At home, we most commonly use three types of coffee machines: espresso machines, American drip coffee makers, and capsule coffee machines. The first two appear most frequently, so many people ask what coffee beans are suitable for these two machines. Let's first talk about the characteristics and differences of these two machines.
What is an espresso machine?
An espresso machine heats the water in a boiler to produce steam. Using the pressure of the steam, it forces 94°C hot water at 9-10 bar pressure to quickly pass through very finely ground coffee powder, extracting a coffee liquid as thick as honey. In the early stage of extraction, the coffee liquid appears brownish-red, with a concentrated and smooth texture. As extraction time increases, the coffee liquid changes from brown to golden yellow, and then to light golden yellow. Because the extraction concentration is relatively high, water or milk is generally added to make Americano, latte, mocha, and other coffees.
Espresso machines have relatively high extraction requirements. Choosing light-roast beans can easily lead to under-extraction, resulting in sour and astringent espresso. So if you want the coffee to taste good and also have a nice crema, it is generally recommended to use medium-dark roasted coffee beans.
What is an American coffee maker?
The working principle of an American coffee maker is very simple. You only need to place a filter paper in the upper basket, pour in coffee grounds, then fill the water tank with water and start the machine. The American drip coffee maker will automatically heat the water and inject it into the coffee grounds, dripping out the coffee liquid. Some coffee makers also have functions to keep the coffee liquid warm or heat it. Because the concentration is relatively low, the black coffee made by an American coffee maker is generally drunk directly.
Compared with espresso machines, American coffee makers do not have a pressure-boosting function and do not have very high requirements for coffee beans. As long as it is a type that suits your taste, all roast levels are suitable for extraction in an American coffee maker.
Popular List of Everyday Beans for Home Coffee Machines
1. Front Street. Classic Espresso Blend
Most coffee drinkers have only heard of Mamba coffee, but do not know the recipe and origin of "Mamba." In fact, Mamba is a blend of Indonesian Mandheling beans plus Brazilian coffee beans, and the flavors complement and harmonize with each other. In Taiwan's early coffee shops, Mamba blends were very popular and could be considered an old-school coffee flavor. Front Street Classic Espresso Blend adds Robusta to the Mamba recipe, fully enhancing the coffee's oily mouthfeel and making the body of the espresso stronger. It is suitable for home preparation and for latte art.
2. Front Street. Specialty Espresso Blend
As one of the world's top coffee-producing countries, Brazil coffee and Colombia coffee have long been famous. Front Street combines coffee beans from these two origins. The nutty aroma and balanced taste of Brazilian coffee, together with the chocolate notes of Colombian coffee, perfectly achieve an effect where one plus one is greater than two. The extracted espresso has flavors of cream cookies, cocoa, and roasted nuts. It is suitable for friends who do not like acidity and for making Americano and latte.
3. Front Street. Strawberry Candy Espresso
If you want to make an espresso with floral and fruity notes, you should mainly use medium-roast coffee beans. We recommend Front Street Strawberry Candy espresso coffee beans, which can be ordered directly from Taobao or Tmall stores. This is a blend based on two major origins: Front Street Costa Rica Tarrazu, famous for its honey processing, and Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee. On this basis, Colombian coffee beans are added, so the espresso that can be created is not only not harsh, but under extraction by the coffee machine also has good crema and a dense texture, along with a sweet-and-sour taste like strawberry gummies. It is suitable for making Americano or latte.
4. Front Street. Bird of Paradise SOE
Like the world-famous Blue Mountain coffee, Papua New Guinea mainly grows the Typica variety. Typica has an elegant flavor, but the plant is relatively weak, has low disease resistance, and is prone to coffee leaf rust. Front Street Coffee believes that the biggest characteristic of the Typica coffee tree is that its top leaves are bronze-colored, so some people also call it "red-top coffee." Typica beans are relatively large, forming a pointed oval or slender pointed shape, different from the round beans of the Bourbon variety. Front Street Bird of Paradise SOE has a pleasant toasted bread and nutty aroma as well as a clear sweetness like sugarcane, with a high degree of cup cleanliness.
5. Front Street. Queen's Estate SOE
Front Street Brazil Queen's Estate belongs to the Yellow Bourbon variety, a genetic mutation of Bourbon. Bourbon has always been regarded as outstanding among coffees because of its high yield and good quality. Yellow Bourbon is a Bourbon variant unique to São Paulo State, Brazil. When the coffee fruit ripens, it does not turn red like Red Bourbon, but instead turns orange-yellow, hence the name Yellow Bourbon. Front Street Queen's Estate SOE has nuts and chocolate, balanced and smooth acidity, very slight bitterness, a clean finish, and an overall viscous and soft texture.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
