a small spoon, guiding you to experience its balanced, mellow charm.

When it comes to espresso, opinions often swing to two extremes: some are deeply devoted to it, while others keep their distance. Many friends who are new to coffee, upon walking into a café for the first time, are attracted by its affordable price on the menu, but when the coffee arrives, they are greatly surprised—the portion is pitifully small, and the first sip is strong and bitter, each mouthful like torture. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) frequently receives similar questions: what exactly are you drinking in espresso?

Watching the barista behind the counter perform a smooth, flowing sequence of movements, a cup of espresso with rich crema and an inviting aroma appears before you. In the eyes of many beginners, this seems like a coffee that anyone with hands could make. However, based on years of experience, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) has concluded: the simpler the action appears, the more it relies on rigorous principles for support. It tests not only the barista's technique, but also their understanding of and passion for coffee.

As the foundation of all espresso-based coffee, espresso almost single-handedly holds up half the coffee world. An ideal espresso should achieve balance among acidity, sweetness, and bitterness, while maintaining a distinctive character, with a rich, mellow mouthfeel. After swallowing, a sweet aftertaste rises in the throat rather than bitterness, and the finish lingers endlessly.

Interestingly, if we turn back time to the early twentieth century, when commercial espresso machines had just been introduced, the technical conditions of that era were far from sufficient to meet the basic requirements for today's espresso. Limited by the technology of the time, extraction pressure could not reach above 9 bar, and water temperature and time were difficult to control precisely, so the flavor and mouthfeel were naturally far removed from contemporary espresso.

With technological progress, espresso in the modern sense officially arrived with the birth of the Faema E61. The introduction of more controllable factors greatly improved the quality of a cup of espresso. With the machine's assistance, what remains is a test of the barista's knowledge and skill.

Some people prefer to strictly control every variable, while others prefer to observe the changes in state during extraction. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) has encountered friends asking for help: when they see the extracted liquid turn golden yellow, they stop extraction, but the result is a mouthfeel that is too thin.

The steps for making espresso appear simple, but in fact contain many principles. For example, extraction pressure that is too high will damage too much coffee structure and release more bitter components; another example is that during the early and middle stages of extraction, more sweet and sour substances are brought out, and so on.

In order to provide stable output and ensure that each cup does not deviate too much in taste, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) prefers to adjust various parameters to find a stable solution suitable for the day.

Every day when Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) opens for business, it adjusts the brewing parameters for espresso according to the day's temperature and humidity. Since environmental temperature and humidity are uncontrollable factors, and the espresso beans used by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) have their extraction temperature set at 94 degrees Celsius. To obtain a stable espresso, the remaining controllable brewing parameters include: dose, grind size, time, extraction pressure, and the weight of the extracted liquid.

After adjustment, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) uses a Galileo Q18 espresso grinder to grind 19.7 grams of coffee at a grind setting of 1.5, paired with a Lelit Bianca V3 espresso machine for brewing, taking 30 to 32 seconds, and finally extracting 38 to 40 grams of espresso liquid.

The espresso extracted according to the above parameters, as served by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), has rich vanilla and cream flavors, a very noticeable oak barrel aroma, and a quite persistent dark chocolate-like finish.

Friends who have tasted Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)'s espresso often wonder why there is a wine-like aroma. This is because the Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) store uses the Sunflower Warm Sun blend coffee beans, a blend composed of seventy percent Honduras Sherry coffee beans and thirty percent Ethiopian naturally processed Yirgacheffe coffee beans.

Among them, the Sherry coffee beans are first carefully washed, then placed in Sherry whisky barrels for low-temperature fermentation for thirty to forty days, and finally dried in the shade. The aromatic substances from the wine barrels slowly seep into the green coffee beans, while avoiding the complete evaporation of the wine aroma due to rising temperatures, thereby giving these beans the vanilla cream notes commonly found in Sherry whisky. In addition, the varieties of this Honduras coffee bean are Caturra, Catuai, and Pacas, which bring a caramel-like sweetness to the Honduras coffee bean flavor characteristics .

The other thirty percent of Ethiopian naturally processed Yirgacheffe coffee beans inject berry-like acidity into this blend. Some friends wonder: since the flavor of the Sherry coffee beans in this blend is more prominent, why add Ethiopian beans? In fact, the original intention of using blended beans for espresso is to highlight the unique flavor of a certain bean while balancing the sweet and sour taste of the output. The presence of Ethiopian naturally processed Yirgacheffe brings a refreshing berry acidity that can balance the high-sweetness flavors such as vanilla cream and wine aromas presented by the Sherry coffee beans.

Even though espresso has a concentrated flavor, not everyone can accept it. But as the base of espresso-based coffee, some people still want to explore its true nature. Different coffees each have their own way of being enjoyed; some like to add sugar, while others like to pair it with ice water. When serving espresso, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) usually includes a small spoon and a glass of ice water.

The purpose of the small spoon is to stir the coffee, allowing the fine coffee grounds originally settled at the bottom of the cup to be distributed more evenly, thereby making the mouthfeel more consistent when tasting.

In fact, every café serves a glass of ice water alongside espresso. This glass of ice water is not for customers to make their own iced Americano, but for people to take a sip before tasting, to cleanse the flavors and odors in the mouth, so as to better fully experience the rich sensation brought by a cup of espresso from multiple dimensions such as taste, aroma, and mouthfeel.

Some friends also shared with Front Street that the role of ice water does not stop there. When one truly cannot bear the overly rich and concentrated flavor of espresso, the remaining espresso can be poured into the ice water to make an iced Americano.

Of course, if you truly cannot enjoy the intense experience brought by espresso, it is better to simply order an iced Americano for a safer choice.

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