Does Espresso Taste Better When You Scrape Off the Crema? Have You Heard That Americano Tastes Better When You Remove the Crema from Espresso?

The Secret of Espresso Crema: When Removing It Makes Coffee Better

When it comes to espresso crema, we often find ourselves discussing it extensively. For instance, how to observe the state of espresso through its crema, or how to infer the roasting time of coffee beans from it. This is because it's widely regarded as the soul and core of espresso—and rightly so.

But... sometimes, removing this "soul and core" might actually make your coffee even better!

What is Coffee Crema?

As we all know, coffee crema is a golden layer of emulsified oils formed by insoluble oils trapping carbon dioxide. People consider it the soul of espresso because, with crema present, the entire coffee emits a richer aroma, has a fuller body, and leaves a noticeable aftertaste in your mouth after swallowing.

These phenomena all confirm the importance of this golden crema. However, even so, James Hoffmann, the 2007 World Barista Champion, stated: "Although crema is beautiful and excellent, it doesn't taste that good on its own. If you scrape off the crema from an Americano, you'll find it tastes twice as good as the original."

Why Remove the Crema?

Although crema serves many functions, if consumed directly on its own, it doesn't taste very good! Moreover, in some situations, it can be an unadjustable negative presence! For example, when we extract espresso using freshly roasted coffee beans, the resulting espresso might be full-bodied but rough and bitter. This is because the crema at this stage carries strong roasting aromas, known as the "roasting heat" or dry sensation, which affects our drinking experience.

Additionally, the crema not only traps carbon dioxide but also contains very fine coffee particles. These fine particles contribute to the bitter taste and rough texture of the coffee. Therefore, under these conditions, we can remove the crema from Americanos to make the entire cup of coffee present a cleaner taste! (Even the roughest espresso crema is still important for milk-based drinks that require latte art! That's why only Americanos can undergo this removal process)

How to Remove Crema?

We need to remove the crema before the espresso reaches the cup. Otherwise, once it's collected in the cup, it will blend with the coffee liquid, and the bitter taste and fine particles will easily integrate into the coffee. The specific operation is very simple! You just need a metal filter. Place it over the cup prepared to receive the espresso, and it will separate the crema!

We made two Americanos using beans roasted just two days ago for comparison! The Americano without crema was cleaner and sweeter than the one with crema. Moreover, because FrontStreet Coffee's espresso beans are the medium-roasted "Warm Sun Blend," the retained fruit flavors were more pronounced in the Americano without crema (because there weren't as many other flavors suppressing them).

The Americano with crema, on the other hand, had rich layers and a full-bodied texture, but because the beans were very fresh, there was a noticeable dry sensation that suppressed many flavors, making the overall experience lean towards a "muted" state.

Conclusion

Therefore, removing crema during the bean degassing period is a wise choice! It can significantly reduce the short-term defects caused by overly fresh beans, and the overall performance will also be smoother.

But after the degassing period, you'll need to make your own choice, as advantages always come with disadvantages: Americanos without crema will have a cleaner taste, specific flavors will become more prominent as other flavors weaken, and they'll be smoother! However, all flavors will have a shorter retention time in the mouth, the aroma will be slightly weaker, the layers won't be as rich, and the texture will be thinner. So, you must make a trade-off—you can't have both fish and bear's paw.

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FrontStreet Coffee

No. 10, Bao'an Qianjie, Yandun Road, Dongshankou, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473