Espresso can be said to be a standard offering in 98% of coffee shops. It includes the drinks we're all familiar with—Americano, Latte, Cappuccino, Flat White, Mocha… and a whole series of others—and what makes all these delicious coffees possible is that shot of espresso. So, can we make delicious espresso at home? Which coffee beans are suitable for pulling espresso? Today, Front Street Coffee will explain it all clearly in one go.

What coffee beans are used for espresso?

Because espresso is extracted under fine grinding, high water temperature, and high pressure, it brings together multiple flavors, with various flavor compounds hitting our tongue exponentially. So if we use light-roasted single-origin coffee beans for extraction, the flavor may be too intense and mask the coffee's aroma. As a crop, coffee varies with climate, soil, and so on—even from the same place, every batch of coffee beans will have a different flavor. Blended coffee beans use a complementary approach, ensuring that every batch can deliver a balanced and stable aroma and taste.

If you like espresso with a rich mouthfeel, we recommend Front Street Classic Espresso Blend. This is a recipe combining three origins—Brazil, Indonesia, and Vietnam—and it uses a dark roast, which maximizes the coffee's rich aroma and also makes it easy to extract abundant, dense crema. It's equally suitable whether you're making an Americano diluted with water or a Latte paired with milk. You can purchase it at the Front Street Taobao store or the Front Street Tmall flagship store.

If you like fruity coffee, we suggest buying Front Street Strawberry Candy espresso coffee beans, which can be ordered directly from the Taobao or Tmall stores. This is a blend based on two major origins: Front Street Costa Rica Tarrazu, known for its honey processing, and Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee, paired with Colombian coffee beans. The espresso it produces is not only not harsh—under the coffee machine's extraction, it has good crema and a dense texture, while also offering a sweet-and-tart taste like strawberry gummy candy.

A freshly made espresso is covered with a thick, dense layer of golden-brown foam called crema. This is the result of carbon dioxide produced by freshly roasted coffee beans foaming under the high pressure inside the coffee machine. So that everyone can enjoy the coffee's full aroma and the most complete flavor window, Front Street only ships coffee beans roasted within 5 days.

Steps for making espresso

To make espresso, we use "Front Street Strawberry Candy espresso coffee beans." The baristas at Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) dial in the espresso extraction parameters every day before opening, and only then do they officially start serving.

Front Street uses a double basket capacity, with a dose of about 18–20 grams; when serving, Front Street uses 20 grams of coffee grounds. Front Street's extraction ratio is 1:2, meaning 20 grams of coffee grounds yields 40 grams of espresso. The time is related to the flow rate of the coffee grounds; generally, a single extraction is controlled within 20–35 seconds, because within 20 seconds the coffee tends to taste thin, while over 35 seconds it tends to over-extract and develop a burnt, bitter taste. Most of Front Street's espresso falls within the 28–30 second range.

Before extraction, wipe the basket dry, turn on the grinder, grind a double dose of coffee grounds, and place them on an electronic scale to adjust up or down until reaching 20 grams. Then use a distribution tool to level the coffee grounds, and press the tamper straight down with force to tamp the puck firmly, ensuring more stable extraction.

Then turn on the extraction switch and let water run for 1–2 seconds to wet the group head, which also helps rinse away stuck coffee grounds. Place an electronic scale under the cup that will catch the Espresso and tare it to 0, then place it under the group head during extraction.

Gently lock the portafilter onto the group head and flip the extraction switch down to start. Watch the changes in the extracted liquid; when the scale shows 40 grams of espresso, at about 30 seconds, switch off the extraction. The brewing parameters will undergo subtle changes depending on daily air humidity and the condition of the coffee beans, so you need to adjust the dose of coffee grounds, the grind setting, and the extraction yield up or down.

The extracted Espresso can be drunk directly. Paired with a glass of water to rinse your mouth, you can taste the dense crema and the rich, full-bodied coffee beneath. If you can't accept the intense bitterness, you can also add water or milk according to your preference to dilute and soften the strong taste.

Front Street likes iced Americano, so we use a300mlcoffee cup and first add90gice cubes+180mlcold water, then pour in40mla double shot of espresso, stir, and it's ready to enjoy. On the palate you can feel fresh floral notes and strawberry gummy candy flavor, with the sweet-tartness of orange and raisins—ice-cold and refreshing, very suitable for drinking in summer.

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