As the name suggests, espresso beans are specifically used for making Italian coffee. What makes this coffee bean different from other coffee beans? Front Street lists some key differences for everyone!
1. Baking degree. Take the coffee beans in a coffee shop as an example. If you use drip brewing (hand brewing) coffee, the coffee beans used will be lightly roasted, which can highlight the floral and fruity aroma. The coffee beans used for espresso production are generally released after the second crack. That is to say, the baking will be darker. Because espresso is made by adding milk, cream or water to make espresso. So the desired flavor is strong and bitter.
2. Single or mixed. Italian coffee beans are still dominated by blended beans, which is in contrast to other single-origin coffee beans. It should be emphasized here that blended beans are not necessarily Italian beans, and single-origin beans can also be used to make Italian coffee. Italian beans are mainly blended mainly because of stability and price issues.
What coffee beans are suitable for Italian style?
FrontStreet Coffee would like to remind you that before blending beans, you must first know the flavors of different varieties of coffee in the world. Beans have different characteristics depending on the place of origin. This requires roasters to understand the characteristics of coffee beans from multiple production areas to adjust the roasting curve. Different coffee beans have different personalities due to different varieties and origins. There are subtle differences in sour, bitter, sweet, aroma, mellow and other flavors. Single-origin coffee beans often focus on showing the unique characteristics of a certain type of coffee.
Single origin SOE trend
SOE has become popular recently. SOE stands for single-origin espresso. Although it is not necessarily the same as specialty coffee, if you select single-origin coffee beans with easily identifiable flavors as SOE, you can create espresso with a unique and typical flavor. For example, the typical citrus flavor of Front Street Yirgacheffe, the fruit flavor of Front Street Kenya, etc., plus espresso coffee will amplify the taste of coffee, so specific flavors will be more prominent compared to hand brewing. However, although SOE has outstanding performance, since it comes from a single origin, its shortcomings are relatively easy to amplify. Therefore, factors such as roasting and particle size will affect the flavor, so it may not necessarily taste better than blended coffee.
How to choose Front StreetItalian blend? What coffee beans are suitable for Italian style?
Italian coffee beans generally choose two types of coffee beans, Robusta and Arabica. The bean blending method is usually Robusta and Arabica, or Arabica and Arabica.
【Robusta】
It is mainly used for concentrated blending to increase body thickness and obtain rich oil. The shape of Robusta coffee beans is oval, spherical or nearly spherical, with a straight centerline.
【Arabica】
Arabica coffee produced in different regions, different altitudes, and different climates has its own characteristics and can show completely different individual flavors. It smells like grass when not roasted. After proper roasting, it shows "fruity aroma" (medium light roast) and "caramel flavor" (dark roast). It is suitable for single origin and various blended beans, and can be produced using various extraction techniques.
The shape of Arabica coffee beans is oblong and flat, with an S-shaped or C-shaped midline.
【Italian blended beansHow much Luodou is appropriate to add】
FrontStreet Coffee believes that it is suitable for espresso coffee beans to contain within 10%-20% of Roman beans. If the ratio exceeds this ratio, it will have a rubbery taste.
FrontStreet Coffee currently produces four types of FrontStreet Italian blended coffee beans with different flavors, which meet the taste needs of most people.
(1) Front Street Fine Italian Blend Coffee Beans: Colombian Coffee Beans: Brazilian Coffee Beans, ratio 3:7, 100% Arabica
Flavor characteristics: Comfortable sweet and bitter taste, very smooth in the mouth; with a faint grassy aroma, a refreshing fragrance with a slightly bitter taste; sweet and smooth, with a pleasant aftertaste; using medium-deep roasting, when concentrated, the taste will be soft, slightly sour, sweet, and nutty. The overall feeling is not too exciting, mild, and the oil is medium. It is an Italian blended bean that meets the daily needs of coffee shops.
(2) Front Street BusinessItalian blended coffee beans: Colombian coffee beans: Brazilian coffee beans: Robusta coffee beans, ratio 3:6:1
In terms of the flavor of a single bean, the taste of coffee obtained from commercial beans is much inferior to that of specialty coffee beans. Generally, commercial beans are chosen as Italian blended coffee beans. After blending the beans, coffee with a very good taste can also be made, which can be used to make latte, cappuccino and other Italian coffees. When FrontStreet Coffee uses this commercial blend of Italian coffee beans to make Espresso, because of the presence of Robusta beans, the oil will be richer and the taste is classic, which is suitable for daily shop opening needs.
Flavor characteristics: the sweetness of caramel, the flavor of nuts, cocoa, and dark chocolate, a balance of sweet and sour, a little bit bitter, and a long-lasting aftertaste.
(3) Front Street BasicsItalian blended coffee beans: Yunnan coffee beans: Brazilian coffee beans, ratio 3:7
Flavor characteristics: with soft fruit acid, caramel sweetness, nutty, dark chocolate flavor, smooth and viscous, but light taste. This cost-effective coffee bean is suitable for shop owners and home users who prioritize cost and have average taste requirements.
(4) Front Street Sunflower Warm Yang Italian blend coffee beans: Front Street Honduran sherry coffee beans: Front Street Yerga red cherry coffee beans, the ratio is 7:3
Flavor characteristics: obvious fruit acidity, lingering light berry aroma, rich wine aroma and chocolate flavor, and a pleasant aftertaste.
In fact, FrontStreet Coffee found that adding Robusta beans to the espresso recipe can bring more caffeine, better oil and richness.
What factors affect espresso extraction?
(1) Water pressure
Modern systems use a water pump to control the water output and controllable water pressure. The ideal water pressure for Espresso is generally 9 BAR, which is also recognized as the most ideal air pressure.
(2) Boiler pressure
Boiler pressure is related to the temperature of the water used to make coffee and the force of the steam. The higher the boiler pressure, the higher the water temperature and the greater the momentum of the steam; conversely, the lower the water temperature, the smaller the steam will be. Boiler pressure is generally around 1 BAR. Of course, this value is still controversial, and every barista has a different understanding.
(3) Water temperature
The water temperature needs to be determined according to the needs of different coffee bean varieties. Some will be subject to boiler pressure, while others are more flexible and precise settings. According to the experience of most baristas, the water temperature is between 90 and 92 degrees Celsius. Each barista can flexibly adjust according to their own understanding and needs, and can make their own style of Espresso with their own hands.
(4) Filling pressure
There are various styles of pressure filling. In this world, almost no two people's pressure filling will be exactly the same. Generally speaking, if it is heavy pressure, the required pressure will be 25kg/m2, but pressure filling is indeed the freest parameter in the golden rule. Because FrontStreet Coffee uses a constant-pressure powder hammer, the powder pressing strength is basically the same.
（5）espressoBean grinding thickness
Espresso is a very fine powder. The finer the grind, the slower the water flows through the powder layer; the coarser the grind, the faster the water flows through the powder layer. Adjusting the grinding degree can flexibly change the extraction time while reaching the extraction volume. Imagine this situation. It takes 25 seconds to extract 40g of Espresso with a fixed amount of 20g of powder. Everything looked perfect, but when I tasted it, I found the body to be thin and tart. It's obvious that this Espresso is under-extracted and low-concentration. At this time, grinding the coffee beans more finely can solve the problem of insufficient extraction and low concentration, while also reducing the sourness and increasing the body.
(6) Amount of powder
FrontStreet Coffee Single ServeespressoThe amount of coffee powder is 12-14 grams, and the double dose is 20-22 grams.
(7) Extraction time
The extraction time of the golden rule is between 25-28 seconds, but the extraction time is actually a comprehensive expression of the filling pressure, powder volume and grinding degree, and needs to be adjusted by the barista's understanding.
(8) Extraction volume
FrontStreet Coffee extracts 20-21g of liquid in a single shot and 40g of liquid in a double shot. Combined with the amount of powder, it isItalian coffee extraction powder to water ratiokey.
How does Front Street make Italian-style base concentrate?
First dry the coffee handle, then add 20g of coffee powder into the coffee powder bowl, then use a powder spreader to spread the coffee powder evenly, and then use a powder press to compact the coffee powder cake.Attach the handle to the brewing head, activate the extraction button (pull the lever for the lever type), and stop extraction when the coffee liquid reaches 40g. Extraction time is between 28-32 seconds.
An ideal cup of Espresso should have a balance between various elements, a distinct taste, and a sweet but not bitter taste in your throat after drinking it. To be more specific, it means that it should have moderate sourness, bitterness, and sweetness, a rich taste, a solid and mellow consistency, and a long-lasting, refreshing and sour aftertaste like citrus.
Blended beans are mostly used in Italian coffee such as Espresso, Americano, Latte or Cappuccino. The taste of coffee is more balanced, smoother and more stable. It can be said that the taste is more popular.
Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account cafe_style)For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on private WeChat, WeChat ID: kaixinguoguo0925
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
