How to Drink Espresso Correctly - Italian Espresso Coffee Powder-to-Water Ratio, Characteristics and Flavor

Understanding Espresso Coffee

Espresso is familiar to many people, since it serves as the coffee base for countless milk-based drinks, made by pressure-extracting concentrated coffee through an espresso machine and then adding milk. Many beginners also ask FrontStreet Coffee whether espresso can be drunk straight. Why would anyone drink something as bitter as espresso? What are we really looking for in such an intense coffee?

First, let's understand the composition of espresso coffee

Espresso Component 1: Crema

After pulling a shot, the first thing you notice is a brownish layer of crema. It is made up of carbon dioxide produced in the coffee during roasting together with oils from the coffee itself. Crema is a crucial part of extracted espresso, adding a pleasant creamy texture and boosting the coffee's body and richness. It consists mainly of carbon dioxide and insoluble oils from the grounds.

When FrontStreet Coffee's baristas extract coffee on a Pegasus espresso machine, they build 9 bar of pressure to "squeeze" the puck. The carbon dioxide in the grounds cannot escape under that pressure, so the water becomes supersaturated with CO2, which dissolves directly into the coffee liquid. During this process the fats in the coffee emulsify and encapsulate the carbon dioxide. Being lighter than water, these gradually separate, forming the beautiful golden crema that floats on the surface.

Espresso Component 2: Coffee Oils

FrontStreet Coffee notes that after skimming off the top layer of crema, a slight oily sheen remains on the surface, which is really the natural sugars in the coffee showing through. According to food scientists, sugar molecules in roasted coffee break down at 190°C, which is what brings the coffee into caramelization during roasting. When coffee is roasted correctly, it develops a natural sweetness from within.

Espresso Component 3: Coffee Solubles

A coffee bean is 30% soluble substances and 70% woody fiber. That 30% includes acidic molecules, sweet molecules, and bitter compounds. The flavors extract in the order of acidity, then sweetness, then bitterness.

How does FrontStreet Coffee extract espresso?

Now that we understand the composition of espresso, how does FrontStreet Coffee extract it?

FrontStreet Coffee first uses a blend of Ethiopian natural Red Cherry coffee beans and Honduras Whiskey Barrel-aged Sherry coffee beans. The ratio is 7:3, with 70% Honduras Sherry barrel-aged beans providing flavor and body to the blend, while 30% natural Yirgacheffe offers more aroma and acidity.

How does FrontStreet Coffee roast this "Warm Sun" blend coffee beans?

FrontStreet Coffee's roasters use a gradual heat reduction method when roasting these beans, so the beans develop more uniformly. Beans are charged at 210°C with the air damper set to 4 and heat at 200, reaching the turning point at 1'30" and 92°C. When the drum temperature reaches 140°C, the damper is opened to 6. At this point the bean surface turns yellow, grassy aromas disappear completely, and the dehydration stage begins. When the drum temperature reaches 180°C, the heat is adjusted to 10 and the damper is opened to maximum (10). At 9'30", the bean surface shows ugly wrinkles and black spots, and the distinct bread aroma transforms into coffee fragrance, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. First crack begins at 10'38", with a 3'40" development after first crack, ending at 197.5°C.

How does FrontStreet Coffee extract this "Warm Sun" blend coffee beans?

Pressure: 9 bar
Temperature: 90.5-96°C
Time: 20-30 seconds
Dose: 20g (double shot espresso)
Yield: 40ml
Espresso flavor profile: Smooth texture, medium body, with distinct fruit acidity accompanied by subtle berry aromas, whiskey fragrance, rich chocolate flavors, and a noticeable aftertaste.

How do we properly taste a shot of espresso?

After extraction, as the coffee settles and the crema sits on the surface, the coffee begins to layer in the cup. FrontStreet Coffee therefore recommends a stirring motion to recombine all the layered soluble substances, creating a more balanced and complete flavor experience. Stirring and letting the coffee cool slightly helps draw out its flavors further and avoids encountering an overly bitter first sip.

What are we really looking for when drinking espresso?

Compared with pour-over coffee, espresso is defined by an intense, quick flavor profile. Unlike pour-over, where you can distinguish flavors at high, medium, and low temperatures, espresso is typically finished before it has time to cool. The high concentration FrontStreet Coffee creates through a low water-to-coffee ratio and high-pressure extraction makes espresso taste rich and intense.

High-pressure extraction also creates espresso's signature product, the crema, which gives espresso its distinctive mouthfeel. When drinking espresso, then, we tend to focus more on appreciating its texture, mouthfeel, aroma, and aftertaste, along with a few prominent flavors.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If you want to pull a shot with generous, stable crema, FrontStreet Classic Blend is the blend to start with, designed specifically for espresso and the moka pot. It follows a traditional Mamba-style recipe, tastes rich and rounded, and even a beginner with a non-professional home machine can extract a dense, fine crema. Latte, cappuccino, and Dirty all depend on good crema, and this blend delivers it. It suits both beginners and experienced drinkers, at home or in a cafe.

For a more classic Italian profile, FrontStreet Premium Blend is the blend FrontStreet's own stores have used the longest, close to ten years, carrying the core drinks like Americano and espresso latte. It pairs Brazilian Cerrado with Colombian Huila coffee, and the flavor is the familiar, classic espresso taste people remember, suited to both home and commercial use.

If you want to taste a single origin under pressure, FrontStreet Natural Huakui SOE is an Ethiopian single origin from Guji Hambela. Because of its terroir and natural processing, it delivers a creamy strawberry flavor, and with a medium roast it keeps elegant floral and fruity notes while caramelizing just enough, so a Huakui SOE Americano or latte carries cream, cocoa, berries, light florals, and black tea.