A few days ago, a coffee enthusiast asked Front Street Coffee whether, if using the same bean, the same grind size, and the same dose, there would be different requirements for the espresso ratio when making milk coffee, Americano, and espresso. So the baristas at Front Street Coffee compared how espressos made with different brew ratios performed in milk coffee and Americano. Next, Front Street Coffee will share the preparation ratios for latte, as well as Americano and espresso.
 
Latte preparation ratio:
 
The cup used in this Front Street Coffee experiment is the latte cup normally used for serving, with a capacity of 300ml;
 

 
For the beans, Front Street Coffee used Front Street Signature Blend, a blend of Colombia and Brazil; the grind size was 1.9 on a Flying Horse 900N; a single spout portafilter was used to make espresso, with a dose of 20 grams, and three brew ratios were tested: 1:1, 1:1.5, and 1:2.
 

 
Now let's try how the espressos made with these three brew ratios taste, and what kind of flavor the resulting milk coffee and Americano have.
 
Brew ratio 1:1 — 20g dose extracts 20g of coffee liquid, extraction time: 19 seconds

 
【Espresso】Smooth on entry, but slightly high in acidity, with creamy and nutty flavors, and a long-lasting cane sugar sweetness.
 
【Latte】The aroma is clearly nutty; on entry there are flavors of nuts, chocolate, and cream, along with a faint butter cookie note, and the milk's sweetness is pronounced.
 
【Americano】The aroma is caramel; on entry it is soft and smooth, with red berry flavors.
 
Brew ratio 1:1.5 
 

 
20g dose extracts 30g of coffee liquid, extraction time: 27 seconds
 
【Espresso】On entry there is a berry-like acidity, with chocolate and hazelnut flavors in the mid-palate, and a long-lasting sweetness.
 
【Latte】The aroma is caramel; on entry there are creamy, milk chocolate, and slight nutty flavors. The milk and coffee flavors are fairly balanced together.
 
【Americano】On entry there is a slight berry-like acidity, with a pronounced cane sugar sweetness in the finish.

  
Brew ratio 1:2 — 20g dose extracts 40g of coffee liquid, extraction time: 34 seconds

 
【Espresso】On entry there is a creamy sweetness, with a clean sweet aftertaste, some rock sugar-like sweetness, and a noticeable smoky note in the finish.
 
【Latte】Although light on entry, it has a toffee-like sweetness, with cinnamon and woody notes in the finish.
 
【Americano】The aroma has a slight woody note; on entry there are cocoa and woody flavors.
 
【Summary】
 
From the above, Front Street Coffee found that espresso with a smaller brew ratio tastes rather sour, but after adding milk it actually becomes very sweet, and when made into an Americano it also has a very soft feel. Front Street believes this is mainly because when the espresso brew ratio is reduced and the extraction time is shortened, basically only the early-extracted substances are pulled out, and over-extraction is not easy. In addition, because there is less espresso liquid, under the premise of the same serving volume, the amount of milk increases, so the sweetness is more pronounced.
 

 
The espresso with the larger brew ratio tastes lighter on entry, though the sweetness is quite noticeable, but woody and smoky notes appear very quickly. The same is true when made into a latte: although it is light and sweet on entry, just like the espresso, woody notes appear very quickly. After being made into an Americano, the first sip has an obvious over-extracted woody taste.
 
The 1:1.5 brew ratio, whether as espresso or Americano, is relatively richer in flavor layers, and when made into a latte, the flavors of milk and coffee are also fairly balanced. The coffee flavor will not overpower the milk, and the milk flavor will not steal the spotlight from the coffee—it is a relatively balanced feel.
 
Front Street Coffee has also said in previous articles that the espresso extracted at the beginning has higher acidity and concentration, while the espresso extracted from the middle stage onward begins to show obvious sweetness and the flavor also starts to become lighter. Therefore, espresso with a larger brew ratio is more prone to over-extraction.
 

Taking the Front Street Signature Blend coffee beans and parameters used by Front Street Coffee this time as an example, without changing the grind size, if you want a latte with prominent sweetness or an Americano that tastes relatively soft, you can try espresso liquid with a 1:1 brew ratio; and if you want an espresso or Americano with rich layers, or a relatively balanced latte, you might as well try espresso liquid with a 1:1.5 brew ratio.
 
What coffee beans are used for espresso?
 
As stated above by Front Street Coffee, making these three coffees all requires espresso, so what coffee beans extract better flavor for espresso?
 

For friends who are obsessed with espresso, Front Street Classic Espresso Blend is recommended. This is a recipe composed of beans from three origins—Brazil, Indonesia, and Vietnam—and uses a deep roast, which can maximize the coffee's rich aroma and also allows everyone to easily extract rich and dense crema. It is very suitable whether for making an Americano diluted with water or a latte paired with milk, and can be purchased and ordered at the Front Street Taobao store or the Front Street Tmall flagship store.

So this is also one of the reasons why espresso is so loved by coffee fans: because coffee fruit is always an agricultural product, and each year climate and environmental issues can make the flavor of the coffee fruit unstable—perhaps this year it is sweeter, and next year it is not as sweet. Blending several kinds of coffee beans together can solve this problem very well, and at least can keep the coffee flavor tasted each year consistent.

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