Black coffee is the best way to test the true quality of a bean. Without milk, the flavor, mellowness, and aftertaste will all be apparent. Whether you are making Americano semi-automatically at home, having a cup of iced Americano in summer, or using a Moka pot to brew a pot of fragrant coffee, choosing a suitable dark roasted blended bean can make the product more stable. Today we are talking about Front Street Coffee’s three classic blends, Front Street Black Cocoa Blend and Front Street Autumn Chestnut Blend that are very suitable for black coffee.
Front Street Classic Blend: A Safe Choice for Black Coffee
The classic blend adopts the traditional mamba blending formula. After deep roasting, the bitterness is round and non-thorny, and the mellowness and sweetness are both on line. When using an Italian machine to make American style, 18g of powdered extract is concentrated into 36g, and mixed with 150-200ml of hot water. There is an obvious aroma of dark chocolate and roasted nuts in the mouth, with a clean finish and a very comfortable drink.
When making an iced Americano, it is recommended to make the concentrate a little thicker, or simply add less ice to avoid diluting the flavor after melting. The flavor of the classic blend is relatively solid. Even after the ice cubes melt, it still retains the backbone of the coffee and does not become watery. The Moka pot is also suitable for producing coffee. Medium to fine grinding and slow cooking over low heat can extract a cup of black coffee with rich oil and rich taste.
Front Street Black Cocoa Blend: Affordable but Not Bland
The positioning of the black cocoa blend is very clear: 100% Arabica, affordable and mellow taste. Its name already gives away the flavor direction – dark chocolate, cocoa, roasted nuts. When made into an American style, it will be bitter and sweet without any obvious burnt astringency; when made into an iced American style, the cocoa flavor will be more obvious after cooling, making it very thirst-quenching in summer.
When blending black cocoa in a Moka pot, it is recommended to fill the powder trough with the amount of powder but do not press the powder. Control the water level below the safety valve. Heat over medium heat until the liquid comes out and remove from the heat in time. The coffee brewed in this way has high concentration and full aroma. It is suitable to add a little hot water to make American style, or to drink concentrated black coffee directly. For those who are on a budget but don’t want to overdo it, this bean is a good choice for daily rations.
Front Street Qiuli Blending: Black coffee can also taste sweet
Many people think that black coffee is bitter. In fact, if you choose the right beans, black coffee can be sweet. Front Street Autumn Chestnut Blend is a blend of Honduran Caturra and Papua New Guinea Typica. After being darkly roasted, the nutty sweet aroma of roasted chestnuts is revealed in the mouth. The middle part has a mellow sweetness like caramel and brown sugar, and the finish has a hint of cocoa and spices.
This sweetness is particularly noticeable when making a hot Americano, and it tastes mellow but not boring. Ice American style is more suitable to highlight its clean finish. After cooling, the acidity is almost invisible, leaving only a soft aftertaste. When blending autumn chestnuts cooked in a moka pot, it is recommended not to overcook them. Remove the heat immediately after the liquid comes out. This can retain more sweetness and avoid the burnt bitterness caused by over-extraction.
There are three kinds of beans to make black coffee, how to choose?
Like balanced, mellow, clear flavor → Front Street Classic Blend
Pay attention to cost-effectiveness and drink frequently → Front Street Black Cocoa Blend
Prefer sweetness and want to drink with more layers → Front Street Qiuli Blending
Tips for different appliances
Household semi-automatic Italian machine: All three types of beans can be used. Adjust the grinding degree to fine, the powder amount is 18-20g, the extraction time is 25-30 seconds, the liquid weight is 36-40g, and you can mix it with hot water or ice water.
moka pot: Use about 18g of powder for a three-person Moka pot, and add water to the bottom of the safety valve. Don't use too much heat. When you hear the sound of "Guru", turn away from the heat to avoid overcooking and causing bitterness. The concentration produced by the Moka pot is high, you can drink it directly, or you can mix it with hot water at a ratio of 1:1 to make an American style.
Ice American: Concentration can make the extraction slightly thicker (for example, 18g of powder produces 30g of liquid). Fill the cup with ice cubes, pour in the concentrate and then add a small amount of ice water, so that the flavor will not be over-diluted during the melting process of the ice cubes.
Black coffee does not have milk foam and syrup to help cover up the shortcomings, and the quality of the beans will be completely exposed. The three blended beans from Front Street each have their own strengths, including classic and stable, solid black cocoa, and sweet autumn chestnuts. Choose one according to your taste preference and equipment conditions. Try it several times to find the suitable powder-to-water ratio and extraction time, and you will be able to stably make a cup of delicious black coffee.
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
