How is Espresso Crema Produced? How to Make Espresso Crema Rich - Recommended Beans for Latte Art

A Guide to Selecting Coffee Beans for Perfect Latte

As one of the most widely enjoyed coffee drinks, the latte is not only the best-seller in countless coffee shops but also the first espresso beverage many enthusiasts try at home. FrontStreet Coffee receives all sorts of questions about latte preparation, and the most common one is "how do I choose the beans?" In this article, we will show you how to pick the beans that suit your taste.

Latte, from the Italian caffè latte, simply means milk coffee. Broadly speaking, any drink made by adding milk to black coffee can be called a "latte." So beyond the industry's strict definition of espresso plus milk, most newcomers would also consider black coffee brewed with a moka pot, French press, pour-over, siphon, or drip bag, then combined with milk, to be a latte too.

This way of drinking exists mainly because plain black coffee can taste too bitter, and milk rounds it out while adding a touch of sweetness. When making milk-added black coffee this way, people are not bound by any particular steps and pay little attention to "demanding" details like ratios, temperature, or milk frothing. As long as it tastes good to you, that is enough — which naturally makes bean selection more flexible. If you enjoy this style of milk coffee but struggle to choose beans, refer to FrontStreet Coffee's earlier guide, "How to Make Homemade Pour-Over Milk Coffee Taste Better?"

Espresso vs. Pour-Over: Understanding the Two Main Coffee Extraction Methods

However, if you have had a rich, aromatic espresso latte at a coffee shop and want to replicate it at home, the keyword to look for is "espresso beans" — products matched to espresso machines and grinders.

Coffee beans on the market today roughly fall into two camps: espresso beans and pour-over beans. The reason is simple — espresso and pour-over are the two dominant extraction styles. So before buying, first decide how you plan to make your "milk coffee," then choose according to taste.

Of course, this does not mean espresso beans cannot be brewed as pour-over or that pour-over beans cannot go into an espresso machine. Rather, roasters typically develop a dedicated roast curve (roast level) for each extraction method so the beans perform at their best under matching conditions.

A simple example: FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopian lineup includes two versions of Konga. One is designed for pour-over drip extraction, emphasizing bright lemon and citrus acidity through light roasting. The other is adapted for pressure-assisted hot brewing — espresso machines and the like — so the extracted SOE balances fruity acidity with caramelized aromas, with the roast curve adjusted to a medium roast.

Espresso Blends vs. Single Origin Espresso (SOE)

Based on our extraction experience, FrontStreet Coffee recommends espresso blends for their stability. Blends typically combine flavor profiles from different regions and use medium-to-dark roasts, making it easier to extract thick, rich crema — and high-crema coffee is ideal for milk drinks. The result is espresso with a full texture and a higher margin for error. What's more, most espresso blends are supplied primarily to coffee shops and cost less than single-origin beans of similar flavor, focusing on economical value. For beginners without much brewing experience, a blend is clearly the smarter route to a good latte.

That said, most commercial blends lean toward dark roasts with relatively simple flavors, producing espresso dominated by caramelized notes like dark chocolate, cream, and nuts. Meanwhile, a new generation of coffee drinkers, influenced by the single-origin movement, wants floral notes, fruity acidity, and fermentation character from their cup rather than pure stability and crema. So they have turned their latte beans toward single-origin pour-over beans, seeking lighter roasts with more prominent flavors — what is commonly known as SOE (Single Origin Espresso).

Challenges of Light Roast for Espresso

Lightly roasted beans are harder in internal texture because of the shorter roast, which makes their flavors harder to extract fully. Add milk and the result can turn even more bland. So several parameters need adjusting to raise extraction yield — a longer extraction time, higher water temperature, a finer grind, or a bigger dose — which makes light-roast espresso notably trickier than dark.

Therefore, if you prefer SOE lattes, FrontStreet Coffee recommends medium-roasted or flavor-driven (fruity, wine-like) single-origin beans. That avoids the harsh, stimulating taste that comes from roasting too light.

Flavorful SOE Latte Experiences

For example, when FrontStreet Coffee pulls SOE milk coffee from natural-processed Guanyin beans, the cup shows passion fruit, honey orange, and cream. Using Costa Rica Strawberry Sugar beans with raisin honey processing, the latte carries distinct orange fragrance, dried fruit, and rose petal aromas. And SOE lattes made with anaerobic natural Santa Vini beans surprisingly reveal blueberry, dried mango, and fermented fruit notes.

Because customers brew in different ways after purchase, FrontStreet Coffee's roasters deliberately develop two roast curves for these beans: a light-to-medium roast suited to cold brew and pour-over, and a medium roast suited to espresso machines and moka pots. If you prefer easy cold brew or the ritual of pour-over, choose the light-to-medium curve. If you want golden crema or plan to pour delicate latte art, go with the SOE curve.

Guanyin SOE Espresso Extraction Parameters

Coffee Beans: Ethiopia Guanyin 8.0
Coffee Dose: 20g
Espresso Yield: 40g
Brew Ratio: 1:2
Extraction Time: 26-32 seconds
Grind Setting: Galileo 2.0 setting

FrontStreet Coffee uses a double basket, dosing 20 grams of ground coffee each time, with a 1:2 extraction ratio — meaning 40 grams of espresso liquid within a reasonable time. Extraction time tracks the flow rate through the puck. A single shot is typically controlled between 20-35 seconds: under 20 seconds and the coffee tends to be thin and bland, over 35 seconds and it easily over-extracts into bitterness. That is why we aim for the 26-32 second window.

Before extraction, wipe the portafilter basket dry, switch on the grinder, grind a double dose, and adjust on a digital scale until you have exactly 20 grams. Then level the grounds with a distribution tool and tamp straight down to compact the puck for a more stable extraction.

Next, run the pump for 1-2 seconds to wet the brew head and flush out any stray grounds. Place a digital scale under the cup, zero it, and slide it under the brew head for the extraction.

Lock the portafilter gently into the brew head and start the extraction. Watch the flow of the espresso; when the scale reads 40 grams (around 30 seconds), stop. Brewing parameters shift subtly with daily humidity and bean condition, so you may need to adjust dose, grind setting, or yield.

The extracted Guanyin SOE can be enjoyed straight. Keep a glass of water on hand to cleanse your palate so you can fully appreciate the rich crema and the tropical fruit notes in the coffee beneath it.

If the intensity is too much, customize it to taste: add ice water or warm water at a 1:4 ratio for a refreshing Guanyin SOE Americano, or top with frothed fresh milk at a 1:6 ratio to soften the texture into a delicious Guanyin SOE latte.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For beginners chasing that thick, golden crema, FrontStreet Classic Blend is the natural pick. Built on the traditional Mandheling-Brazil (Mamba) formula and designed specifically for espresso and moka pots, it produces dense, velvety crema even on basic home machines — exactly what lattes, cappuccinos, and Dirty drinks need — with a mellow, rounded cup that suits newcomers and veterans alike.

If you prefer single-origin character, FrontStreet Brazil Fazenda Rainha (Queen Estate) is an excellent moka-pot bean: very low acidity, a balanced body, rich nut and cocoa aroma, and clear caramel sweetness that stays smooth and lingering — equally at home in pour-over, espresso, or moka pot brewing. For fruit-forward milk drinks, FrontStreet Strawberry Candy, a popular fruity espresso blend, recreates the sweet aroma of strawberry gummies while staying gentle on bitterness, making it a versatile everyday bean for both home and café use.