As two terms that beginners must learn, espresso and Americano have long been used all over the world, but some friends are still confused about them and how to make them at home. Today’s article will answer your doubts.
Italian coffee, also called espresso
Espresso uses steam pressure to pass boiling hot water through coffee powder to brew a small portion of pure black coffee liquid that is rich and fragrant, with golden foam floating on top. Maybe we rarely see it on the menu of coffee shops, but it is involved in daily American dishes, latte, and cappuccino. It can be said to be the soul of coffee shops.
In the past, coffee was brewed by immersion, which not only required fine grinding of coffee beans, but also slow extraction, which required at least ten minutes of waiting. Espresso was invented in the early 19th century. In order to extract a strong cup of coffee in a short time, Italians thought of using steam pressure for extraction. Within tens of seconds, high pressure pushes hot water to penetrate into the coffee powder to obtain the soluble aromatic components inside. Because of this short extraction time and ultra-high pressure environment, the concentrated flavor is more intense. If you want to get a cup of delicious concentrate, you need to be more rigorous in the operation, and every influencing parameter needs to be considered in place.
When someone orders "Bring me an Espresso", the barista will start to operate the product. Two minutes later, he will bring a cup of water and a small cup of rich coffee liquid with a golden brown foam layer. Drink a sip of water before drinking espresso. You can rinse your mouth to avoid affecting the taste. A standard cup of espresso has rich oil and mellow taste, and the flavor has its own characteristics depending on the coffee beans. Therefore, we make American style at home and just choose according to taste:
If you like American style with a mellow taste, buy the mellow and fragrant espresso moka pot coffee beans - Front Street Classic Blend Coffee Beans
Production area: Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam
Roast Level: Medium Dark Roast
Flavor: rich in fat, high body, nuts, caramel, butter, dark chocolate
If you don’t like bitterness and want American style with floral and fruity aroma, buy Front Street Strawberry Candy Italian Blend Coffee Beans
Production area: Costa Rica, Colombia, Ethiopia
Roast level: medium roast
Flavor: ripe grapes, jam, cream, rose, almond
If you like American style with a sour taste but not bitterness, choose Front Street Sundried Oiran SOE coffee beans
Origin: Ethiopia
Roast level: medium roast
Flavor: berry, citrus, guava, dried mango, caramel
When appreciating a cup of freshly extracted espresso, Front Street will first smell the aroma of coffee. For example, Front Street blends strawberry candy with espresso, which has the aroma of berries, roses, grapes, and almonds. You can drink it directly or add sugar, milk and other excipients.
Use the prepared metal spoon to gently stir the coffee liquid to combine, and you will get a dense cream (fat) in the first sip, with a full roasted aroma. The next thing you take into your mouth is warm coffee liquid, and you can feel the rich flavors of sweet and sour, cream, grapes, blueberries, and dried strawberries. Take another sip of water halfway through to feel the sweet aftertaste in your mouth.
Americano
Americano coffee is a type of black coffee, consisting of espresso + water, with no other additives added. During World War II, coffee became very popular in the U.S. military. Americans were not used to the strong bitter taste of espresso, so they diluted the coffee liquid with water to achieve a concentration acceptable to them. Americano coffee is a type of black coffee, consisting of espresso + water, with no other additives added. Later, in the cafes opened by Italians in the United States, they also "do as the Romans do" and introduced "watered down coffee" based on espresso. This coffee has become very popular since then.
There is no fixed ratio for Americano coffee. Each store will have its own production standards in order to present the flavor and taste of the coffee. According to the ratio of 1:5 prepared by Front Street's many experiments, 40 grams of coffee liquid is poured into 200 grams of 88°C hot water, and the hot American coffee is completed.
If iced Americano is produced, the hot water will be replaced with 120 grams of ice cubes and 120 grams of room temperature water. The taste will be best before the ice cubes melt.
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
