A few days ago, a coffee enthusiast asked Front Street Coffee whether, when using the same bean, the same grind size, and the same dose, there would be different requirements for the espresso ratio when producing milk coffee, Americano, and espresso. So the baristas at Front Street Coffee compared how espresso 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 ratios:
 
The cup used in this Front Street Coffee experiment is the usual latte cup, 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 Feima 900N; a single spout portafilter was used to make the 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 espresso made with these three brew ratios tastes, and what kind of flavor the resulting milk coffee and Americano have.
 
Brew ratio 1:1 — 20 grams of coffee yield 20 grams of espresso, extraction time: 19 seconds

 
[Espresso] Smooth on entry, but with slightly high acidity, featuring creamy and nutty flavors, with a lasting sugarcane sweetness.
 
[Latte] The aroma is distinctly nutty; on the palate 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 the palate it is soft and smooth, with red berry flavors.
 
Brew ratio 1:1.5 
 

 
20 grams of coffee yield 30 grams of espresso, extraction time: 27 seconds
 
[Espresso] On entry there is a berry-like acidity, with chocolate and hazelnut flavors in the mid-palate, and a lasting sweetness.
 
[Latte] The aroma has caramel notes; on the palate 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 noticeable sugarcane sweetness in the finish.

  
Brew ratio 1:2 — 20 grams of coffee yield 40 grams of espresso, extraction time: 34 seconds

 
[Espresso] On entry there is a creamy sweetness, with a clean, sweet finish, some rock sugar-like sweetness, and a noticeably smoky aftertaste.
 
[Latte] Although light on entry, it has a toffee-like sweetness, with cinnamon and woody notes in the aftertaste.
 
[Americano] The aroma has a slight woody note; on the palate there are cocoa and woody flavors.
 
[Summary]
 
From the above practice, Front Street Coffee found that espresso with a smaller brew ratio tastes relatively more acidic, but after adding milk it instead becomes very sweet, and when made into an Americano it also feels very soft. 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 it is not easy to over-extract. In addition, because there is less espresso liquid, under the premise of the same serving volume, the amount of milk also increases, so the sweetness is more pronounced.
 

The espresso with the larger brew ratio tastes relatively light on entry, though the sweetness is quite noticeable, but woody and smoky notes quickly appear. The same is true when made into a latte: although it is light and sweet on entry, much like the espresso, woody flavors soon appear. 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. When made into a latte, the milk and coffee flavors are also more balanced; the coffee flavor neither overpowers the milk, nor does the milk steal the spotlight from the coffee. It is a fairly balanced feeling.
 
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 noticeable 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 a 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 more balanced latte, you might as well try espresso liquid with a 1:1.5 brew ratio.
 
What coffee beans are used for espresso?
 
As mentioned 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 combining beans from three origins: Brazil, Indonesia, and Vietnam. It uses a deep roast, which can maximize the coffee's rich aroma and also allow 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. It 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. It might be sweeter this year and less sweet next year, but blending several kinds of coffee beans together can solve this problem well, and at least can keep the coffee flavor tasted each year consistent.

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