History of Espresso Extraction Standards and Evolution - Espresso Brewing Methods and Tasting Guide

Understanding Espresso: A Complete Guide

You might ask: What does double Espresso mean? How many milliliters are in a standard espresso from a coffee shop? What's the process of making espresso? How should you drink espresso for the best taste?

Or perhaps you're curious: Where can you buy authentic espresso blend coffee beans? Where do coffee shops typically purchase their espresso blend beans? Are there any recommended brands that sell espresso blend beans at retail or wholesale?

In daily life, there are countless unknown things waiting for you to discover. Observant friends might have noticed that FrontStreet Coffee's bean list features four types of espresso beans in the bottom right corner. Do you remember which ones they are? Today, FrontStreet Coffee will share some simple insights about these questions.

FrontStreet Coffee · Espresso Brewing Method

International technical standards: Use approximately 7 grams of freshly ground coffee, extract with water at around 92°C under approximately 9 Bar pressure for 20-30 seconds to obtain about 20-30ml of coffee. This coffee should be covered with a layer of crema on the surface.

With the development of coffee specialty culture, new coffee theories have been discovered; with the flourishing of independent coffee shops, each establishment has developed its own unique espresso extraction methods.

For FrontStreet Coffee's standard espresso production, one espresso is produced as 2 shots (1 serving), using 19g of coffee grounds to extract 38g of espresso liquid at a 1:2 ratio, with a time of 28 seconds.

However, these numbers are only for reference. How many milliliters should qualify as a properly extracted espresso? FrontStreet Coffee believes it depends on the coffee-to-water ratio and the flavor profile of the extracted coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee's baristas often share insights about coffee making. As you probably know, there are numerous factors that affect coffee flavor: ratio, water temperature, grind size, extraction time, and more. Today, FrontStreet Coffee has decided to share these elements with you separately.

How to Understand Espresso Extraction Parameters?

Dose

The amount of coffee grounds is determined by the capacity of the portafilter basket.

It's not recommended to use much less than the basket capacity, nor much more than the basket capacity.

The amount of coffee grounds affects the density of the coffee puck. With the same tamping pressure, too little coffee will be too loose, leading to fast flow and under-extraction; conversely, excessive density will slow the flow, making it difficult to extract coffee liquid.

Ratio

Refers to the ratio of coffee grounds to coffee liquid. Factors affecting the ratio include two elements: dose & water amount.

Generally between 1:1.5 to 1:2.5. The most common is 1:2, such as extracting 34g of coffee liquid from 17g of coffee grounds. However, too low a ratio will make the coffee taste very rich and thick, easily producing bitterness from over-extraction; conversely, too high a ratio will taste bland and watery with sharp acidity from under-extraction.

Time

The entire extraction time from pressing the extraction button to completion. Factors affecting extraction time include two elements: grind size & ratio.

Ratio is easy to understand - higher ratios require more extraction water, naturally taking longer; grind size affects the coarseness of the coffee grounds, which directly impacts the density of the coffee puck. Finer coffee grounds create a denser puck after tamping, making it difficult for water to pass through, extending extraction time and easily leading to over-extraction.

Flow Rate

Refers to the speed at which coffee liquid flows. The ultimate goal of extraction parameters is actually about achieving the right flow rate.

Our espresso should drip the first drop of coffee liquid within 5-6 seconds after pressing the extraction button. For even extraction, such as extracting exactly 34g of coffee liquid at 30s. The speed of flow directly reflects whether the grind size and ratio are appropriate.

Pressure

Averages around 9 bar, determined by the coffee machine's performance. Insufficient pressure leads to low extraction efficiency, while excessive pressure easily causes over-extraction.

Water Temperature

Generally between 90 to 94 degrees Celsius. Too high water temperature easily causes over-extraction, making coffee taste bitter; too low water temperature easily causes under-extraction, resulting in sharp acidity in coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee Espresso Blends Detailed Introduction (Including Specific Recipes)

Everyone knows that espresso blend beans in coffee shops are made by mixing coffee beans from various origins. So what's the purpose of making espresso blend beans? FrontStreet Coffee currently sells several types of espresso beans, all blends: Basic Blend, Specialty Blend, Commercial Blend, and Warm Sun Blend.

Frontsteet Basic Blend Espresso Beans

Flavor: Cream, Nuts, Chocolate

Recipe: 70% Brazil coffee beans, 30% Yunnan coffee beans

FrontStreet Coffee's basic blend offers excellent value for money. FrontStreet Coffee selects balanced Brazil coffee beans and blends them with Yunnan coffee beans that have a milder flavor than Brazil beans. This presents the most mainstream flavor profile - whether you're new to coffee or a seasoned enthusiast, you can easily accept this espresso blend.

FrontStreet Coffee uses medium-dark roast for this blend. When making espresso, it has slight acidity, sweet aftertaste, and nutty notes - overall balanced and not too stimulating. The crema is moderate, meeting most coffee shops' daily requirements for latte production.

As mentioned above, FrontStreet Coffee's specialty espresso beans are very stable and high-quality espresso blend, perfect for independent coffee shops' daily production. FrontStreet Coffee's basic espresso beans are FrontStreet Coffee's second high-value option for everyone.

Coffee shop operations cannot ignore costs. While minimizing costs as much as possible, providing stable coffee quality is every operator's expectation. FrontStreet Coffee's basic blend is a very cost-effective coffee bean. We chose Brazil and Yunnan coffee beans for this blend. Coffee beans from both Yunnan and Brazil origins tend toward nutty notes, with Brazil beans giving this basic espresso a more solid texture and rich crema.

Frontsteet Specialty Blend Espresso Beans

Flavor: Mellow, Nuts, Strong sweetness when paired with milk

Recipe: 70% Brazil coffee beans, 30% Colombia coffee beans

For customers who don't like overly distinct flavors, don't love single-origin coffee, but pursue coffee quality, this specialty espresso blend would be the first choice. FrontStreet Coffee uses medium-dark roast for this blend. It primarily uses balanced Brazil coffee beans, complemented by Colombia coffee beans with soft fruit acidity and nutty aftertaste - creating classic flavors.

This blend is what we use in our own shop. We've been using it since about six months after opening. When developing this blend, we wanted to use American beans as the base to enhance the blend's nutty, sweet characteristics, while minimizing bitter flavors.

Frontsteet Commercial Blend Espresso Beans

Flavor: Mellow, Nuts, Strong sweetness when paired with milk

Recipe: 60% Brazil coffee beans, 30% Colombia coffee beans, 10% Robusta

This blend tastes rich with crema and caramel sweetness, along with nutty and cocoa-like, dark chocolate flavors. It's balanced in sweet and sour, with a slight bitterness and persistent aftertaste. The addition of a small amount of Robusta coffee beans enhances crema richness, but since it's used in small quantities, it doesn't change the flavor profile too much.

The reason FrontStreet Coffee named this blend "Commercial Blend" is because it performs well whether making Americano or milk-based coffee, plus its price advantage makes it very suitable for commercial coffee shops. The espresso has very rich crema, smooth and slightly bitter taste, with a very mellow texture.

FrontStreet Coffee · Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans

Flavor: Dark cocoa, Citrus, Fermented wine aroma

Recipe: 60% Ethiopia natural red cherry coffee beans, 40% Honduras sherry coffee beans

FrontStreet Coffee - The Story of Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans

In addition to offering specialty and basic blends, we also provide a blend with more unique flavor characteristics! FrontStreet Coffee's roasters mixed Honduras sherry barrel coffee beans with Ethiopia Yirgacheffe red cherry project natural coffee beans, separately developed roasting curves for each, with a 7:3 ratio, then recombined them using post-roast blending, naming it "Warm Sun Blend."

The birth of Warm Sun Blend actually came about because with the gradual popularization of specialty coffee, FrontStreet Coffee's baristas discovered during shop operations that many customers were no longer satisfied with the stability provided by specialty blends. So FrontStreet Coffee thought it might be time to bring more fresh blends to liven up the shop's offerings.

In 2019, this Warm Sun Blend coffee bean, after multiple adjustments, finally joined FrontStreet Coffee's bean list, replacing the shop's specialty blend with Warm Sun Blend. FrontStreet Coffee's baristas believe that these three blends serve different purposes: specialty blend is for those seeking stability, basic blend is for high value, and Warm Sun blend is for flavor preference - with different goals, they naturally suit different customers.

Warm Sun Blend's unique flavor comes from its Honduras sherry barrel coffee beans. After partial washing processing steps, the coffee cherries are placed in sherry barrels for low-temperature fermentation, then finally dried. This processing method gives sherry coffee beans a distinct wine aroma, while FrontStreet Coffee's roasters mixed in four parts of Ethiopia Yirgacheffe natural coffee beans to provide more acidity to the Warm Sun Blend, increasing the overall complexity of the blend.

FrontStreet Coffee's shop adjusts parameters daily based on bean condition, such as using 20 grams of coffee grounds to extract 40 grams of coffee liquid. Extraction time will be between 26 to 28 seconds. Espresso made with these parameters will have medium acidity, medium bitterness, medium body - balanced, with distinct dark cocoa and citrus flavors, and a fermented wine aroma in the finish. When made into Americano, it shows distinct wine aroma, chocolate, and citrus acidity; when made into latte, it reveals vanilla cream, liquor-filled chocolate and other flavors.

FrontStreet Coffee - Reminders for Daily Coffee Bean Purchases

Roasting (production) date: When purchasing coffee beans, pay attention to check the roasting date. FrontStreet Coffee's coffee beans typically have the roasting date printed on the back of the packaging bag.

Drink within the optimal period: The optimal tasting period for freshly roasted coffee beans is within 30 days after the resting period (4-7 days). After that, flavors will diminish over time, eventually leaving only woody notes. The first flavors to fade are mainly volatile compounds like floral and fruit aromas, while water-soluble compounds like sugars, nuts, and chocolate are relatively less volatile.

So we generally remind customers buying beans that the best tasting period is within days 4-30 after the roasting date. However, even after the optimal period, it doesn't mean the coffee can't be drunk. It just performs slightly less impressively in terms of flavor.

It's important to emphasize the difference between optimal period and shelf life. The shelf life of roasted coffee beans generally maintains between 6 to 12 months. So when buying roasted coffee beans, fresher isn't always better - also remember not to store them for too long before drinking. When purchasing coffee beans, pay attention to the roasting date to ensure you can finish them within a fixed period, avoiding waste.

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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