How to Drink Espresso Coffee Why a Glass of Water is Served with Espresso

Some first-time coffee drinkers have asked: Isn't espresso an Italian thing? Why do I see labels mentioning America and Africa? In fact, America and Africa are regions where coffee beans grow, while Italy is the birthplace of those coffee beverages you often see (such as espresso, latte, cappuccino, etc.).

The origin of espresso coffee inevitably involves the history of espresso machines. The world's first espresso machine was invented by a man named Angelo Moriondo and was demonstrated in Turin, Italy. This coffee machine was called "Espresso," which in Italian means "fast" and "to press."

The Evolution of Espresso Technology

In 1901, Milan engineer Luigi Bezzera registered the patent technology for commercial espresso machines. In 1905, La Pavoni Company used this technology to produce espresso machines. However, early espresso machines had extraction pressure of only 1.5 bar, extremely high water temperatures, and extraction times as long as 40 seconds. The resulting coffee had a light body, lacking richness, with a bitter taste, making it more similar to American-style coffee.

With the arrival of the 1930s, as electricity replaced steam, coffee machine designs evolved with the times. Milan barista Achille Gaggia designed an espresso machine with a piston lever. However, due to World War II, people's attention shifted from leisure consumption to national defense, and the development of coffee came to a standstill. Not until 1948 did the Faema company obtain the rights to use a patented technology. In 1961, Faema launched the Faema E61 coffee machine, now known as the father of modern espresso machines. With the emergence of pump-driven coffee machines, extraction pressure could reach an unprecedented 9 bar. Since then, espresso developed its characteristic crema (emulsified oils), with intense flavors and a rich, thick texture.

The Espresso Experience

People naturally don't like bitter-tasting foods. Most people who drink espresso choose the combination of milk + coffee. Even fewer people choose espresso + water. Those who drink straight espresso are truly rare.

Those who understand how espresso machines work know that espresso is made by grinding coffee beans into fine powder, then forcing hot water through the coffee grounds at high pressure in a short time, resulting in a thick, rich coffee liquid. Therefore, if you want to drink it straight, first-timers really need to prepare themselves mentally. So, how should you drink espresso properly?

The Proper Way to Drink Espresso

FrontStreet Coffee serves espresso with an additional glass of ice water and a small spoon.

1. Before drinking the espresso, take a sip of ice water to cleanse your palate and fully prepare your taste buds.
2. Observe the color and state of the crema to judge the barista's skill level and the freshness of the coffee beans.
3. Use the provided small spoon to check the thickness of the crema and stir it to better blend the upper and lower layers of the coffee liquid, making the taste more uniform.
4. Take a small sip of espresso, don't rush to swallow it, let it linger in your mouth for a while, and fully experience the texture and taste of the coffee liquid.
5. Before taking the next sip of espresso, you can take another sip of clean water to cleanse your palate, thus fully experiencing the layered complexity of the espresso.

Espresso Brewing Factors

Although the steps for making espresso are quite simple, FrontStreet Coffee considers multiple factors when brewing espresso, such as dose, yield, grind size, pressure, etc.

Dose

Although using more coffee grounds yields more coffee substances, the amount of dose is determined by the portafilter basket. If the dose far exceeds the basket capacity, it might cause the portafilter to not lock into the group head; if the dose is too low, it can easily cause uneven extraction. The portafilter basket capacity at FrontStreet Coffee is 20 grams.

Yield

Generally speaking, the internationally commonly used espresso brew ratio is 1:2, meaning one part of coffee grounds extracts double the amount of espresso.

Grind Size

When the grind is finer, the coffee particles are smaller, water takes more time to pass through the coffee bed, extracts more substances, and results in more bitterness, easily becoming astringent; if the coffee particles are coarser, the surface area in contact with water is less, extracting fewer coffee substances, easily leading to under-extraction. Therefore, the appropriate grind size is very important.

Pressure

The ideal extraction pressure is around 9 bar. If the extraction pressure is too low, the extracted crema components are insufficient, and the high-quality coffee flavor substances are also less, resulting in a relatively inferior taste, easily causing under-extraction; if the extraction pressure is too high, due to the intense movement between powerful hot water and coffee grounds, too much coffee structure is damaged, extracting more insoluble substances, making the product bitter and astringent.

FrontStreet Coffee's Espresso Parameters

• Coffee Machine: Faema E98
• Pressure: 9 bar ± 2
• Temperature: 90.5~96°C
• Time: 20~30 sec
• Brew Ratio: 1:1.7~1:2
• Dose: 12g (single espresso) 20g (double espresso)
• Yield: 20ml (single) 40ml (double)

The espresso blend used at FrontStreet Coffee is the Sunflower Warm Sunshine Blend. This blend from FrontStreet Coffee consists of 70% Honduras Sherry coffee beans and 30% Ethiopia Natural Red Cherry coffee beans.

FrontStreet Coffee Sunflower Warm Sunshine Blend

FrontStreet Coffee Sunflower Warm Sunshine Blend

• Origin: Honduras & Ethiopia
• Varieties: Caturra, Catuai, Pacas, Local Heirloom
• Processing: Washed & Natural

Seventy percent Honduras Sherry is fermented and aged in sherry whiskey barrels, bringing rich whiskey aroma and vanilla, cream flavors to the coffee. Thirty percent Natural Red Cherry is natural processed, bringing berry-like acidity to the coffee. The espresso made by FrontStreet Coffee using this blend has noticeable fruit acidity, light berry aroma, rich wine flavor and chocolate notes, with a comfortable sweet aftertaste.

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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