Which espresso beans keep an Americano from turning bitter?

Espresso beans decide how an espresso-based drink tastes, since the shot is the base of every Americano, latte, cappuccino and flat white. Blends of two or more coffees are the usual choice in coffee shops because they extract with balanced flavor, a mellow body and abundant crema. An Americano should not be harshly bitter; that usually points to beans or extraction that need adjusting.

For home use, pick beans on value, consistency and flavor fit. A dark-roasted blend of Brazilian, Indonesian and Vietnamese beans extracts dense crema and works well diluted with water or paired with milk. Medium roasts combining Costa Rican, Ethiopian and Colombian beans bring floral and fruit notes, giving the shot a brighter, sweet-tart character rather than a sour edge.

Today I’ll teach you how to choose coffee beans for making espresso. If the beans you use aren’t suitable, the coffee you make will naturally not taste good.

First, let’s talk about what espresso is. Common espresso-based drinks include espresso, Americano, latte, cappuccino, flat white… And the most important part is espresso itself, as it is the foundation of every espresso-based drink, so it largely determines the taste of the cup.

To make espresso, you first need an espresso machine that can extract under pressure. Prices range from a few thousand yuan to tens of thousands of yuan, so just buy according to your budget and needs.

So what kind of coffee beans should beginners choose to make espresso? Coffee shops usually use blends to make espresso, which means combining two or more coffees, because the resulting espresso has a balanced flavor, is rich and mellow, and has abundant crema. For home espresso blends, it’s recommended to choose based on three aspects: value for money, consistency, and flavor compatibility:

1. Front Street Classic Espresso Blend Coffee Beans

For those who like rich and mellow coffee, we recommend Front Street Classic Espresso Blend. This is a recipe combining beans from three origins: Brazil, Indonesia, and Vietnam. It uses a dark roast, which maximizes the coffee’s rich aroma and also makes it easy to extract abundant, dense crema. It’s very suitable whether you’re making an Americano diluted with water or a latte paired with milk. You can place an order at the Front Street Taobao store or the Front Street Tmall flagship store.

3. Front Street Strawberry Candy Espresso Blend

Front Street Costa Rican coffee, known for its honey processing, has a pronounced sweetness, while Ethiopian coffee is known for its bright citrus acidity and floral aroma. On this basis, combined with the chocolate and nutty flavors of Colombian coffee, the resulting Front Street Strawberry Candy espresso blend naturally carries aromas of roses, strawberry gummies, and dried blueberries, with a balanced sweet-and-sour taste of grapes and citrus, and an almond aroma in the aftertaste. With the extraction support of the coffee machine, the espresso not only has no harshness, but also comes with good crema and a dense texture, while also having a sweet-and-sour taste like strawberry gummies. It has obvious aromas of roses, strawberry gummies, and dried blueberries, with a balanced sweet-and-sour taste of grapes and citrus, and an almond aroma in the aftertaste.

3. Front Street Specialty Espresso Blend Coffee Beans 

Coffee beans from Colombia’s Huila region have a pleasant acidity, a mellow aroma, moderate acidity, and rich sweetness that is very intriguing. Coffee beans from Brazil’s Cerrado region have a comfortable bittersweet taste and are extremely smooth on the palate. This Front Street Specialty Blend makes espresso witha comfortable sweet aroma, extremely smooth on the palate, with obvious roasted nut, cocoa, and maple syrup flavors, and a sugarcane-like sweetness in the finish, making it very pleasant, suitable for various specialty coffee shops and home use.

4. Front Street Commercial Espresso Blend Coffee Beans

If you want to recreate the same Americano and latte as a coffee shop, you can buy Front Street Commercial Blend Coffee Beans. It is made from a blend of beans from three major origins: Brazil, Colombia, and Vietnam. After a medium-dark roast, it has abundant crema and roasted aromas, and is specially customized for coffee shop operations. The Americano made with Front Street Commercial Blend has a mellow taste, with rich dark cocoa and toasted bread flavors, and is very easy to drink. Made into a latte, it is rich and smooth, leaving a lingering fragrance after drinking. It is also affordable and can become an everyday staple bean for home brewing.

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