Differences Between Espresso Beans and American Coffee Beans_What Coffee Beans to Use for American Coffee

It is best understood this way: espresso is categorized by brewing method, while American coffee is categorized by taste profile.

Espresso Coffee

Any coffee brewed with a moka pot or an espresso machine, whether spring-pressure or pump-pressure, can be called espresso, regardless of which beans are used or how darkly they are roasted. It all counts as espresso.

American Coffee

Coffee brewed with any equipment, as long as it has a light taste, can be considered American coffee.

For example, most businesses sell espresso plus a large amount of water as American coffee.

Detailed Analysis

Espresso Coffee

The brewing equipment pressure is greater than 1 atmosphere, with the purpose of using high pressure to extract the essence of the beans in a short time. Because brewing time is short, the coffee powder needs to be finer. Although a moka pot's pressure is not as great as an espresso machine's and cannot extract rich crema, coffee brewed with a moka pot is still considered espresso.

Espresso Beans

To increase taste richness, a blend of more than 3 types of coffee beans is typically used, roasted to French Roast depth, since lighter roasting results in higher acidity.

American Coffee

Nowadays, Americans mostly drink coffee made with American coffee machines, models like Philips or Braun where you add cold water, put in coffee powder, and brew a large pot, like the cheapest coffee at McDonald's. Coffee from an American coffee machine has a lighter taste, so when you order an American coffee in a cafe today there are various equipment methods and beans used, but they all share one thing: they add large amounts of hot water to dilute the coffee. Simply put, if it tastes lighter, it is American coffee.

American Coffee Beans

No restrictions.

Espresso coffee is usually more concentrated, more bitter, and more aromatic.

American coffee has a lighter taste and is not very bitter.

Coffee equipment is mostly espresso machines nowadays, which are convenient to use, plugged in like a water dispenser line, so even first-time users can get started quickly. Then there are vacuum coffee machines that require alcohol lamps, which are more troublesome and time-consuming, but the brewed coffee is more aromatic. People using this machine must have experience, as it is more dangerous. There are also paper filter brewing, steam pressure brewing machines, drip coffee brewers, and siphon coffee brewers.

Coffee beans come from Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Cuba, Jamaica, Kenya, Ethiopia, Yemen, Indonesia, and Hawaii. Jamaica's famous beans are Blue Mountain. Good coffee beans determine the quality of a cup, but today, to make beans last longer, blended coffee is used. Coffee powder tastes best when freshly ground, but coffee that contacts air too long will oxidize and become sour and unpleasant to drink. Some shops, to serve customers quickly, grind coffee powder in advance and store it, which is not good. And when pressing the coffee portafilter, you cannot press more than twice, or it will become sour and bitter. Coffee really is a sophisticated art.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Whether you brew with a moka pot or a pump espresso machine, the bean still decides the cup, and FrontStreet Coffee's blends and single origins cover both routes. For moka-pot and espresso use, the Classic Blend is the first pick: designed specifically for espresso and moka brewing, it is built on the traditional mamba recipe and stands out for its rich crema, warm and mellow enough for beginners and experienced drinkers alike. FrontStreet Coffee's Black Cocoa Blend uses 100% Arabica beans with a full body and a friendly price, while FrontStreet Coffee's Commercial Blend was the long-time workhorse for cafes before it, tuned to balance flavor and cost. The Signature Blend has served FrontStreet's own shop for nearly ten years, pairing Brazil Cerrado with Colombia Huila for the classic espresso taste, and suits home and commercial use.

Single-origin beans give a different, more traceable expression. FrontStreet's PWN Indonesian Golden Mandheling is deep roasted, very low in acidity, and full-bodied, with herbal and dark chocolate aromas and a faint earthy note, ideal for those who like a strong cup. Papua New Guinea Bird of Paradise is a Typica, the same variety as Blue Mountain, grown on volcanic soil between 1,600 and 1,800 m and rated AA with very few defects; a triple washed fermentation keeps it clean and sweet, making it a fine option for anyone who prefers low-acid coffee, and it is often called a "little Blue Mountain."

For a fruit-forward single origin, FrontStreet's Colombia Sidra comes from the Finca division at 1,650-1,800 m and is processed with a double anaerobic natural method, roasted medium-light to preserve the fruit: jasmine and citrus in the dry aroma, then passionfruit, blueberry, grape, and apricot with a bright yet gentle acidity and a long cocoa finish. It works as a pour-over, an espresso SOE, or a cold drip.