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As we all know, Italian coffee has had a profound influence on the development of the global coffee market. Espresso is an essential beverage in almost every café. For example, Front Street stores offer classic drinks such as Americano, Latte, Cappuccino, and Flat White, while many stores also add various ingredients to create more creative specialty drinks. Today, Front Street will guide everyone to understand the charm of Italian coffee culture together.
The word "Espresso" means "fast" in Italian. From preparation to reaching the customer's hands, Espresso takes only a few minutes, so Italians named it with the word "Express" (fast).
A cup of espresso mainly uses steam pressure to force hot water through coffee grounds, brewing a small serving of thick, fragrant, dark black coffee liquid topped with golden foam. We may not often see it on café menus, but the Americano, Latte, and Cappuccino in daily life all involve it, and it can be said to be the soul of a coffee shop.
In the past, coffee was brewed by steeping, which required not only finely grinding coffee beans but also slow extraction, requiring at least more than ten minutes of waiting. In 1884, Italian Angelo Moriondo designed the first espresso machine, with two independent brewing boilers, 1.5 bar of pressure and steam. The extracted coffee liquid was relatively viscous, with a richer mouthfeel than drip coffee. As coffee machines were continuously improved, factors such as water temperature and pressure were better controlled.
In 1948, Achille Gaggia, a café owner in Milan, invented a lever-driven coffee machine that could generate what we now call crema through high pressure. Since then, crema has been regarded as one of the indicators of espresso quality, and espresso came to specifically refer to a highly concentrated coffee made by pressure with rich crema.
Theoretically, the fresher the beans, the darker the roast, and the greater and more stable the equipment pressure, the better the expression of coffee crema. Because Italians prefer the mellow, rounded taste of strong coffee, they are used to roasting coffee beans very dark, even adding Robusta beans, making the espresso crema richer, the coffee aroma more concentrated, and the mouthfeel stronger. Nowadays, consumers are beginning to pursue more diverse flavor variations, and many coffee beans with fresh flavors are also being used in espresso coffee. For example, the espresso produced by Front Street stores uses the "Sunflower Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans," presenting fermented wine aroma, berry-like sweet acidity, rich aroma, a soft mouthfeel, and it is very easy to drink.
When a customer orders, "Give me an Espresso," the barista at Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) will begin preparing it. Two minutes later, they will serve the customer a glass of ice water, a small spoon, and a small cup of rich coffee liquid with a golden-brown foam layer. Before drinking espresso, take a sip of clear water to rinse the mouth and also to calibrate the taste. Use the prepared metal spoon to gently stir and blend the coffee liquid. The first sip brings the dense Cream (crema), full of roasted aroma. Next comes the warm coffee liquid, where you can feel rich flavors of nuts, chocolate, berries, and wine aroma. Take another sip of clear water in between and slowly savor the sweet aftertaste in the mouth.
In fact, espresso is not limited to the conventional "Espresso." According to the extraction method and the specific coffee-to-liquid ratio, espresso can be divided into three different types: Ristretto (short extraction), Normale (normal), and Lungo (long extraction), all of which are concentrated liquids quickly extracted by an espresso machine.
Ristretto usually refers to extra-concentrated espresso, also called refined extra-concentrated coffee. Compared with the common Espresso, Ristretto is more niche. The Flat White we often see is made with Ristretto as the base. Ristretto has the meaning of "restricted." We can understand it as "restricting" the extraction amount of coffee, taking only the front and middle portions of the espresso, thereby increasing the concentration of the coffee.
For example, Front Street's Espresso extraction plan is to extract 40 grams of coffee liquid from 20 grams of coffee grounds, with a coffee-to-liquid ratio of 1:2 and a time of 30 seconds. To extract Ristretto, only 70% of the Espresso is extracted, that is, 28 grams of coffee liquid from 20 grams of coffee grounds, and the time is naturally shortened accordingly. In addition, the grind size can be adjusted finer to slow the flow rate and make the coffee liquid more concentrated. Because each coffee shop will make different adjustments according to the coffee beans used and the specific flavor and mouthfeel the barista wants to present.
Normale is the most common and most popular espresso. It is actually Espresso in the usual sense. At present, most of the market mainly produces Normale, but it is not emphasized too much. According to the golden cup standard, Normale's extraction yield is between 18% and 22%, and its concentration range is 8% to 12%.
Lungo is coffee made with twice as much water as normal. "Lungo" means "long, extended" in Italian, and it is also called "stretched espresso," that is, extending the extraction time, thereby reducing the concentration of the coffee and making it taste softer. After many adjustments and tastings, Front Street's final extraction plan is to control Lungo's coffee-to-liquid ratio at 1:5. That is, using 20 grams of coffee grounds, extending the extraction time to 42 seconds, and extracting 100 grams of coffee liquid.
Next, Front Street will use the store's daily-produced "Sunflower Warm Sun Blend" as the extraction subject to explain in detail how to make a cup of mellow, rich, fragrant Italian espresso.
Front Street uses the capacity of a double shot basket, with a dose of about 18–20 grams. When producing, Front Street uses 20 grams of coffee grounds. Front Street's extraction ratio is 1:2, meaning 20 grams of coffee grounds extract 40 grams of coffee liquid. The time is related to the flow rate of the coffee grounds. Generally, a single extraction is controlled at 20–35 seconds, because within 20 seconds the coffee flavor tends to be thin, while over 35 seconds it is prone to over-extraction and a burnt bitter taste. Front Street's espresso is mostly in the range of 28–30 seconds.
Before extraction, wipe the portafilter basket dry, turn on the grinder, grind the amount for a double shot of coffee grounds, place it on an electronic scale, and adjust until it reaches 20 grams. Then use a distribution tool to level the coffee grounds, and use a tamper vertically downward with force to tamp the coffee puck firmly, ensuring more stable coffee extraction.
Then turn on the extraction switch and let water run for 1–2 seconds to wet the group head, while also rinsing away the coffee grounds stuck on it. Place an electronic scale under the cup that will catch the Espresso, and tare the weight to 0, then place it together under the group head during extraction.
Gently and slowly lock the portafilter onto the group head, and begin flipping down the extraction switch. Observe the changes in the extracted liquid. When the electronic scale shows that 40 grams of coffee liquid has been extracted and the time is about 30 seconds, pull down the extraction switch. The brewing parameters will produce subtle changes according to daily air humidity and the condition of the coffee beans, so it is necessary to adjust the amount of coffee grounds, the grind setting, and the extraction amount of coffee liquid up or down.
The extracted Espresso can be drunk directly. Paired with a glass of clear water to rinse the mouth, you can taste the dense crema foam and the mellow mouthfeel of the coffee liquid underneath. If you cannot accept the strong bitterness, you can also add water or milk according to your preference to dilute and soften the intense mouthfeel.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
