For those who like Italian coffee, the purpose of adjusting the parameters after turning on the machine is often not to concentrate itself, but to see whether the fancy coffee prepared based on it tastes good, such as whether the Americano after adding water is fragrant enough and bitter, whether the latte with milk is strong enough and mellow, etc., so the compatibility of concentration must be high.
With more attempts, everyone has gradually figured out some rules, and can roughly find a parameter combination that matches the coffee. However, at the same time, some friends who pursue taste have also derived many questions related to extraction. Among them, the most frequently asked question on Front Street is this one: Is it necessary to use different parameters for extraction when making American style and latte?
Why adjust espresso extraction parameters?
Just like the hand-brew brewing often mentioned in the front street, in the extraction mode of the espresso machine, the release of soluble flavor substances also pays attention to a certain sequence.
After the coffee powder cake is completely soaked with hot water, it will immediately enter a formal extraction stage. The caffeine, organic acids, lipids, melanoidins, and carbohydrates in the coffee will be released with the hot water at this moment. Their corresponding taste characteristics are what we usually call aroma, acidity, sweetness, and bitterness (astringency).
When the espresso falls from the handle, you will find that the coffee liquid is constantly changing. The farther forward, the darker the color, which means that the liquid contains more substances, and the taste is not only strong but also exciting. Later, the color becomes lighter, and the flavor substances will decrease. When the espresso starts to turn white, it means that the good substances are about to be released, which also reminds us that we need to end the extraction.
Therefore, if we want the final coffee to have a positive taste, we must not only judge the extraction process with the naked eye, but also grasp the corresponding parameters based on the actual situation.
How to determine the extraction parameters for concentration?
Although there are many factors that affect the extraction of a cup of concentrate, in actual operation, the only things we can adjust are water temperature, pressure, grinding degree, powder volume, and liquid volume. The first two are generally fixed and rarely changed. Therefore, the focus of extraction is usually placed on the three parameters of grinding size, powder volume, and liquid volume. The combination of powder volume and liquid volume is what baristas call the powder-to-liquid ratio.
Whether it is a new player who is just getting started or a home enthusiast who makes a cup occasionally, directly applying a conservative extraction formula is undoubtedly the best solution rather than spending a lot of coffee beans and time to try them one by one. It is known that the espresso powder-to-liquid extraction ratio recommended by the Specialty Coffee Association SCA falls between 1:1.5 and 1:2.5. However, due to the large difference in the values, and for a better understanding, practitioners including Front Street in most cases recommend applying the extraction formula of "powder-to-liquid ratio 1:2, time 25-30 seconds", and then fine-tuning on this basis.
Take the Front Street Nuanyang Italian Coffee that comes standard in the store as an example. When extracting the first espresso, we will use 20g of coffee powder to extract 40g of coffee liquid and observe whether the time falls within 25 to 30 seconds.
If the time is not within the recommended range, and the extraction state is obviously wrong, such as no oil at all, white color, sour taste, delayed coffee liquid flow, severe splashing, etc., after eliminating the reasons for the coffee beans themselves, the problem is most likely due to incorrect grinding, and needs to be adjusted first. For specific improvement directions, please refer to the popular science shared before.Article。
If the actual extraction time of the concentrate falls within 25 to 30 seconds, or only differs by 1 to 3 seconds, the coffee has a moderate oil layer, and we can directly taste it to judge its extraction status. When the concentrate tastes like vanilla, cream, and berries without any bitterness, it means that the coffee has been extracted reasonably, which means that there is no big problem with the grinding degree, and it also means that we can enter the next stage, which is the test of fancy coffee.
Then, we use the concentrated product tested by the "Universal Formula" to make an American style or latte. If there are no major flavor defects in the taste, andAll showed good concentration, then it can actually be smoothly unified into the extraction parameters for the day's concentration, and there is no need to adjust.
Under what circumstances should Americano and Latte be served?Extraction with different parameters?
As mentioned at the beginning of Front Street, since the difference between American style and latte is that one adds water and the other adds milk, the taste they pursue is actually different. If you want to highlight the essence of each, you must find a more "fitting" extraction solution.
As a cup of coffee that is extracted and then diluted with water, whether it is a hot American or an iced American, the core of its flavor is still in the tens of milliliters of concentrated liquid. As for a good cup of American coffee, Front Street believes that it should first have a full coffee aroma and a smooth and balanced taste. It should not only have an aftertaste after drinking it, but also not be bitter, sour, astringent and other defects. In other words, as long as the coffee is not overextracted, the more flavor substances the concentrate contains, the richer the taste of the American coffee will be.
Take Front Street's classic Italian blended coffee beans, which focus on rich oils, as an example. When made using a 1:2 powder-to-liquid ratio formula, the concentrate shows the basic flavors of dark chocolate, cream, and fried hazelnuts. However, after adding 5 times hot water, it becomes slightly bland, especially lacking in the aftertaste.
In order to give it a better taste, Front Street will increase the extraction rate of the concentrate by adjusting the powder-to-liquid ratio to 1:2.2, that is, 20g of coffee powder extracts 44g of liquid (the time is extended by 1 to 2 seconds). The concentrate produced in this way retains the original palatability after being diluted into American style, without losing the balance and mellow taste, as well as clean, sweet aftertaste and other good tastes.
Speaking of perfection, let’s move on to milk coffee. I believe that in the eyes of many people, a delicious latte should be reflected in the following aspects: full coffee taste, prominent lactose sweetness, and no bitter taste. For more production details, please refer toArticle。
Because a lot of milk was added, so as the base, the concentration here must not only provide good flavor, but also successfully convert lactose into sweetness, thereby enhancing the richness of the entire cup of coffee. Since milk itself has a concentration (9-10%), if you use medium roasted beans, you also need to make sure that the flavor of the coffee is not masked when combined with milk.
Take the Strawberry Candy espresso Italian blend from Front Street as an example.Emphasis on floral and fruity aroma,It uses a medium roasting level. If you directly apply the "universal formula" to extract and concentrate and then use it as the base of a latte, then after adding fresh milk, the positive flavor substances originally expressed in the concentrate will most likely be covered up, and it will taste like a cup of bland "coffee-flavored milk."
In order to retain the "large cup" characteristic of latte while giving the coffee a more light aroma,At this timeWe can increase the overall concentration by only reducing the amount of extraction, thereby highlighting the coffee flavor and milk sweetness.Adjust the powder-to-liquid ratio to 1:1.5 for extraction, that is, 20g of coffee powder yields 30g of coffee liquid (the time is about 25 to 28 seconds). When you make a strawberry sugar latte, you can feel the aroma of berries, candied fruits and nuts in your mouth. With the blessing of oil, there is also a hint of caramel.The flavor of cookies, the taste is very full.
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
