12 Illustrated Coffee Diagrams: Sunflower Warm Sun Blend Latte Preparation Ratio Chart

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Currently, the selection of espresso coffees in cafes can be described as dazzling. Common options like latte, mocha, and cappuccino are all made with different proportions of espresso coffee and milk. As FrontStreet Coffee shares in this article, the accompanying image excellently illustrates the different ratios of milk to coffee in various espresso beverages.

The Origin of Espresso Coffee

From the image above, we can see that the preparation of espresso coffee is inseparable from "espresso." Therefore, the origin of espresso coffee is closely related to espresso. Seasoned coffee enthusiasts know that Italians treat coffee like water, drinking it from childhood. Thus, in the 20th century, Luigi Bezzera from Milan invented a completely new steam-driven coffee brewing system. Since the brewing time for coffee was very short, people decided to name it "Espresso," which means "Express" in Italian.

However, according to FrontStreet Coffee's research, when espresso was first invented, it tasted bitter and had a burnt flavor. It wasn't until the 1940s that technological innovations led by Gaggia completely changed and improved the taste and quality of espresso. The espresso brewed with the new system tasted refined and rich, without any burnt flavor. From then on, the improved espresso became synonymous with Italian coffee culture.

What is Espresso Coffee?

As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned above, Espresso is fast concentrated coffee. Under the action of high steam pressure (around 9 atmospheres), when hot water quickly passes through coffee grounds, the essence of the coffee is fully extracted, producing a cup of rich, aromatic, high-bodied coffee with caramel notes in its bitterness. FrontStreet Coffee typically uses double-shot espresso (20 grams of coffee grounds) to make about 40 grams of concentrated coffee, with very fine and rich coffee oils on the surface, also known as "Crema."

Meanwhile, espresso is the foundation of many espresso-based coffees, so FrontStreet Coffee can say that if espresso is not extracted well, other espresso coffees won't taste good either. In addition to adjusting corresponding extraction parameters, the most important factor in determining good extraction is selecting suitable espresso coffee beans.

Why Choose Suitable Espresso Coffee Beans?

Generally, coffee beans used for making espresso must be suitable for espresso machines, so lightly roasted coffee is not suitable for making lattes. The deeper the roast of the coffee beans, the stronger the coffee flavor in the latte (caramel, bitterness). Conversely, lighter roasted beans will make the milk flavor more prominent in milk-based coffees. Therefore, the roast level should be moderate to allow coffee and milk to better complement each other.

Because espresso machines have a distinct characteristic of amplifying the original flavors of coffee beans, and lightly roasted beans naturally have more prominent acidity, if extracted with an espresso machine, the acidity will be even more noticeable, making them unsuitable for making espresso coffee.

So what kind of coffee beans are good for espresso? For example, FrontStreet Coffee currently uses its own house-blended Sunflower Warmth series in-store, which is Frontsteet's most proud blended coffee creation. It's made from a blend of Honduras Sherry coffee and Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry coffee, highlighting rich chocolate, caramel, and tipsy flavors when mixed with milk.

Next, FrontStreet Coffee will introduce the characteristics of this coffee bean!

FrontStreet Coffee Sunflower Warmness Blend

Flavor: Noticeable fruit acidity, light berry aroma, wine fragrance, rich chocolate flavor, with obvious sweet aftertaste.

Formula: Honduras Sherry : Yirgacheffe Red Cherry = 6:4

This blend uses Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry and Honduras Sherry. Frontsteet's design concept for this blend is that it can be used for both espresso and pour-over. When used to make espresso, it emits a distinct fermented wine aroma. Upon tasting, citrus and berry acidity immediately emerge, with whiskey fragrance, and the aftertaste is dark chocolate.

In addition, FrontStreet Coffee has also developed three other espresso blend beans for coffee enthusiasts to choose from. Each blended coffee bean has its own characteristics; you can choose according to your preferred flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee Specialty Blend

Flavor: Soft and slightly acidic, light sweetness, nutty aftertaste, overall not too stimulating, balanced, with medium crema.

Formula: Colombia : Brazil = 3:7

This blend uses Brazil and Colombia. It has a light roasted grass fragrance when tasted, fresh aroma with slight bitterness, smooth and sweet, with a pleasant aftertaste. This is because coffee beans from Colombia's Huila region have pleasant acidity, aromatic flavor, moderate acidity, and rich sweetness that is very intriguing. Coffee beans from Brazil's Cerrado region have a comfortable bitter-sweet taste and are extremely smooth when tasted. So the combination is simply wonderful.

FrontStreet Coffee Commercial Blend

Flavor: Caramel sweetness, nut and cocoa notes, dark chocolate flavor, balanced sweet and sour, slightly bitter, with long-lasting aftertaste.

Formula: Colombia : Brazil : Robusta = 3:6:1

This blend uses coffee beans from Brazil, Colombia, and 10% Robusta coffee beans. It has a classic taste. Frontsteet thinks this blend has rich crema and texture with caramel sweetness, plus nut and cocoa notes, dark chocolate flavor, balanced sweet and sour, slightly bitter, with long-lasting aftertaste. This commercial blend, like FrontStreet Coffee's Specialty Blend, uses coffee beans from Colombia and Brazil, but the addition of Robusta provides rich crema, making the coffee texture more mellow.

FrontStreet Coffee Basic Blend

Flavor: With soft fruit acidity, caramel sweetness, nut and dark chocolate flavors, smooth and viscous, but with a lighter taste.

Formula: Yunnan : Brazil = 3:7

This blend uses Brazil and Yunnan. Frontsteet thinks it has soft fruit acidity and caramel sweetness, plus nut and dark chocolate flavors, smooth and viscous, but with a lighter taste. This is because Yunnan's natural conditions are very similar to Colombia's - high altitude, large day-night temperature difference, with mellow aroma flavor, moderate acidity, rich and mellow taste, uniform particles, high oil content, and with fruit fragrance. Its quality and texture are similar to Colombian coffee, but slightly lighter in taste. Coffee beans from Brazil's Cerrado region have a comfortable bitter-sweet taste and are extremely smooth when tasted. Therefore, the combination of these two coffee beans also has good flavor, and this basic blend coffee bean offers excellent value for money, suitable for espresso beginners and small coffee shops.

The above are the espresso coffee beans recommended by FrontStreet Coffee for making espresso. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will share how to use the Sunflower Warmness espresso blend coffee beans to make the latte, which has the highest ordering rate.

Latte Making Proportions

Frontsteet uses the Pegasus E98 espresso machine, with extraction parameters as follows:

Pressure: 9 bar ± 2

Temperature: 90.5~96°C

Time: 20~30 sec

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:1.7~1:2

Dose: 12g (single shot espresso), 20g (double shot espresso)

Extraction volume: 20ml (single), 40ml (double)

Frontsteet uses double-shot espresso for making latte. The extracted coffee bean flavor shows: noticeable fruit acidity, light berry aroma lingering, rich wine and chocolate flavors, with comfortable sweet aftertaste.

How to Make a Hot Latte?

Milk: Whole fresh milk (Frontsteet uses Kowloon Dairy fresh milk)

Frothed milk temperature: 50-60°C (too low temperature cannot stimulate the lactose in milk, too high temperature will destroy the protein in milk, creating a grainy texture)

Foam thickness: 1 cm (thinner than 1 cm foam is for making flat white, thicker than 1 cm foam is for making cappuccino)

How to Froth Milk for Hot Latte?

1. Rinse before turning on steam: Let the steam wand rinse, draining the water vapor from the front end to avoid overly wet foam (cover with a clean cloth to avoid splashing).

2. Insert steam wand into cold milk: Let steam rush into the milk. (Wand depth: if inserted too deep, it will only heat without creating foam; conversely, if inserted too shallow, it will create large bubbles, making latte art unattractive. You can tap the pitcher on the table to break large bubbles.)

3. Steam wand position: The most perfect and foolproof steam injection point is when the steam wand is inserted into the steel pitcher, with the wand resting against the pitcher's spout, nozzle pointing to the center and slightly offset by 1cm.

4. Turn on steam: Start frothing milk (when steam is injected, listen carefully - there should be a sound like blowing into a straw with a drink, not the crisp sound of bubbles hitting the metal pitcher. When the temperature reaches 50-60 degrees, it's about time to turn it off.)

Hot Latte Making Proportions Recommendation

Frontsteet recommends making latte with a coffee-to-milk ratio of 1:6.5, 40ml espresso : 260ml hot milk. By mixing milk and espresso thoroughly in a circular motion, you can get a cup of hot latte. Fresh milk heated releases lactose sweet molecules better, and when mixed evenly with espresso, the entire latte has a natural milk sweetness that doesn't overshadow the espresso flavors, but rather enhances them under the backdrop of milk.

FrontStreet Coffee's hot latte flavor profile shows: whiskey fragrance, lactose and coffee acidity colliding to create a milkshake-like sweetness, with a nut-like aftertaste reminiscent of hazelnuts.

In addition, FrontStreet Coffee also offers iced latte in-store, which has a slightly lighter flavor than hot latte.

Iced Latte Making Proportions Recommendation

Milk: Whole fresh milk

Milk temperature: Refrigerated milk from the refrigerator

Ice cubes: Mixed with milk in a 1:3 ratio

Milk and coffee amount: Frontsteet recommends 300ml iced milk mixture : 40ml espresso

Add ice cubes and fresh milk, total amount: 300ml, then extract double-shot espresso and pour over iced milk. If you use less ice, remember to add more milk.

FrontStreet Coffee's iced latte flavor profile shows: whiskey fragrance with rich nut aroma. As the ice cubes melt, the overall intensity of the coffee will gradually decrease.

The above is the knowledge about espresso coffee compiled by FrontStreet Coffee, hoping to help coffee enthusiasts interested in this area expand their knowledge, so they can brew a fragrant cup of espresso coffee at home in the future.

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee's private WeChat, ID: kaixinguoguo0925

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473