How Many Times Can Espresso Grounds Be Brewed? How to Make Espresso Grounds Taste Better?

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How Many Times Can Espresso Grounds Be Brewed? How to Make Espresso Taste Better?

"I've been trying to make espresso at home for several months now. I've changed machines, changed beans, changed water... I've tried all kinds of methods, but nothing worked! The coffee I make just doesn't taste as rich and aromatic as what I drink in coffee shops..."

Have you faced this kind of frustration? Don't worry, making poor coffee isn't something you're born with! FrontStreet Coffee is here today to discuss the reasons why coffee turns out bad, as well as adjustment and solution methods.

Understanding Poor Coffee Quality

Besides being able to sense that coffee tastes wrong, coffee beginners should find it difficult to precisely and specifically describe what the flaws are in words. A poor espresso lacks body, leaves excessive bitterness and irritating acidity in the mouth, feels dry and unpleasant, has insufficient or even no aroma, let alone a lingering aftertaste...

There's no middle ground when it comes to coffee quality, especially espresso. Think about it carefully—it's the essence extracted directly from the simplest ingredients using high temperature and high pressure quickly! However, this brewing method also has drawbacks: too many variables. To minimize the impact of brewing conditions, you should pay attention to the following points:

Using Poorly Maintained, Old, or Inherently Defective Espresso Machines

Although espresso machines are becoming more common, not every machine is in equally good condition. Good machines also need good maintenance procedures, especially avoiding letting coffee oil residue attach to internal machine parts, and preventing scale buildup in pipes.

Not Using a Coffee Grinder

The difference between coffee beans and ground coffee lies in that coffee beans can retain their flavor for several days after opening; whereas ground coffee, once exposed to air, will lose its aroma within minutes through rapid oxidation. Oxidized ground coffee absolutely cannot produce good coffee, which is why both grinders and espresso machines are indispensable. The so-called coffee grinder, more precisely speaking, is a bean crusher with grinding discs that can freshly grind fine coffee powder to brew our favorite espresso.

Using Poorly Maintained or Defective Coffee Grinders

In the repeated process of crushing beans, grinder blades easily wear out and can accumulate coffee oils (cafestol). Over time, even fresh beans, after grinding, will produce coffee with a stale oily taste. Regular maintenance of coffee grinders is just as important as maintaining coffee machines. For how to maintain coffee grinders, see page 31.

Failure to Precisely Control Extraction Rate

In the process of high-pressure coffee extraction, each condition has precise standards that must be carefully and strictly implemented. Every adjustment step is, for a barista, the art of perfectly interpreting espresso. This requires skilled operational experience, plus a few failed attempts, to better grasp the brewing conditions for espresso.

Poor Coffee Bean Quality

If coffee varieties are grown in land with poor terroir conditions and lack careful cultivation, the harvested coffee beans will surely be difficult to impress. Being able to brew a cup of coffee with balanced flavor would already be quite good. It's recommended to use high-quality coffee beans, and if necessary, consult with experts.

Improper Coffee Bean Roasting

Raw coffee beans undergo high-temperature roasting, a process called "roasting." If the roast level is insufficient, espresso will be flat and acidic; if over-roasted, the brewed coffee will tend toward bitterness.

Coffee Beans That Are Not Fresh or Too Fresh

Coffee beans, after roasting and sealed packaging, can preserve their aroma and texture for several months, but storing them too long will still produce stale oily flavors. Freshly roasted coffee beans are not suitable for immediate brewing because during the roasting process, beans produce carbon dioxide, which might form large bubbles in the extracted coffee liquid. It's best to wait about a week for the beans to "de-gas" first. After this, the brewed espresso will not only have better flavor but also less metallic taste.

The Art of Filter Coffee

Additionally, do you know how to brew a good cup of filter coffee? Or, when you drink it, how to properly appreciate it? Like espresso, filter coffee deserves to be savored properly and evaluated according to standards. For a long time, filter coffee was considered lower-grade coffee, but now it's gaining attention again, which can be seen as a form of redemption. Filter coffee is more accessible than espresso in terms of both pour-over techniques and equipment prices. However, you still need to follow certain methods to brew filter coffee that can withstand careful appreciation.

Temperature

Good filter coffee reveals different flavors as temperature changes. Greater than or equal to 70°C: Water temperature is higher, aroma cannot fully develop, only partial fragrance can be detected. 60°C: Coffee's acidity and fruit flavors gradually emerge. 40°C: Refreshing aftertaste persists in the mouth, fragrant and lasting. 25°C: If it's excellent quality coffee, it still tastes good even when cooled.

To Add Sugar or Not?

Properly brewed filter coffee can reveal noble and delicate layers, therefore doesn't need sugar; conversely, if it's poor quality or poorly brewed filter coffee that tastes bitter and difficult to drink with insufficient mouthfeel, adding a little sugar can balance the overall flavor and make it more harmonious.

Using Your Senses

Observing Color

Compared to espresso, the quality and type of cup don't significantly affect tasting filter coffee. Using glass cups or transparent mugs allows you to observe the coffee's color, from which you can also judge the roast level of the coffee beans.

Dark roast coffee beans: The brewed coffee color is deep, a near-black dark brown.

Light roast coffee beans: The brewed coffee will have a light brown, near-red "coffee skirt" around the edges.

Smelling the Aroma

Filter coffee should emit a pleasant aroma with fruity, floral, or nutty notes; if you smell other types of flavors, they're mostly not good signs.

Tasting the Flavor

Among the five flavors, acidity best represents filter coffee. Refreshing acidity brings a fresh taste, combined with fruit aromas, giving the coffee distinct layers. However, if the coffee's natural acidity layers are too strong, it can become uncomfortable (quinic acid can cause astringency and stomach-upsetting vinegar-like tastes, etc.).

Aroma

The aroma range of filter coffee is broader than espresso, and can be divided into several major categories: floral, fruity, herbal, nutty, caramel, chocolate, medicinal plant, spice, and tobacco. The coffee aroma perceived through retronasal olfaction in the mouth (wet aroma), combined with the aroma directly smelled through the nose (dry aroma), makes the coffee's aroma more complete, but the aromas perceived before and after the nose are not necessarily consistent (just like with espresso).

Body

Espresso is ten times "stronger" than filter coffee*, so the concept of body comparison is also quite different. The body of filter coffee comes from insoluble substances that remain suspended in the coffee liquid after water brewing (sediments and oils), giving the coffee thickness. Body refers to the tactile sensation when coffee contacts the tongue—it can be smooth, heavy, thick, flat, thin, or even watery; and regardless of the intensity of the mouthfeel, coffee should be pleasant when entering the mouth.

Flavor

Filter coffee is not as rich and viscous as espresso, which can be seen from its appearance. Its characteristic is delicacy and refinement, with appropriate acidity, just-right body, plus captivating aroma, leaving a lingering aftertaste between the lips and teeth. Savoring filter coffee is like a slow, long journey, with infinite beautiful scenery along the way hiding countless charming details that deeply fascinate people.

Important Notice :

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