Many people think espresso is bitter, but actually you just haven't learned how to taste espresso properly. Front Street Coffee teaches you 5 steps to easily savor the nuances of espresso.
 
Espresso means "fast" in Italian, referring to extraction under high pressure in a short time. Espresso originated in Italy and, along with fashion and cuisine, is regarded as one of Italy's three national treasures. The espresso originally invented was bitter and had a burnt taste, and it wasn't until the 1940s that the flavor and quality of espresso were completely transformed and elevated. In China, there are various names such as espresso, Italian浓缩, and aromatic coffee, but they all refer to Espresso.

Compared to pour-over coffee, espresso is characterized by its intense and quick flavor, and it cannot be evaluated for high, medium, and low temperature flavor notes like pour-over coffee, since it's finished before it even cools down. Secondly, the low ratio creating high concentration also makes espresso taste rich and intense, making it harder to detect many flavors.

In addition, because espresso is extracted under high pressure, it produces its unique product "crema," which also provides espresso with a unique mouthfeel experience.

So when drinking espresso, we tend to focus on tasting its mouthfeel, aroma, and aftertaste, along with a few obvious flavors. Ps: Cleanliness and balance are the passing line; if an espresso doesn't taste clean enough or is unbalanced, those are fatal flaws.

What flavors does espresso have?

We all know that whether a cup of coffee tastes good mainly depends on the choice of coffee beans. Since espresso machines use pressure extraction, they are more suitable for medium roast or darker rather than light roasts. Below, Front Street will recommend corresponding espresso beans based on three different flavor profiles:

If you like espresso with nutty and chocolate flavors, we recommend Front Street Specialty Blend Coffee Beans, 75 yuan/454g: Colombia washed coffee beans + Brazil semi-dry coffee beans, with flavor notes of nuts, dark chocolate, and caramel;

If you like espresso with rich crema and a full-bodied mouthfeel, Front Street Classic Blend Coffee Beans, 33 yuan/100g; Brazil semi-dry coffee beans + Indonesia Mandheling coffee beans + Vietnam coffee beans, with rich crema and a full-bodied mouthfeel;

If you can't quite accept bitterness and prefer espresso with floral and fruity flavors, then we suggest buying Front Street Strawberry Candy Espresso, 43 yuan/100g; Costa Rica coffee beans + Panama coffee beans + Ethiopia coffee beans, with aromas of roses, strawberry candy, and glucose, featuring prominent fruity sweet-tartness and a pleasant taste.

How to taste espresso?

1. Typically, espresso is served with ice water. Before drinking the espresso, take a sip to rinse your mouth, cleaning your palate to better appreciate the espresso.

2. Then use the provided spoon to stir the espresso. The coffee liquid at the bottom of the espresso is more viscous, while the surface part is thinner. Stirring to mix evenly allows for a better tasting of the espresso. Of course, you can also choose not to stir to experience different mouthfeels and layers.

3. Then drink the espresso in 3 to 4 sips, rubbing your tongue against the roof of your mouth to feel the mouthfeel of the espresso, using the sides of your tongue to sense the acidity, etc., combining various taste senses to evaluate the overall state.

4. After finishing, close your mouth and exhale to feel the aroma of the espresso and the aftertaste lingering in your mouth.

5. Finally, take a sip of water to rinse your mouth and feel the sweetness of the coffee.

How to make Americano?

Americano in espresso coffee is actually just espresso diluted with water.

However, depending on local dietary habits and the coffee beans used, the ratio of espresso to water varies. Take Front Street Coffee's offering as an example.

The espresso beans used by Front Street Coffee are their own blend, Warm Sun Sunflower Blend Coffee Beans, which is composed of Yirgacheffe and Honduras beans. The Honduras coffee brings a rich fermented wine aroma and an aftertaste of liqueur chocolate to the espresso, with a deep fragrance. The sun-dried Yirgacheffe brings citrus and berry aromas to this coffee, with a smooth entry.

Front Street's espresso extraction recipe is 20g of coffee grounds, extracting 40g of coffee liquid in 28 seconds. Then add 240g of water at a 1:6 ratio. In this way, the Americano is complete.

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