You may ask: What does double Espresso mean? How many milliliters is a standard espresso shot in a café? The process of making espresso? What's the best way to drink espresso?
Or maybe you are curious: Where can you buy authentic Italian blended coffee beans? Where can I buy the Italian blended coffee beans commonly used in cafes? Do you have any recommendations for brand stores that retail and wholesale Italian blended coffee beans?
There are always thousands of unknown things waiting for you to discover every day. It is usually not difficult for observant friends to find that there are 4 types of Italian coffee beans written in the lower right corner of the coffee bean list on Qian Street. Do you still remember which ones they are? Today Front Street Coffee is here to give you a brief sharing on the above issues.
First, let’s take a look at the introduction of Espresso.
Front Street Coffee· Espresso How to make it
Internationally accepted technical standards: Take about 7 grams of freshly ground coffee powder, use water with a water temperature of about 92 degrees and a pressure of about 9 Bar, and extract a cup of coffee of about 20-30ml after 20-30 seconds. The surface of this cup of coffee should be covered with a layer of crema.
With the development of specialty coffee, some new theoretical knowledge of coffee has been discovered; independent cafes are blooming, and the espresso extraction plans of each household are also different.
As far as Front Street Coffee's standard production of espresso is concerned, a cup of espresso is based on 2 shots (1 part of concentration), using 19g of coffee powder to extract 38g of espresso liquid in a ratio of 1:2, and the time is 28 seconds.
However, the data are only for reference. How many milliliters should be required to extract an espresso? Front Street Coffee believes that it still depends on the ratio of powder to water and the flavor of the extracted coffee.
The baristas at Front Street Coffee will often share with you some tips on making coffee. I believe everyone knows that there are many factors that affect the flavor of a cup of coffee, such as proportion, water temperature, grinding degree, extraction time, etc. Front Street Coffee decided to share these contents with you today.
How to understand espresso extraction parameters?
【Amount of powder】
The amount of powder is determined by the capacity of the powder bowl.
It is not recommended that the amount of powder be much smaller than the capacity of the powder bowl, nor is it recommended that the amount of powder be much larger than the capacity of the powder bowl;
The amount of powder will affect the density of the powder cake. Under the same filling pressure, too little coffee powder will cause the flow rate to be too fast due to sparseness, resulting in insufficient extraction; on the contrary, the density is too dense, resulting in a slow flow rate, making it difficult to extract the coffee liquid.
【Proportion】
Refers to the ratio of coffee powder volume to coffee liquid volume. There are two factors that affect the ratio: amount of powder & amount of water.
Generally between 1:1.5 and 1:2.5. The more common one is 1:2, for example, 17g of coffee powder extracts 34g of coffee liquid. However, if the ratio is too low, the coffee will taste very rich and heavy, and it will easily produce a bitter taste caused by over-extraction; on the contrary, if the ratio is too high, the coffee will taste bland and have a sour taste caused by under-extraction.
【Time】
The entire extraction time from the start to the end of extraction when the extraction button is pressed. There are two factors that affect extraction time: grinding degree & ratio.
The ratio is easier to understand. A higher ratio requires more water for extraction, and the time will naturally be longer. The grinding degree affects the thickness of the coffee powder, and the thickness will directly affect the density of the coffee powder. The finer the coffee powder, the denser the powder cake will be after filling, making it difficult for water to pass through, and the time will be lengthened and easily lead to over-extraction.
【Flow rate】
It refers to the speed at which the coffee liquid flows down. The ultimate goal of extraction parameters is really about flow rate.
Our espresso requires the first drop of coffee liquid to be dripped 5-6 seconds after pressing the extraction button. Extract coffee evenly, such as extracting exactly 34g of coffee liquid in 30 seconds. The speed of the flow rate directly reflects whether the grinding degree and proportion are appropriate.
【Pressure】
The average is around 9bar, which is determined by the performance of the coffee machine. If the pressure is insufficient, the extraction efficiency will be low, and if the pressure is too high, it will be easy to over-extract.
【Water temperature】
Generally between 90 and 94 degrees Celsius. If the water temperature is too high, it may be over-extracted, and the coffee may taste bitter; if the water temperature is too low, it may be under-extracted, resulting in a sour coffee taste.
Front Street Italian blended coffee beans detailed introduction (including specific recipes)
Everyone knows that the Italian blended coffee beans in coffee shops are made from a mixture of coffee beans from different origins. So what is the purpose of making Italian blended coffee beans? Several Italian coffee beans currently sold by FrontStreet Coffee are all blended types, including the Italian Moka pot coffee beans recommended by many baristas - Front Street Black Cocoa Blend, boutique blend, commercial blend and Nuanyang Blend coffee beans.
[Italian Moka pot coffee beans recommended by many baristas on Front Street - Front Street black cocoa blended coffee beans]
Flavor: Cream Nut Chocolate
Recipe: Brazilian coffee beans + Yunnan coffee beans
Front Street Dark Cocoa Basic Coffee Beans are a great value for money. Front Street uses Brazilian coffee beans with a balanced taste, and blends them with Yunnan coffee beans that have a weaker flavor than Brazilian coffee beans. Presenting the most popular taste and flavor, whether you are new to coffee or a serious coffee lover, you can easily accept this Italian coffee bean.
This blend of coffee beans is roasted medium-dark. When making espresso, the taste will be slightly sour, sweet, and nutty, and the overall feeling is peaceful and not too exciting. The fat content is medium, which can meet the daily requirements of latte coffee produced in most stores.
As mentioned above, Front Street’s premium Italian coffee beans are a very stable and high-quality Italian blended coffee beans, which are very suitable for some independent cafes to use as daily products in their stores. Front Street’s basic black cocoa blend with espresso beans is the second cost-effective option that Front Street offers to everyone.
Cafe store operations are inseparable from costs. Providing stable coffee production while keeping costs down as much as possible is what every operator hopes for. This basic coffee bean of Front Street Coffee is a very cost-effective coffee bean. Brazilian coffee beans and Yunnan coffee beans were chosen for blending. Coffee beans from Yunnan and Brazil are both nutty and nutty. Brazilian coffee beans give this basic Italian coffee beans a more solid taste and rich oil.
[Front Street Blend Italian Coffee Beans]
Flavor: mellow nutty strongly sweet with milk
Recipe: Brazilian coffee beans + Colombian coffee beans
For those who don’t like overly-flavored coffee and don’t like single-origin coffee, but pursue high-quality coffee, this premium Italian coffee bean will be the first choice. This blend of Front Street coffee is medium-dark roasted. It is mainly composed of Brazilian coffee beans with a balanced taste, paired with Colombian coffee beans with soft acidity and nutty sweetness. The flavor is classic.
This bean blend is the one we also use in our own store. I have been using it since I opened the store about half a year ago. When discussing this bean blend, we hope to use American beans as the main body to enhance the nutty and sweet taste of the blended beans and minimize the overly bitter taste.
[The first choice for planning to open a store - Front Street Commercial Blended Italian Coffee Beans]
Flavor: mellow nutty strongly sweet with milk
Recipe: Brazilian coffee beans + Colombian coffee beans + Robusta
This blend tastes rich in oil and texture, with the sweetness of caramel, and also has the flavor of nuts, cocoa, and dark chocolate. It has a balance of sweet and sour, a little bit of sweetness and bitterness, and a long-lasting aftertaste. Adding a small amount of Robusta coffee beans adds richness to the oil, and since the amount is small, it does not change the flavor too much.
The reason why Front Street named this blended coffee bean "Commercial Blend Coffee Bean" is because it performs well in making American-style or milk coffee. In addition, with the price advantage, it is very suitable for use in commercial cafes. The Italian concentrated oil is very rich, the taste is smooth and slightly bitter, and the texture is very mellow.
[The first choice for beginners to learn latte art - Front Street classic blended Italian coffee beans]
Flavors: Dark Chocolate Butter Roasted Nuts Caramel
Recipe: Brazilian + Indonesian Mandheling + Vietnamese Robusta
For those who want to learn latte art at home, buy the Front Street Classic Blend, which is a medium-dark roasted Italian recipe composed of three production areas. Its design is inspired by the popular "Mamba" in ancient times, namely Mandheling and Brazil. In order to add aroma and oiliness, the Front Street Classic Blend also contains a small amount of Robusta to enhance the flavor intensity and allow novices to easily make Italian espresso with golden yellow oil at home.
The classic blend of Front Street was put on the bean list of Front Street Coffee after many adjustments, and has become the ration of espresso beans for many home users and offices. Front Street baristas believe that these three blends of coffee beans, the boutique blend is a choice that pursues stability. The Italian Moka pot coffee beans-Front Street black cocoa blend recommended by many baristas is a cost-effective choice, while the Nuanyang blend is a choice for flavor. The goals of the three are different, and the suitable customers will naturally be different.
Front Street Coffee adjusts parameters every day based on the status of the beans. For example, 20 grams of coffee powder is used to extract 40 grams of coffee liquid. Extraction time will be between 26 and 28 seconds. The espresso made with these parameters will have medium acidity, medium bitterness, medium body thickness, and most importantly, rich coffee oil, balance, and a distinct flavor of butter, roasted nuts, and toast. The Americano is made into clear creamy chocolate; the latte is made into butter cookies, cocoa and other flavors.
Front Street Coffee - Reminding everyone of a few things to note when buying coffee beans every day
Roasting (production) date: When purchasing coffee beans, pay attention to the roasting date. The coffee beans on Front Street Street generally have the roasting date printed on the back of the packaging bag.
Drink during the tasting period: The tasting period of freshly roasted coffee beans is within 30 days after the bean-raising period (4-7 days). It then fades over time, leaving only the woody smell. The first flavor substances to be lost are mainly volatile compounds such as floral and fruity aromas, while water-soluble compounds such as sugar, nuts, chocolate, etc. are relatively less volatile.
Therefore, we usually remind customers who buy beans that the best tasting period of coffee is between 4 and 30 days after the roasting date. However, even if the tasting period has passed, it does not mean that this coffee cannot be drunk. It's just that the performance in terms of flavor will be slightly inferior.
What should be emphasized here is the appreciation period and shelf life. Generally, the shelf life of cooked coffee beans is between 6 months and 12 months. Therefore, when buying cooked coffee beans, the fresher is not always better, and you should also remember not to store them for too long before you remember to drink them. When buying coffee beans, pay attention to the roasting date to ensure that you can drink them within a fixed time period to avoid waste.
You can now buy the above coffee beans online at the Taobao store “FrontStreet Coffee” (前街咖啡). FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou, China, and its Guangzhou retail shop sells coffee beans only. The shop carries dozens of coffee beans from different origins around the world, including carefully selected single-origin beans for V60 pour-over and espresso. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers.
The FrontStreet 2013 Yunnan coffee beans sold in the store come from the Typica variety grown at FrontStreet Coffee’s own plantation in Yunnan. The name comes from the year the brand and the plantation were founded. You can buy these beans from China’s Yunnan origin at the Guangzhou shop and at FrontStreet’s Taobao store.
FrontStreet coffee beans are freshly roasted within 5 days and deliver consistently excellent quality and great value. Orders placed before 17:00 are shipped the same day, and most areas within Guangdong Province receive them the next day.
FrontStreet Coffee Taobao store: https://qianjiecoffee.taobao.com
Or search for “前街咖啡” (FrontStreet Coffee) on Taobao
Important Notice: FrontStreet Coffee has moved to a new address: 315, Donghua East Road, Guangzhou (coffee beans only)
Tel: 020 38364473
