Nav: Home > Coffee >

Recommended Espresso Beans with Rich Crema for Coffee Art

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, For more professional coffee knowledge and coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style). A quality espresso with a clearly visible crema layer requires good quality coffee beans, proper grind size, beans with rich crema, and a skilled barista. Compared to drip coffee

Understanding Espresso: Flavor vs. Body

Some people drink espresso for its flavor, while others prefer its rich body. For those who love flavor, there are various SOE (Single Origin Espresso) coffee beans to choose from. But what options are available for those who prefer a rich, full-bodied experience?

The Signature Feature of Espresso: Crema

The most captivating aspect of espresso is that layer of golden, fine coffee oil, which Italians call Crema. This layer forms due to the high-pressure extraction of espresso machines, causing oils to envelop carbon dioxide and flow into the cup. Because the carbon dioxide trapped in these oils cannot evaporate immediately, it creates a temporarily stable structure.

The thickness and color of coffee crema also represent the quality of espresso. In a properly made espresso, the crema thickness should be about one-third of the coffee liquid, golden in color, with a smooth, fine surface and no large bubbles.

What Factors Affect Coffee Crema?

① Freshness of coffee beans

Since crema is created by oils in coffee enveloping carbon dioxide, we can judge the freshness of coffee beans by the amount of crema. The more crema, the fresher the coffee beans.

② Roast level of coffee beans

Similarly, under the same freshness conditions, more crema indicates a darker roast level.

③ Extraction degree

Darker crema represents more dissolved substances from the coffee entering the coffee liquid.

④ Coffee bean variety

Different coffee species produce different characteristics, which also affects the amount of crema produced. Currently, it's known that Robusta coffee species produces more crema than Arabica coffee species.

Recommended Coffee Beans for Rich Crema

We all know that Arabica offers sweet and aromatic flavors, while Robusta has burnt and woody flavors, but Robusta produces more crema than Arabica. Italians who love rich body typically use Arabica coffee beans with a small amount of Robusta coffee beans.

FrontStreet Coffee has developed an espresso blend for customers who love crema and body, named "Frontsteet Commercial Blend Coffee Beans." This is composed of Arabica coffee beans from Brazil and Colombia with 10% Robusta coffee beans. This Frontsteet Commercial Blend offers rich crema and body with caramel sweetness, along with nutty, cocoa-like, and dark chocolate flavors. It has balanced acidity and sweetness with a slight bitterness and a persistent aftertaste. The addition of a small amount of Robusta coffee beans enhances the richness of the crema without significantly altering the flavor profile.

FrontStreet Coffee named this blend "Frontsteet Commercial Blend Coffee Beans" because it performs excellently in both Americano and milk-based coffee drinks, plus its price advantage makes it very suitable for commercial cafés.

Rich Crema Makes Better Latte Art

Espresso also serves as the base for making lattes, and when making hot lattes, baristas often "incidentally" create beautiful latte art patterns. Fine and rich coffee crema makes latte art easier.

Espresso with good crema can better integrate with milk foam and maintain a stable state, which has a significant impact on the detail and shaping of latte art. While espresso without crema can still be used for latte art, the resulting patterns appear somewhat stiff and rough in appearance.

Beyond Coffee Beans: What Causes Thin Crema?

Earlier, the barista at FrontStreet Coffee shared several factors that affect crema. Besides eliminating these factors, what could be the reason for espresso having thin and sparse crema? We believe the problem still lies with pressure. Recalling the concept of crema mentioned earlier, crema is a product of pressure environments. Under sufficient pressure, even lightly roasted coffee beans can extract a certain amount of crema.

If consumers cannot achieve the ideal crema state when extracting coffee beans specifically designed for espresso, FrontStreet Coffee's barista would recommend checking the extraction pressure or upgrading to an espresso machine with commercial capabilities.