Every espresso machine and espresso grinder performs differently, and different coffee beans also have different states. It is not 100% guaranteed that you can extract a delicious espresso under such data.
Through extremely fine grinding, and in a 9-10 bar vacuum environment, let 94-degree water quickly pass through the coffee particles. The extracted espresso drips from the portafilter like honey, smoothly falling, with the color changing from reddish-brown to light golden yellow. After extraction is complete, the surface of the espresso will be covered with a layer of delicate golden coffee crema (the oily foam produced by carbon dioxide in the coffee particles combining with coffee oils and emulsifying in the vacuum environment).
determinesThe key to espresso flavor is the coffee beans
If you want to make delicious espresso, it is recommended to buy from a reputable roasting brand.
Front Street Coffee is a long-established coffee bean roasting brand. Front Street Coffee's offline store in Guangzhou specializes in selling coffee beans. The store offers dozens of selected single-origin pour-over coffee beans and espresso coffee beans from different coffee producing regions around the world. Front Street Coffee beans are freshly roasted within 5 days, with stable and excellent quality and highly cost-effective prices, and are shipped within 24 hours. Whether you are a beginner, a coffee enthusiast who has reached a professional advanced level, or a user opening a coffee shop, Front Street Coffee is the recommended choice of many coffee lovers and platforms.
The main espresso beans used for coffee machines include the following:
(1)Front Street Classic Espresso Blend Coffee Beans: Brazilian coffee beans: Mandheling coffee beans: Vietnamese coffee beans
Front Street Classic Espresso Blend adds Robusta on the basis of the Mamba formula, fully improving the coffee's oily mouthfeel and making the body of the espresso stronger. It is suitable for home preparation, making the visual effect of latte art more three-dimensional. Flavor characteristics: dark chocolate, butter, caramel, hazelnut cookie, mellow mouthfeel, with obvious sweet aftertaste.
(2)Front Street Strawberry Candy Espresso Blend Coffee Beans: Costa Rican coffee beans: Colombian coffee beans: Ethiopian coffee
Flavor characteristics: obvious fruity aroma, with a faint strawberry gummy aroma lingering. On the palate, there are pleasant flavors of berries, cream, and raisins, with a comfortable sweet finish. Suitable for making Americano and latte, with a refreshing mouthfeel and a light fragrant finish.
(3) Front Street Specialty Espresso Blend Coffee Beans: Colombian coffee beans: Brazilian coffee beans
Flavor characteristics: a comfortable bittersweet taste, extremely smooth on the palate; with a faint grassy aroma, fragrant and slightly bitter; sweet and smooth, with a refreshing aftertaste; using medium-dark roasting, when making espresso, the mouthfeel will have a soft slight acidity, light sweetness, and nutty sweet aftertaste. The overall feeling is not too stimulating, mild, and the crema is medium. It is an espresso blend bean that meets the daily output needs of coffee shops.
(4) Front Street CommercialEspresso Blend Coffee Beans: Colombian coffee beans: Brazilian coffee beans: Robusta coffee beans
When this Front Street Commercial Espresso Blend coffee bean is used to make Espresso, because Vietnamese coffee beans are added, the crema will be richer, the body and intensity will be higher, and the taste will be classic. It is suitable for daily coffee shop opening and home use needs. Flavor characteristics: caramel sweetness, nutty and cocoa-like, dark chocolate flavors, balanced acidity and sweetness, slightly bittersweet, with a lasting finish.
(5) Front Street BasicEspresso Blend Coffee Beans: Yunnan coffee beans: Brazilian coffee beans
Flavor characteristics: with soft fruit acidity, caramel sweetness, nutty and dark chocolate flavors, smooth and viscous, but the taste is relatively light. This cost-effective coffee bean is suitable for coffee shop and home users who prioritize cost and have general requirements for flavor.
Parameters affecting espresso flavor
When making espresso, the most important things are dose, ratio, time, grind size, water temperature, and pressure. Each step will change the final expression of the coffee's flavor. For water temperature and pressure, most machines will have a preset solution, and there is no need to change them unless necessary. So the parameters we ultimately need to determine are dose, ratio, time, and grind size.
"Dose"Depending on the size of the filter basket, there are different dose usage limits. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), when making a single espresso (1 shot), uses 10-11 g of coffee powder; when making a double espresso, it uses 19-20 g of coffee powder.
"Coffee-to-liquid ratio"A relatively common espresso ratio is between 1:1.5 and 1:2.5. Front Street recommends starting with a 1:2 coffee-to-liquid ratio for extraction, that is, if using 20 g of coffee powder, extract 40 g of coffee liquid.
"Extraction time"Controlling the extraction time within 20-30 seconds makes it relatively easy to extract delicious espresso. Espresso extracted in less than 20 seconds will most likely have a thin, watery mouthfeel. Espresso extracted in more than 30 seconds is prone to a burnt bitter taste. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) uses double espresso for daily output, with an extraction time of about 28-30 seconds.
"Grind size"The scale on every grinder will differ, so it is necessary to continuously extract and taste, sensing the changes in the coffee's flavor until it is balanced. The coffee machine is very sensitive to checking the coffee grind level. If the grind is slightly too coarse, it will cause the flow rate to be too fast, shorten the extraction time, and make the coffee taste thin; if the grind is slightly too fine, it will cause the flow rate to be too slow, lengthen the extraction time, and make the coffee taste burnt and bitter.
Espresso extraction steps
①Dosing
Before dosing, first wipe the coffee filter basket clean and keep it dry. Turn on the grinder switch and start grinding the coffee beans. Use the coffee filter basket to catch the coffee powder.
②Distribution & tamping
Use your fingers or a distribution tool to distribute the coffee powder, the purpose being to ensure the coffee powder is evenly distributed and avoid areas of inconsistent density during subsequent tamping. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) recommends using a distribution tool for distribution, which ensures stability and speed for beginners. Place the distribution tool flat on the coffee filter basket, rotate it several times, and then lift it off.
③Confirmation before extraction
Before locking onto the group head, confirm two things: first, confirm whether the tamp is level; second, confirm there is no residual powder around the filter basket. After that, press the brew button to wet the group head, then gently lock the portafilter onto the group head, making sure to confirm whether it is locked tightly to avoid water leakage.
④Extraction
After locking onto the group head, quickly press the brew button to avoid the high-temperature group head scorching the surface of the coffee powder. At about the 4th second after pressing the extraction button. The espresso drips from the portafilter like honey, smoothly falling, with the color changing from reddish-brown to light golden yellow. After extraction is complete, the surface of the espresso will be covered with a layer of delicate golden coffee crema (the oily foam produced by carbon dioxide in the coffee particles combining with coffee oils and emulsifying in the vacuum environment).
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
