Did you know? Espresso has a rich and intense flavor that often makes it seem hard to accept, but once you get used to it, you find it has a unique charm. Moreover, espresso is also a coffee that tests coffee quality and barista skills.
Since espresso is loved by so many people, it must have a certain charm. Next, Front Street Coffee will take everyone to explore the mysteries in detail!
What is espresso?
Freshly extracted espresso has a beautiful layer of golden crema, which we generally call "Crema". The appearance of "Crema" is closely related to the 9Bar pressure. Under heating and pressure, water extracts soluble substances from the coffee powder layer, and this process emulsifies the natural fats and oils in the coffee. At the same time, freshly roasted coffee beans contain carbon dioxide, and during the making of espresso,these carbon dioxides are subjected to pressure and dissolve into the coffee.
Espressois a very classic Italian coffee with a rich and layered flavor that can highlight certain flavor characteristics of the coffee. However, because espresso has a very strong taste when first tasted, more people prefer espresso-basedItalian coffee.
What is Americano?
Americano originated during World War II when American soldiers in Europe were not used to the extremely strong espresso, so they added water to dilute the coffee. Therefore, Americano is essentially about diluting the coffee's concentration to a level suitable for Americans at that time. Later, Italians immigrated to the United States, and Italian coffee shops sprang up there, popularizing Americano based on espresso. In terms of "adding water", they also expressed the idea of diluting strong coffee by pouring coffee first and then water. Until now, the order of making Americano is not strictly emphasized, and the only difference is whether the crema is preserved or dispersed.
Image: Front Street Coffee — Hot Americano Product
Image: Front Street Coffee — Iced Americano Product
How to make Americano?
Americano is made by diluting espresso extracted at a powder-to-liquid ratio of 1:2 with an appropriate proportion of water. Front Street makes Americano using espresso extracted from a blend of Ethiopian sun-dried Red Cherry and Honduras Sherry as an example. Front Street dilutes 40g of coffee liquid extracted from 20g of coffee powder in different proportions, and finally uses a 1:6 ratio (40g coffee liquid to 240g water) to makeAmericano.
The taste of Americano depends on the beans used to extract the espresso. A good Americano is balanced and mellow overall, without a watery feel, burnt bitterness, or sharp acidity. When we drink Americano and taste bitterness, it is because the espresso was over-extracted; sharp acidity means the espresso was under-extracted; and a watery feel means too much water was added.
What does Americano taste like? The taste of Americano mainly comes from the coffee beans.
Nowadays, Americano has almost become a standard menu item in every coffee shop, but some shops' Americanos are sweet and delicious, while others are burnt and hard to swallow. Why is there such a huge difference? There are mainly two major factors: one is the quality of the coffee beans, and the other is the extraction level of the barista.
Today's Americano is composed of espresso and water. Water is colorless and tasteless and only serves to dilute, so the taste depends on the espresso, and the flavor of the espresso mainly depends on the coffee beans and extraction.
Front Street uses double espresso to make espresso, and selecting a suitableespresso blend beanis also very important. Blended coffee, also called mixed coffee, is made by mixing various single-origin coffee beans to fully bring out the strengths of each single-origin bean. The blend is made from coffee beans from different origins to create a more balanced taste. For example, if one coffee bean is smooth but lacks aroma, another aromatic bean can be added, so the advantages of individual coffee beans complement each other, either balancing or enhancing the flavor, thereby creating a richer new taste ofItalian coffee.
Currently, Front Street Coffee uses its own roastedSunflower Warm Sun Blend, using Ethiopian sun-dried Red Cherry paired with Honduras Sherry coffee beans in a 7:3 ratio, so the extracted espresso has obvious fruity acidity on the palate, with a faint berry aroma lingering, rich wine and chocolate flavors, and a comfortable sweet aftertaste.
Front Street uses a Flying Horse E98 espresso machine, with the following extraction parameters:
Pressure: 9 bar
Temperature: 90.5~96°C
Time: 20~30 sec
Powder-to-water ratio: 1:1.7~1:2
Dose: 12g (single espresso) 20g (double espresso)
Extraction yield: 20ml (single) 40ml (double)
Weighing
Extracting
Front Street Coffee believes that before blending coffee beans, one must first know the flavors of different coffee varieties around the world, and beans have different characteristics depending on their origin. Different coffee beans have different personalities due to different varieties and origins, with subtle differences in acidity, bitterness, sweetness, aroma, body, and other flavors. Single-origin coffee beans often focus more on expressing the unique characteristics of a certain type of coffee. The advantage of post-roast blending is that after roasting is completed, the beans can complement each other based on their flavor performance, and the proportion and weight of the coffee beans can be fine-tuned according to actual conditions, presenting a stable coffee flavor.
Next, Front Street Coffee will introduce the details of several of our blend beans.
Front Street Coffee — Espresso Blend Solutions
Depending on the type of coffee, the preparedespresso beanswill also have different characteristics in taste and flavor.
1. Balanced-flavor espresso beans
Recipe: Guatemala (30%), Colombia (30%), Brazil (20%), Tanzania Kilimanjaro (10%).
This comprehensive blend is relatively balanced in acidity, bitterness, and aroma. It is neither too acidic nor too mellow, suitable for friends who are new to espresso. Tanzania Kilimanjaro coffee beans with strong acidity, Guatemala coffee beans with rich fruity and smoky flavors, Colombia coffee beans with both acidity and mellow taste, and Brazil coffee beans with soft bitterness—Front Street blends these coffee beans in proportion to ultimately form a comprehensive blend with balanced taste and moderate strength.
2. Bitterness-focused espresso beans
Recipe: Colombia (30%), Brazil (60%), Robusta (10%).
Considering the diversity of the audience, Front Street needs to choose coffee beans with rich flavors to create a strong-tasting blend. These include Colombia coffee beans with rich nutty and chocolate flavors, Brazil coffee beans with soft bitterness, and Robusta coffee beans known for their mellow body and rich crema. The coffee beans blended this way have a relatively strong bitterness and are deeply loved by coffee enthusiasts.
3. Acidity-focused espresso beans
Recipe: Tanzania Kilimanjaro (40%), Yirgacheffe Red Cherry (20%), Brazil (20%), Colombia (20%).
To make coffee beans with strong acidity, it is necessary to focus on coffee beans that represent acidity. Front Street selected two African coffees famous for their acidity, Tanzania coffee beans and Yirgacheffe coffee beans, and on this basis, paired them with Brazil coffee beans and Colombia coffee beans, thus creating a comprehensive coffee with prominent acidity but not overly sharp sourness.
4. Wine-aroma-focused espresso beans
Recipe: Honduras Sherry (60%), Yirgacheffe Red Cherry (40%).
Front Street named this espresso beanSunflower Warm Sun. As the name suggests, the aroma of this espresso bean is as comfortable as warm sunshine, and its taste and flavor are eye-catching. With Honduras Sherry coffee beans rich in fermented wine aroma as the main component, paired with Yirgacheffe Red Cherry coffee beans known for their acidity, it can create a comprehensive coffee with rich aroma.
5. Specialty espresso beans
Recipe: Brazil (70%), Colombia (30%).
For people who do not like overly biased flavors and do not love single-origin coffee but pursue coffee quality, this specialty espresso bean should be the first choice. It uses medium-dark roasted coffee beans, mainly balanced-flavor Brazil coffee beans, paired with Colombia coffee beans with soft fruity acidity and nutty sweetness. The flavor is classic and thought-provoking.
6. Basic espresso beans
Recipe: Yunnan coffee beans (40%), Brazil (60%).
This Front Street Black Cocoa Blend from Front Street presents the most popular taste and flavor with extremely high cost performance. Whether you are new to coffee or a heavy coffee enthusiast, you can easily accept this espresso bean. The first choice is balanced-flavor Brazil coffee beans, and on this basis, Yunnan coffee beans with weaker flavor and taste than Brazil are used for blending.
Extended reading — common ways to drink espresso
Many enthusiasts want to know "how to drink a cup of espresso". Every time I hear this type of question, to solve it, it is better to first understand another question: "What are you drinking when you drink espresso?"
Under normal circumstances, Front Street Coffee serves espresso together with ice water. Before drinking the espresso, take a sip to rinse the mouth and clean the palate to better experience the espresso. Then use the provided spoon to stir the espresso. The coffee liquid at the bottom of the espresso is thicker, while the surface part is thinner. Stirring to mix evenly allows you to better taste the espresso. Of course, you can also not stir to experience different tastes and layers. Drink it in about two to three sips, because during this time the coffee tastes the most perfect and the caffeine intake is relatively small, allowing you to enjoy the deliciousness while considering health, but remember to drink it quickly.
However, as a beginner espresso coffee fan, you might try adding a tiny amount of sugar and a proportion of fresh milk no greater than the coffee itself, stir slightly, and drink it in one gulp. This way of drinking allows you to simultaneously taste the half-melted granulated sugar melting in your mouth, with a flavor from bitter to sweet, and will absolutely make you fall in love with this cup of espresso. The fresh milk can also neutralize that strong taste, making it the most suitable way for beginner coffee fans to drink.
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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
