We usually see baristas makingespressoAt this time, the action is very neat and simple, and it seems that a cup of rich coffee base can be prepared in two minutes. However, in fact, an ideal cup of espresso requires controlling the proportion and balance of various parameters in order to pursue the best taste and flavor, and mastering these proportions requires a long period of exploration and summary.
How does coffee powder to liquid ratio affect extraction?
Because espresso extraction uses steam pressure to force hot water to squeeze coffee powder, thereby quickly obtaining rich coffee liquid. The taste of a cup of coffee is closely related to the parameters during brewing. Adjusting the parameters of the powder to water ratio can change the taste, viscosity, body and other aspects of the coffee. Therefore, we need to use a timing scale when making coffee.
In the past, most Italian cafes used dark roasted coffee beans, mixed with some fatty Robusta beans. The coffee usually showed a strong caramel and dark chocolate flavor. When extracting, the barista does not measure the exact weight, but directly determines the amount of liquid by observing the color change of the concentrated oil. When it first comes out, the coffee liquid appears dark brown and relatively rich. Over time, the color slowly turns to golden yellow, and then to light yellow. Generally, when the oil is extracted and turns white, it means that the extraction needs to be completed.
With the advent of the specialty coffee era, it has become popular in recent years to use higher quality lightly roasted coffee beans to present the flavor characteristics of the production area. within the industryEspressoThe extraction standards are more stringent, summarizing the concentration range acceptable to most people, as well as more stable extraction data, and the powder-to-liquid ratio also tends to a fixed reference value. The general extraction time is about 25 seconds to 30 seconds, and the powder-to-liquid ratio is between 1:1.5 and 1:2.5. It is more common to use 1:2, but sometimes we will make adjustments according to product needs. For example, in order to make American style and latte more rich and full-flavored, Front Street stores use 20g of coffee powder to extract 36g of coffee liquid every day.
Front Street concluded through experiments that with the same amount of coffee powder, as the amount of extraction liquid increases, the concentration of espresso will decrease and the extraction rate will increase. The more flavor substances are dissolved in the back of the coffee, the lower the body, and the easier it is for the coffee to be over-extracted and release a bitter taste. If the ratio of powder to liquid is too small, the coffee will be thicker, but the flavor will be incomplete, with obvious sourness due to insufficient extraction.
Therefore, Front Street recommends that you first use a 1:2 ratio when debugging, and then adjust it up or down according to the taste of espresso.
What other factors affect the flavor of a concentrate?
The ratio of powder to water in espresso is important, but the quality of a cup of espresso is affected by many other factors, such as the coffee beans used, freshness, water quality, grinding degree, extraction temperature, extraction time, etc. are closely related.
Front Street uses the espresso beans used in the store to roast its own "Sunflower Warm Blend". The ideal espresso should have whiskey aroma, vanilla, cream, berry acidity, rich flavor and soft taste. When FrontStreet Coffee baristas adjust the espresso product, they usually change the amount of powder, liquid weight, time, and grinding degree.
Normally, Front Street will extract the parameters of the previous day and judge the status by observing the flow rate of espresso. The flow rate refers to the amount of coffee liquid extracted per unit time. When we extract the same 40 grams of coffee liquid in less than 25 seconds, it means that the flow rate is too fast and the extraction time can be extended by adding powder. If the time is more than 30 seconds, it means that the flow rate is too slow, and there may be too much powder. You can increase the flow rate by reducing the powder.
The thickness of the grind is generally reflected in the speed of the extraction flow rate. If the flow rate is faster, the time will be shorter, which means that the grinding is too coarse, so grind the coffee powder into a finer shape; if the flow rate is slow, the coffee liquid will not drip out, and the extraction time will be longer, which means that the grinding rate is too fine, so grind the coffee powder into a coarser size. The grinding degree needs to be adjusted to a suitable range. If the particles are too coarse, the coffee will be under-extracted and the coffee will be weak and sour. If the particles are too fine, the coffee will be over-extracted and taste bitter. When the flow rate of the concentrate is within a reasonable range, Front Street will directly taste the taste to judge whether the coffee is OK. When the coffee flavor is normal, the debugging work is completed.
Since the fineness of Italian grinding is much higher than that of manual grinding, the adjustment cannot be too drastic, which can easily lead to excessive variables and more unstable extraction. Front Street is a daily product produced by the store, so the adjustment of parameters will be based on daily experience accumulation. If the cup volume at home is low and it is difficult to grasp, Front Street recommends recording it and summarizing the relationship between extraction parameters and flavor performance. This will help us adjust quickly and save unnecessary waste.
Italian coffee beans recommendations
When many friends make Italian coffee at home, they use lightly roasted single-origin coffee beans, hoping to extract a rich taste like hand brewing.
Because espresso is extracted under fine grinding, high water temperature, and high pressure, espresso brings together a variety of flavors, and various flavor compounds impact our tongues exponentially. Therefore, if we use lightly roasted coffee beans for extraction, the Pour over(V60) coffee will have an elegant and sweet fruit flavor, but the Espresso will likely have a stimulating and strong acid taste; the mellow taste of the Pour over(V60) coffee will become very burnt and bitter in the espresso. As a crop, coffee will change with the climate, soil, etc. Even if it comes from the same place, the flavor of each batch of coffee beans will be different. The blending of coffee beans uses the method of complementing each other's strengths to ensure that every coffee bean can show a balanced and stable aroma and taste.
Front Street recommends Front Street’s home-roasted "Sunflower Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans", which is made from Ethiopian sun-dried red cherry coffee beans (30%) + Honduran sherry barrel coffee beans (70%). The espresso has a very rich dark chocolate flavor with a strong caramel aroma, and the aroma after swallowing is unforgettable. Whether it's an Americano diluted with water or a latte with milk, it has a rich aroma and taste.
The surface of a freshly made espresso coffee is covered with a thick, dense layer of golden foam, called crema. This is the result of the carbon dioxide produced by freshly roasted coffee beans being foamed under high pressure in the coffee machine. In order for everyone to drink the full aroma of coffee and enjoy the most complete tasting stage, Front Street only ships freshly roasted coffee beans within 5 days.
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: qjcoffeex
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
