Although most people come to Front Street for pour-over coffee, quite a few are also willing to drink espresso-based coffee. As everyone knows, espresso is the foundation of all kinds of Italian-style drinks—including Americano, latte, cappuccino, flat white, mocha, and more.

According to Front Street, espresso is called "espresso" by foreigners, and its caffeine content per unit volume is also higher than most coffee drinks. Espresso is extracted by an espresso machine, and its extraction principle is to force hot water (usually around 92°C) under high pressure through a layer of finely ground and compacted coffee grounds. The liquid produced in this process by extracting solids and dissolved components is called espresso. Although espresso is the origin of all coffee drinks, it is itself also a coffee drink. Most people also use espresso as the representative of Italian-style coffee and compare it with Americano. So what is the difference between Italian-style coffee and Americano?

There are two ways to make Americano. One is a drink extracted with an American-style drip coffee machine, and the other is made by adding water to espresso. The difference can be explained through the historical development of Americano. American-style drip machines first became popular in households across the United States, and Americans became accustomed to the taste made by drip machines—weak coffee flavor, thin body, and a strong watery feel. During World War II, the coffee American officers drank in Europe was basically espresso, with a strong and intense taste.

So, in order to simulate the flavor of drip-machine coffee, they added water to the espresso liquid. In this way, the coffee's flavor became much softer and very easy to drink. Since at that time people from other European countries did not drink coffee this way, this kind of coffee was called "Americano." In fact, behind this name there was a sarcastic meaning, mocking Americans for not being able to handle espresso. The French even privately called "Americano" "sock coffee," used to describe how bad Americano tastes.

The Americano at FrontStreet Coffee is actually espresso with water added, and most cafes on the market use this method. Generally speaking, the water-to-coffee-liquid ratio for Americano is 1:4–1:9, and different cafes have different standards. The ratio of water to coffee liquid in Front Street's hot Americano is 1:4.5, which is determined by combining the characteristics of the Warm Sun blend espresso and the cup size served in the store. The ratio of water to coffee liquid in Front Street's iced Americano is almost 1:9. Because it is a house-made espresso blend, unlike other coffee shops that pursue nutty flavors, FrontStreet Coffee's Americano has a rich wine aroma, abundant crema, and an overall full body, with a texture leaning toward creamy and a long chocolate finish. Compared with hot Americano, iced Americano is more refreshing. Using different espresso beans produces coffee drinks with different flavors. To meet various needs, Front Street has designed four espresso beans in total: Front Street Specialty Blend, Front Street Commercial Blend, Front Street Dark Cocoa Blend, and Warm Sun Blend.

Front Street Dark Cocoa Blend uses commonly used beans suitable for espresso from Brazil, Colombia, and Yunnan, with the aim of obtaining a good coffee flavor and mouthfeel at a lower cost. For cafes pursuing rich crema, Front Street's Front Street Commercial Blend adds 10% robusta beans, improving the overall body while also making the coffee's flavor richer and mellower. The nutty flavor stands out, and the chocolate flavor paired with the sweetness of milk is simply perfect. Front Street Specialty Blend uses Arabica coffee beans from Brazil and Colombia. All-American Arabica can express a cleaner coffee taste, and the flavor profile of these two producing regions is nutty and chocolatey, making them very suitable for espresso service.

Sunflower Warm Sun Blend coffee beans were Front Street's new attempt in 2019. At that time, the concept of specialty (single-origin) coffee was very popular, and many SOEs highlighting flavor also appeared. But Front Street planned to blend high-quality single-origin beans, aiming mainly at flavor. In the end, Front Street decided to use 30% Yirgacheffe Red Cherry and 70% Honduras Sherry as the recipe for Sunflower Warm Sun Blend coffee beans. The rich vanilla cream and fermented wine aroma attracted a large audience.

Generally speaking, espresso extraction has certain standards. Depending on the filter basket, the weight of coffee grounds is usually between 18–22 grams. Make sure the weight of the coffee grounds is the amount you want, because a tiny difference can lead to a huge difference. The most common brewing ratio is twice the coffee grounds, which means that if you have 18 grams of coffee grounds, then you had better extract 36 grams of espresso liquid, because once you exceed this value, the coffee will easily taste over-extracted.

Of course, this standard can also change according to everyone's different needs. For example, the espresso served at Front Street stores uses 20 grams of grounds to extract 36 grams of coffee liquid, in order to make the Americano and latte more aromatic and richer in flavor. It should be reminded here that the weight of the liquid coffee is best 1–3 times that of the dry coffee grounds, with 2 times being commonly used.

Brewing time is from pressing the button to the end of extraction, and the time used is usually between 25–35 seconds. If the extraction time is longer or shorter than your expected time, the biggest reason is the coffee grinding, so you should adjust according to your own needs and optimize the extraction parameters.

Generally speaking, fast extraction makes the coffee's acidity stand out and reduces sweetness. Slower extraction gives the coffee a bitter and dull flavor.

 The most direct way to judge whether an espresso is ready to serve is to taste it. Taste is a very good method for judging the quality of espresso. However, because judging whether espresso is normal by taste is too subjective, some far-sighted baristas and roasters use a refractometer to measure the total dissolved solids (TDS) in espresso. TDS measurement allows them to determine accurate brewing strength and extraction percentage, and to relate their preferred brewing parameters to numerical data. Measuring TDS also means we can calculate the extraction percentage using the following formula:

(%TDS x brewed coffee weight) / coffee grounds weight = extraction percentage

Many coffee lovers who come to Front Street show admiration for the baristas operating the coffee machine at the bar, curious about how to operate what seems to be a very complicated coffee machine. In fact, what baristas master is simply the detailed steps of making espresso. As for how the coffee machine operates, most baristas do not know. So today, Front Street will introduce the detailed production process of espresso for everyone! Taking the normal operating process of FrontStreet Coffee as an example:

Step 1: Wipe the filter basket to ensure the coffee filter basket is dry and free of water.

Step 2: Weigh the coffee grounds. Use an electronic scale to weigh an appropriate amount of coffee grounds, keeping the error within plus or minus 0.1 grams.

Step 3: Distribute the grounds.

Step 4: Tamp the grounds.

Step 5: Lock in the portafilter.

Step 6: Press the button to extract.

Step 7: Remove the portafilter and clean the brew head.

Recommended Front Street espresso extraction plan: 20g dose, extract 40g coffee liquid, time 30 seconds.

Just like that, a shot of espresso is finished extracting. If you want to make other coffee drinks, it is nothing more than adding sugar and milk to it. Iced coffee is relatively simpler to make, simply by adding hot espresso to cold milk. As for hot milk coffee, you need to use the steam wand on the coffee machine. As for how to steam milk, FrontStreet Coffee has also written a dedicated article for teaching. If needed, everyone can look it up on their own. It is worth mentioning that many coffee chain brands now use fully automatic coffee machines, making operation even simpler—just press a button.

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