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To extract a delicious cup of espresso, you can't do without suitable coffee beans, the right dose, ratio, time, grind size, water temperature, and pressure. Although single-origin coffee beans are currently very popular for extracting espresso, if you are a beginner at extraction or just getting into espresso, it is advisable to choose blended coffee beans for extraction.

Advantages of espresso blend coffee beans

The emergence of blended coffee beans is because coffee is an agricultural product, and each year's growing environment, terroir, and climate all affect the flavor expression of coffee. So in order to avoid the shortcomings of single-origin (i.e., single-region) coffee beans expressing unpleasant flavors under pressurized extraction, different regions' characteristic flavor expressions are blended in different proportions to complement each other's strengths and offset weaknesses, and through medium-dark roasting, espresso can consistently express a rich, stable flavor over the long term.

Front Street Coffee currently sells 4 types of coffee beans with different flavor characteristics, and everyone can choose according to their own taste preferences.

"Front Street Coffee - Warm Sun Blend," a coffee bean primarily featuring wine aroma. Made from Ethiopian natural Red Cherry coffee beans (30%) + Honduran Sherry Barrel coffee beans (70%), it has a rich wine aroma, vanilla cream, berry sweetness and acidity, and roasted nut flavor expression.

"Front Street Coffee - Front Street Specialty Blend": an espresso coffee bean primarily featuring nutty aroma. Made from Colombian washed coffee beans (30%) + Brazilian semi-washed coffee beans (70%), it has nut, dark chocolate, and caramel flavor expression.

"Front Street Coffee - Front Street Commercial Blend," an espresso coffee bean primarily featuring body. Made from Robusta washed coffee beans (10%) + Colombian washed coffee beans (30%) + Brazilian semi-washed coffee (60%), it has nut, cocoa, and caramel flavor expression, with high body.

"Front Street Coffee - Front Street Dark Cocoa Blend," a slightly acidic, full-bodied espresso coffee bean. Made from Yunnan washed small-bean coffee (30%) + Brazilian semi-washed coffee beans (70%), it has soft fruit acidity, caramel, and nut flavor expression.

EspressoProduction precautions

Every coffee machine and grinder has different performance, and there will be certain differences in both pressure and grind settings, so there are no fixed parameters for exact grind settings and coarseness. Here, Front Street dark-roasted Front Street Commercial Blend coffee beans, which are known for rich crema, are used as a reference.

If you are at the initial stage, Front Street Coffee recommends a middle extraction parameter, and everyone can adjust the data according to the coffee's flavor expression: use 20g of powder at a 1:2 ratio & 9 bar pressure to extract 40g of coffee liquid, in 25-30 seconds. Make corresponding adjustments based on the actual flavor expression of the coffee after extraction is completed.

Different grind sizes and times will cause noticeable differences in espresso flavor. The coffee machine is very sensitive in checking the coffee grind level. If the grind is slightly too coarse, it will cause the flow rate to be too fast, the extraction time to become shorter, and the coffee taste to be thin; if the grind is slightly too fine, it will cause the flow rate to be too slow, the extraction time to become longer, and the coffee taste to be burnt and bitter.

Espressoextraction steps

1. Grinding and dosing

Before grinding and dosing, Front Street suggests first grinding 1g of coffee beans to clear away residual coffee powder inside the grinder. Then wipe the portafilter clean, keeping the filter basket free of residual powder and in a dry state. Then turn on the grinder switch and begin grinding the coffee beans. Use the coffee filter basket to catch the coffee powder.

2. Distribution & tamping

The purpose of distribution is to ensure the coffee powder is evenly distributed in the basket. Front Street Coffee recommends using a distribution tool, which for beginners can ensure stability and speed. Place the distribution tool flat on the coffee filter basket, rotate it several times, and then lift it off.

The purpose of tamping is to reduce air between particles, increase the density of the puck, and resist the impact of water flow under high pressure. When tamping, the force and direction should be perpendicular to the filter basket. The best method is to keep your arm vertical and use the strength of your arm to tamp. The tamping force does not need to be too great; just press the coffee puck down to the indentation line inside the filter basket.

3. Flushing the group head

Before extracting each espresso, we are in no hurry to lock it on. First turn on the switch to let the water stored on the group head shower screen flow out, ensuring consistency of water temperature during extraction.

4. Lock the portafilter tightly and quickly press the extraction button

Gently lock the portafilter onto the group head, and be sure to confirm whether it is locked tightly to avoid water leakage. After locking it onto the group head, quickly press the brewing button to avoid the high-temperature group head scorching the surface of the coffee powder. At about the 4th second after pressing the extraction button, thick coffee liquid begins to appear at the bottom of the filter basket, and slowly several streams merge into one stream, changing from dark brown to golden yellow.

Until the electronic scale shows close to 40g of coffee liquid, pull down (press) the extraction button to end brewing. At this point you can see beautiful golden-yellow foam floating on the surface, and the coffee liquid is visibly rich and viscous, giving off waves of aroma.

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