Coffee is a drink that people can't put down all over the world, and it is also the most popular drink in the world. When it comes to the persistence of coffee, it is undoubtedly Japan, because Japan’s coffee culture has a long history, and Japanese coffee workers are also very professional. As another mainstream representative, espresso is also well-known for its high popularity. For example, many friends’ daily cup of Americano, latte, and cappuccino are all derived from espresso. Today, Front Street will introduce this faction to you in detail and see what characteristics they have.
But no matter which of the above brewing methods is used, it will be more suitable for brewing dark roasted coffee beans, because they are all developed around how to extract mellow dark roasted coffee. If you also like steady and mellow bitter coffee, then you might as well try these Japanese brewing methods. I believe that you will get a unique experience in this way that is different from the usual brewing methods.
Early Italian Coffee Culture
Compared with Japanese coffee culture, Italy has a very long history of coffee drinking. Since 1580, coffee beans originating from Africa and the Middle East have entered Italy through the port of Venice. At first, it was only a drink that could be enjoyed by the upper class. Because it is a "Muslim drink" originating from the Middle East and Turkey, many Christian Italians call it the "devil's drink."
It was not until the early 17th century that Archbishop Clement VIII fell in love with this dark cup of coffee and baptized coffee, officially making it a Christian drink and naming it "the drink of God." Then in 1645, Rome opened Europe's first coffee house, which was also the first store in Italy to sell coffee. Since then, coffee has spread rapidly throughout Italy.
The Italians’ contribution to coffee is not only in terms of taste, but also in the research and development of equipment.
In the early days, people would use old-fashioned Turkish pots to brew coffee and then filter it. With the advent of the Industrial Revolution, everything seems to be pursuing a fast pace, and Italians are no exception. In 1884, Angelo Moriondo successfully registered a patent in Turin, Italy, for a steam-powered machine for making coffee. However, because this device relied entirely on steam, the temperature was difficult to control and often made the coffee burnt and unpalatable, so it was later modified many times by different people.
(Angelo Moriondo's Espresso Machine)
In the early 19th century, Milanese manufacturer Luigi Bezzara improved this patent and launched the prototype of the world's first steam pressure coffee machine. It not only had a detachable handle and a detachable assembly head, but could also use high pressure to brew a cup of coffee in a short time.
With the advent and application of new machines, more and more Italians fell in love with the coffee that was quickly extracted by this machine. The word "espresso" was first included in the Italian dictionary around 1920, and was explained as: espresso made with a pressurized machine or filter.
For those who tasted this "quick coffee" for the first time at that time, the taste was not good, but after learning that it was derived from the method of quickly obtaining steam pressure, the Italians were like a chicken blood, constantly thinking about how to upgrade and transform this steam-powered coffee machine to make the coffee taste better.
For example, Achille Gaggia, an engineer in Milan, managed to add a pull rod to the coffee machine in 1938, which could forcibly increase the water pressure from 1.5 bar to 9 bar. This not only gave the coffee a layer of dark brown "grease" (Crema), but also quantified the volume of the solution, making the coffee quality more stable.
In this way, thanks to people's improvement and popularization of these machines, the method of making coffee has undergone earth-shaking changes. High speed and convenience have become new indicators of service in every cafe. That small cup of espresso has begun to evolve into the basic core of today's modern coffee system.
About the heavy taste of Italians
As espresso reaches its final form, coffee culture has caught up. Compared with many other countries, Italian cafes focus on a high-efficiency, fast-paced atmosphere, which is perfectly matched with small cups of espresso, which can be quickly enjoyed by people coming and going, and then leave with a few chats with acquaintances. Taking advantage of a short leisure time to order a cup of espresso in a cafe can be said to be one of the most ingrained habits of Italians.
When they walk into a coffee shop, they will directly tell the barista that they want a single serving of espresso. Most of them are dominated by dark roasted bitterness. Robusta is usually added to make the oil richer. Some people will add some brown sugar to stir before tasting, and drink it all in one sip. It is very enjoyable. The price of a cup of concentrate is usually only 1 euro in Italy, which is equivalent to 7 yuan in RMB. It can be said to be a very popular drink.
You know, in the eyes of most Italians, only espresso is "real" coffee, because compared to those lighter roasted and specialty coffees that emphasize a single origin, they are more accustomed to rich, body-rich, thick and even bitter tastes. It is said that in the Italian belief, coffee is a "digestion aid" and has nothing to do with refreshing, so after every meal, if they do not have a cup of espresso, they will feel as if something is missing.
It’s not hard to see that what makes Italians so passionate about espresso is that they stay true to their cultural roots. As mentioned above on Front Street, Italy invented the espresso machine, which did more than just make coffee drinks faster, but changed the global coffee industry forever. Therefore, for the Italian people, espresso is an important part of the national identity and makes Italy unique in the world.
So if you order an iced Americano at an Italian cafe, will you get slapped?
Although most traditional Italians still stick to their drinking habits, as the Italian coffee system spreads around the world, many countries and regions have their own coffee drinking methods. Out of respect for other people's eating habits, if foreigners want a glass of iced Americano, some local baristas in Italy will try their best to meet the needs of foreign tourists.
(espresso+ice+water)
Of course, it is not ruled out that there are still many "die-hards" who only make espresso. When you ask them for a glass of iced Americano, you will most likely get a "roll-eye" and then be served such a combination. (Just kidding on Front Street, any resemblance is purely coincidental.)
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
