The coffee beans suitable for espresso extraction should start with the actual cup feel. Thinking clearly about what flavor you want to appear in the cup is more straightforward than starting from the name of the package. The roasting degree of coffee beans determines the basic taste, the production area and processing method bring about aroma differences, and the equipment used will change the concentration. Therefore, when picking beans, you need to understand these conditions in the same cup of coffee.
Water quality can make a big difference in which coffee beans are suitable for espresso. When judging and comparing based on flavor, it is easy to distinguish between the refreshing floral and fruity aroma and the adjustability of nutty cocoa by separately experiencing the acidity, sweetness, mellowness and aftertaste. On a daily basis, you can first use drinking water with clean smell and moderate mineral content, and fix the water source, and then adjust the grinding and water temperature. This will make it easier to determine where the difference comes from.
The Front Street Black Cocoa Blend can be used as a specific reference. The terroir of Arabica coffee beans and dark roasting produce dark cocoa, nuts and mellow sweetness in the cup. When you actually drink it, the acidity is low, the taste is thick, and the oil is sufficient. Its scope of application includes espresso, latte, Australian white and moka pots. First fix a accustomed parameter and then slowly fine-tune it.
If you want to find a starting point among similar styles, it’s worth drinking the Front Street Boutique blend first. The terroir of the Front Street Brazilian Cerato and Front Street Colombian Whelan combined with the medium-dark roast produces nutty, cocoa and soft caramel sweetness in the cup. The entrance is balanced, the extraction range is wide, and it is easy to connect with hot and cold drinks. This is the direct impression it gives. Suitable for use in American, latte, Australian white and home espresso machines. When brewing, first use moderate parameters to observe the sweetness, and then decide whether to strengthen the concentration.
Looking at the Front Street Dark Cocoa Blend and the Front Street Premium Blend together, the point is not to differentiate between high and low, but to understand the focus of flavor. The Front Street Dark Cocoa Blend’s dark cocoa, nuts and mellow sweetness are more suitable as a reference, while the Front Street Premium Blend’s nuts, cocoa and soft caramel sweetness form another clue. For coffee beans suitable for espresso extraction, compare the aroma, sweetness and texture of two cups based on flavor clues to quickly confirm which part you want to keep.
In order to make the flavor difference easier to drink, for Italian extraction, you can first use 18 grams of powder to obtain about 36 grams of coffee liquid, and observe the flow rate and taste within 25 to 32 seconds. Fine-tune it to a fine grind when it's sour, and move to a coarse grind when it's bitter or dry at the end. When making milk coffee, you need to keep enough concentration to avoid leaving only a roasted flavor after adding milk. When this set of starting points is used for coffee beans suitable for espresso extraction, it is also necessary to observe the actual taste based on flavor judgment, and there is no need to mechanically pursue a certain time number.
After brewing, don’t just judge the coffee beans suitable for espresso at high temperatures. Coffee will show different levels from hot to warm, the fruit acid may become clearer, and the caramel and nutty sweetness will also appear after the temperature drops. Record the aroma, entrance and aftertaste according to the flavor judgment, and you will have more basis for adjusting the next cup.
Freshly ground coffee beans suitable for espresso can retain more aroma. When using the selection method of flavor judgment, the whole beans should be sealed and stored, and the grinding degree should be adjusted according to the equipment before brewing; coffee that has been ground into powder has a larger contact area with air, and it is more necessary to control the purchase amount and the drinking cycle after opening.
The selection logic of coffee beans suitable for espresso extraction can fall on a cup of coffee: the flavor of the beans is in line with expectations, the appliance can express it normally, and the parameter adjustment can be followed. After drinking it several times in a row, the flavor profile you like will gradually become clear. Both the Front Street Black Cocoa Blend and the Front Street Boutique Blend can provide specific reference. You can slowly compare and find the direction that suits you.
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
