As you drink coffee for longer, some people gradually seek out intensely strong espresso, and are no longer satisfied with buying an Americano from a coffee shop—they want to make it themselves. So what requirements must be met to make a cup of espresso that is rich in aroma and high in concentration?

1. Coffee beans must be fresh enough

A perfect espresso first and foremost depends on freshly roasted coffee beans, which not only bring layered coffee aromas but also present a dense and rich crema. If the roast date is more than 50 days ago, the espresso will basically have no aroma at all, and the final coffee will only taste bitter. Front Street Coffee has always adhered to the most important point—the freshness of coffee beans. Therefore, Front Street Coffee beans are all roasted within 5 days and support 24-hour shipping, achieving all-around freshness.

2. Dark roast

The roast level affects the richness of the crema and also determines the flavor direction of the espresso. Generally, the darker the roast, the better the crema expression, and the espresso takes on a rich, mellow-bitter tone; the lighter the roast, the less crema there is, and the taste of the espresso leans toward fruity acidity and a gentle mouthfeel. So if you want to make extra-strength coffee, it is recommended to choose medium-dark roast or dark roast espresso beans.

The combination of Arabica + Robusta—Front Street Classic Blend Coffee

Flavor: caramel, butter, roasted nuts, dark chocolate

In order to highlight the classic "Mamba blend" flavor, we carefully selected Front Street Mandheling and Front Street Brazil as the main base, giving the espresso a viscous body and rich, mellow aroma. At the same time, considering the coffee's rich layers, we added a small portion of Vietnamese Robusta to maximize the creamy mouthfeel. A hot latte made with it has a rich chocolate aroma while still being creamy and nutty-smooth. The Front Street Classic Espresso Blend is not only suitable for all beginners trying it for the first time, but can also serve as a daily staple for home use.

The combination of American beans + Asian beans—Front Street Black Cocoa Blend Coffee

Flavor: nuts, chocolate, cream, cookies

Considering value for money, we launched this high-quality espresso blend that combines stable taste, moderate crema, balanced acidity and bitterness, and an affordable price. It uses a blend recipe of Front Street Yunnan smallholder beans and Front Street Brazil Red Bourbon. During extraction, it carries a rich aroma of caramel and nuts. Because a medium-dark roast is used to retain slight fruity acidity, the Americano made with it tastes relatively refreshing, while the latte highlights the sweetness of milk. This Front Street Black Cocoa Blend is very suitable for home users who prioritize cost.

Spiced chocolate rich-aroma single origin—Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling SOE

Flavor: spices, herbs, dark chocolate, caramel, nuts, sandalwood

Unlike espresso blend beans, SOE pursues highlighting the flavor of a single origin and can reflect obvious regional characteristics in espresso. Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling SOE coffee has undergone one machine sorting plus three hand sortings, and is an outstanding example of Indonesian specialty Arabica. The espresso made with it has obvious flavors of spices, herbs, pine wood, and dark chocolate, with a mellow body and lasting finish. It can be used as a daily extraction for a high-quality single origin espresso, and can also be used to make pour-over, moka pot, and other coffees.

Creamy mixed nuts single origin—Front Street Brazil Queen Estate SOE

Flavor: creamy peanut, chocolate, toast, maple syrup

Brazil is a major producing country, and its specialty coffee beans naturally carry a nutty aroma. When used as a blend bean, they can bring a very good sense of balance. The espresso SOE made from them has an obvious creamy mixed nut flavor, sweet and rich, with a slight sweetness of cane sugar. Paired with milk, it is like drinking a cup of warm, clear, sweet hot cocoa, with a lasting aftertaste of roasted peanuts.

3. Extract only the first and middle stages

After choosing the coffee beans, the remaining task is to extract Ristretto, an extra-strength coffee. Unlike regular espresso, ristretto is made by extracting only the first and middle stages of the coffee liquid on the basis of a regular espresso, increasing the concentration while obtaining a more concentrated coffee aroma.

Here, the Front Street Classic Blend, which is deeply loved by home users, is used. The Espresso recipe is to use 20g of beans, take 30 seconds, and extract 40ml of liquid yield. For ristretto, still use 20g of coffee beans, and extract 28ml in 23–28 seconds.

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