What Coffee Beans Are Best for Espresso - How to Make Perfect Espresso Coffee

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How is Italian-style espresso base actually made?

Today I'd like to share my experience with everyone.

First, we should understand what factors affect espresso flavor

(1) Water Pressure

Modern machines use a water pump to control water output and adjustable water pressure. The ideal espresso water pressure is generally 9 BAR, which is widely recognized as the most optimal pressure.

(2) Boiler Pressure

Boiler pressure affects both the water temperature for making coffee and the force of steam. Higher boiler pressure results in higher water temperature and stronger steam force; conversely, lower boiler pressure means lower water temperature and weaker steam. Boiler pressure is typically around 1 BAR, though this value remains controversial as every barista has their own understanding.

(3) Water Temperature

Water temperature needs to be determined according to the requirements of different coffee bean varieties. Some are constrained by boiler pressure, while others allow for flexible precise settings. Based on most baristas' experience, water temperature between 90-92°C is ideal, but each barista can make flexible adjustments according to their understanding and needs, creating their own style of espresso through their hands.

(4) Tamping Pressure

Tamping comes in various styles, and it's rare to find two people who tamp exactly the same way. Generally, heavy tamping requires about 25kg/m² of pressure, but tamping is indeed the most flexible parameter among the golden rules. Because we use pressure-calibrated tampers, the tamping force is basically consistent.

(5) Italian Coffee Bean Grind Fineness

Espresso uses extremely fine grounds. The finer the grind, the slower the water flow through the coffee bed; the coarser the grind, the faster the water flow. Adjusting the grind size can flexibly change extraction time while achieving the desired extraction yield. Consider this scenario: using 20g of fixed coffee dose to extract 40g of espresso in 25 seconds. Everything looks perfect, but when you taste it, the body is thin and sharply acidic. Clearly, this espresso is under-extracted and low in concentration. At this point, grinding the coffee beans finer can solve the problems of under-extraction and low concentration while reducing sharp acidity and increasing richness.

(6) Dose

Our single espresso dose is 12-14 grams of coffee grounds, while double is 20-22 grams.

(7) Extraction Time

The golden rule specifies extraction time between 25-28 seconds, but extraction time is actually a comprehensive expression of tamping, dose, and grind size, requiring adjustment based on the barista's understanding.

(8) Extraction Yield

We extract 20-21g of liquid for single shots and 40g for double shots, with the exception of a few Italians who use single dose amounts but only extract 15ml of coffee liquid.

(9) Crema

The complexity of coffee crema cannot be explained in just a few words. Simply put, a good espresso needs rich, golden-brown crema.

Tips:

(1) We use the Fiorenzato 900N espresso grinder and Faema E78 espresso machine, using a tamper, with basically constant water pressure, boiler pressure, and water temperature. Basically, we add new FrontStreet Coffee espresso blend beans daily, shake the bean hopper evenly, grind out old coffee beans from the burrs, and use new coffee grounds to clean any residual old powder inside.

(2) We've determined our dosing and distribution techniques. The blend uses Colombian and Brazilian beans in a 4:6 ratio, resulting in an overall flavor that is sweet and fragrant, with mild non-irritating acidity, balanced sweet and sour notes, and medium crema.

An ideal espresso should have balance among all elements, with distinct flavor characteristics, leaving a sweet aftertaste without bitterness. More specifically, it should have moderate acidity, bitterness, and sweetness, rich flavors, solid and thick consistency, long-lasting persistence, and a refreshing citrus-like acidic aftertaste.

Double dose: 22g, extracting 40g liquid, time: 27 seconds

Blends are mainly used for Italian-style coffees such as Espresso, Americano, Latte, or Cappuccino

The coffee flavor is more balanced, smoother, and more stable, making it more appealing to the general public.

Blended coffee, also known as mixed coffee, combines various single-origin coffee beans to fully bring out the strengths of each individual bean. Blends are made from coffee beans of different origins to create a more balanced flavor.

For example, if one coffee bean is smooth but lacks aroma, you can add another bean with rich aroma. By taking the strengths of individual coffee beans and complementing each other, you can create a coffee with richer new flavors—either complementing or enhancing in taste. Sometimes beans are mixed before roasting, called green blending; sometimes coffee beans are mixed after roasting, called roasted blending.

Post-roast blending provides different degrees of roasting for each bean

This allows each component to perform at its best.

Before blending, you need to understand the different flavors of coffee varieties from around the world, as beans have different characteristics based on their origin. Different coffee beans have different personalities due to different varieties and origins, with subtle differences in acidity, bitterness, sweetness, aroma, body, and other flavor characteristics. Single-origin coffee beans often focus more on expressing the unique characteristics of a particular type of coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee Espresso Blend Brand Recommendations

Located at Dongshankou, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee roasting brand. Their freshly roasted FrontStreet Coffee espresso blend beans have full guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, they offer extremely high value. Taking their commercial recommendation model—the FrontStreet Coffee Commercial Blend—as an example, a one-pound (454g) bag costs only about 60 yuan. Calculating with 10g of coffee powder per cup of espresso, one bag can make 45 cups of coffee, with each cup costing less than 1.5 yuan. Even using double doses for each espresso (20g per serving), the price of a double espresso doesn't exceed 3 yuan. Compared to certain well-known brands that sell bags for hundreds of yuan, this is truly a conscientious recommendation that meets daily operational needs.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse variety of beans, where you can find various famous and lesser-known beans. They also provide online store services. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473