Flavor and Texture Differences Between Espresso and Americano Coffee - Which Espresso Beans Have Rich Crema

Did you know? Espresso has a rich, intense flavor that many people find difficult to accept at first. However, once you acquire the taste, you'll discover its unique charm. Moreover, espresso is also a coffee that tests both coffee quality and barista skills.

Since espresso is loved by so many people, it must have its own special charm. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will take everyone on a journey to explore its mysteries!

What is Espresso?

Freshly extracted espresso has a beautiful golden layer on top, which we generally call "Crema." The appearance of Crema is inseparable from that 9Bar of pressure. When water is heated and pressurized, it extracts soluble substances from the coffee grounds. This process emulsifies the natural fats and oils present in coffee. Meanwhile, freshly roasted coffee beans contain carbon dioxide. During the espresso-making process, these carbon dioxide are subjected to pressure and dissolve into the coffee.

Espresso is a very classic Italian coffee with a rich and layered flavor that can highlight certain flavor characteristics of coffee. However, because espresso tastes very strong when first tasted, more people prefer Italian-style coffee based on espresso.

What is Americano?

Americano originated during World War II when American soldiers stationed in Europe couldn't get used to the extremely strong espresso, so they added water to dilute it. Therefore, Americano is essentially a way to dilute coffee concentration to what was then considered suitable for Americans. Later, when Italians immigrated to America and opened Italian cafes, they popularized Americano based on espresso, and in terms of "adding water," they established the order of pouring coffee first then water to express the concept of diluting strong coffee. Until now, there aren't many restrictions on the order of making Americano - it's just a matter of whether to preserve or disperse the crema.

Image: FrontStreet Coffee - Hot Americano

Image: FrontStreet Coffee - Iced Americano

How to Make Americano?

Americano is made by adding an appropriate proportion of water to dilute espresso extracted at a 1:2 powder-to-liquid ratio. FrontStreet Coffee uses espresso extracted from a blend of Ethiopian natural processed red cherry and Honduras sherry beans as an example. FrontStreet Coffee dilutes 40g of coffee liquid extracted from 20g of coffee grounds at different ratios, finally using a 1:6 ratio (40g of coffee liquid with 240g of water) to make Americano.

The taste of Americano depends on the beans used to extract the espresso. A good Americano is overall balanced and full-bodied, without watery, bitter, or sharp sour flavors. When we taste bitterness in Americano, it's because the espresso was over-extracted. Sharp sourness means the espresso was under-extracted, and watery taste means too much water was added.

What Does Americano Taste Like?

Today, Americano has become a standard menu item in almost every coffee shop, but some shops' Americano is sweet and delicious, while others' are bitter and hard to swallow. Why such a huge difference? There are two main factors: one is the quality of coffee beans, and the other is the barista's extraction skill.

Modern Americano consists of espresso and water. Water is colorless and tasteless, serving only as a diluent. The quality of taste depends on the espresso, and the flavor quality of espresso mainly depends on the coffee beans and extraction.

FrontStreet Coffee uses double shots for espresso, and selecting suitable espresso blend beans is also very important. Blended coffee, also known as mixed coffee, combines various single-origin coffee beans to fully leverage the strengths of each individual bean. Blend beans are made from coffee beans of different origins to create a more balanced flavor. For example, if a coffee bean has a smooth mouthfeel but lacks aroma, you can add another bean with rich aroma. By taking the strengths of individual coffee beans to complement each other, whether in terms of taste complementing or strengthening, you can create a richer new taste experience in espresso.

Currently, FrontStreet Coffee uses their own roasted "Sunflower Warm Sun" blend beans, using Ethiopian natural processed red cherry paired with Honduras sherry coffee beans in a 7:3 ratio. The extracted espresso flavor has distinct fruit acidity upon entry, with subtle berry aromas lingering, rich wine and chocolate flavors, and a comfortable sweet aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee uses a Pegasus E98 espresso machine with the following extraction parameters:

Pressure: 9 bar
Temperature: 90.5~96°C
Time: 20~30 seconds
Powder-to-water ratio: 1:1.7~1:2
Dose: 12g (single shot), 20g (double shot)
Extraction yield: 20ml (single), 40ml (double)

Weighing

Extracting

FrontStreet Coffee believes that before blending coffee beans, you must first understand the different flavors of coffee varieties from around the world, as beans have different characteristics depending on their origin. Different coffee beans have different personalities due to different varieties and origins, with subtle differences in acidity, bitterness, sweetness, aroma, and body. Single-origin coffee beans often emphasize the unique characteristics of a particular type of coffee. The advantage of post-roast blending is that you can complement the beans based on their flavor performance after roasting, fine-tune the ratio weights according to actual situations, and present a stable coffee flavor.

Next, FrontStreet Coffee will introduce you to the details of our several blend beans.

FrontStreet Coffee - Espresso Bean Blending Plans

Depending on the different coffee types, blended espresso beans will have different flavor characteristics.

1. Balanced Flavor Espresso Beans

Formula: Guatemala (30%), Colombia (30%), Brazil (20%), Tanzania Kilimanjaro (10%).

This comprehensive blend coffee is relatively balanced in acidity, bitterness, and aroma - neither too acidic nor too full-bodied, suitable for those new to espresso. FrontStreet Coffee combines these beans in proportion: Tanzania Kilimanjaro coffee beans with strong acidity, Guatemalan coffee beans with rich fruity and smoky flavors, Colombian coffee beans with both acidity and full body, and Brazilian coffee beans with gentle bitterness, ultimately creating a comprehensive blend with balanced taste and moderate concentration.

2. Bitterness-focused Espresso Beans

Formula: Colombia (30%), Brazil (60%), Robusta (10%).

Considering the diversity of customers, to create a bold-flavored blend, you need to select coffee beans with rich flavors. These include Colombian coffee beans with rich nutty and chocolate flavors, Brazilian coffee beans with gentle bitterness, and Robusta coffee beans known for their full body and rich oils. This blended coffee has a heavier bitterness and is deeply loved by coffee enthusiasts.

3. Acidity-focused Espresso Beans

Formula: Tanzania Kilimanjaro (40%), Yirgacheffe Red Cherry (20%), Brazil (20%), Colombia (20%).

To make coffee beans with strong acidity, you need to focus on acidity-representative beans. FrontStreet Coffee selected two African beans known for their acidity: Tanzanian and Yirgacheffe coffee beans. Building on this foundation, Brazilian and Colombian coffee beans are added, allowing for the creation of a comprehensive coffee with prominent but not overly stimulating acidity.

4. Wine Aroma-focused Espresso Beans

Formula: Honduras Sherry (60%), Yirgacheffe Red Cherry (40%).

FrontStreet Coffee's espresso bean is named "Sunflower Warm Sun." True to its name, the aroma of this espresso bean is as comforting as warm sunshine, with a flavor profile that's impressive. Using mainly Honduras sherry coffee beans with rich fermented wine aromas, complemented by acidity-strong Yirgacheffe red cherry coffee beans, creates a richly aromatic comprehensive coffee.

5. Premium Espresso Beans

Formula: Brazil (70%), Colombia (30%).

For those who don't like extreme flavors but also don't want single-origin coffee, yet pursue coffee quality, these premium espresso beans should be the first choice. They use medium-dark roasted coffee beans, mainly balanced-flavored Brazilian beans, complemented by Colombian beans with gentle fruit acidity and nutty aftertaste, creating a classic and intriguing flavor.

6. Basic Espresso Beans

Formula: Yunnan coffee beans (40%), Brazil (60%).

FrontStreet Coffee's basic blend coffee beans offer excellent value while presenting the most popular flavor profile. Whether for friends new to coffee or serious coffee enthusiasts, everyone can easily accept these espresso beans. They primarily use balanced-flavored Brazilian beans, complemented by Yunnan coffee beans with weaker flavor characteristics than Brazilian beans for harmonization.

Extended Reading - Common Ways to Drink Espresso

Many enthusiasts wonder "how to drink a shot of espresso." When hearing this type of question, to solve it, we should first understand another question: "What are we tasting when we drink espresso?"

Under normal circumstances, FrontStreet Coffee serves espresso with ice water. Before drinking espresso, everyone should first take a sip of ice water to cleanse the palate and better appreciate the espresso. Next, use the provided spoon to stir the espresso. The coffee liquid at the bottom will be thicker, while the surface portion will be thinner. Stirring to mix evenly allows for better tasting of the espresso. Of course, you can also not stir to experience different textures and layers. Finish it in about two to three sips because the coffee flavor is most perfect during this time, and the caffeine intake is less, allowing you to enjoy deliciousness while considering health, but remember to drink it quickly.

However, as a beginner espresso enthusiast, you might try adding a tiny amount of sugar and fresh milk in a proportion not exceeding the coffee itself, stirring slightly and drinking it in one go. This way of drinking allows you to simultaneously taste the semi-melted sugar melting in your mouth, experiencing the transition from bitter to sweet flavor, which will absolutely make you fall in love with this shot of espresso. Fresh milk can neutralize the intense flavor, making it the most suitable drinking method for coffee beginners.

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Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473