Espresso was invented by MR. Gaggia in 1946. Gaggia further improved the piston pressure system - using spring pressure instead of manual pressing, allowing a layer of golden crema (Crema) to float on the brewed coffee. This was the first time Crema appeared in the history of coffee, and this year was the official birth year of Espresso. It wasn't until about 1986 that the international coffee chain Starbucks introduced "it" to the world, making it a drink that everyone is very familiar with. At this point, Starbucks can be said to be indispensable.
Compared with other coffee making methods, espresso machines are more picky about coffee beans. In order to release coffee quickly, we need to grind the coffee beans very finely and use high-temperature and high-pressure extraction conditions to make the coffee taste extremely rich. If you are not careful, the espresso will become extremely unpleasant to drink. If you want to improve the success rate of espresso, it is recommended to use medium to dark roasted beans. Below, we list several blends suitable for novices:
"Front Street Blend 100% Arabica Coffee Beans" 75 yuan/454g: Colombian washed coffee beans + Brazilian semi-dried coffee beans, with flavors of nuts, dark chocolate, and caramel.
"Front Street Classic Blend Coffee Beans" 33 yuan/100g; Brazilian semi-sun-dried coffee beans + Indonesian Mandheling coffee beans + Vietnamese coffee beans, with rich coffee oil and mellow taste;
"Front Street Strawberry Candy Espresso" 43 yuan/100g; Costa Rican coffee beans + Panama coffee beans + Ethiopian coffee beans. It has the aroma of roses, strawberry candy and glucose. The sweet and sour fruit is prominent and has a pleasant taste.
Generally speaking, there are certain standards for Italian coffee extraction. Depending on the powder bowl, the weight of coffee powder is generally between 18-22 grams. Make sure the weight of the coffee is exactly what you want it to be, as anything can make a huge difference. The most common brewing ratio is twice the coffee powder, which means that if you have 18 grams of coffee powder, then you'd better extract 36 grams of espresso liquid, because once this value is exceeded, the coffee will easily taste over-extracted.
Of course, this standard can also be changed according to different needs. For example, the espresso produced by the Front Street store uses 20 grams of powder to extract 36 grams of coffee liquid. The purpose is to make the American style and latte more fragrant and fuller in flavor. What needs to be reminded here is that the weight of liquid coffee is best 1-3 times that of dry coffee powder, and the commonly used weight is 2 times.
The brewing time is from the start of pressing the button to the end of extraction, and the time used is usually between 25-35 seconds. If the extraction time is longer or shorter than you expected, the biggest reason is the grinding of the coffee, then you can adjust it according to your needs and optimize the extraction parameters.
Generally speaking, rapid extraction will make the coffee more acidic and less sweet. Slower extraction can give the coffee a bitter, dull flavor.
The most direct way to judge whether espresso can be produced is to taste it. Taste is a great way to judge the quality of your espresso. But because judging an espresso by its taste is too prescriptive, some forward-thinking baristas and roasters are using refractometers to measure the total dissolved solids (TDS) in espresso. TDS measurements allow them to determine accurate brew strength and extraction percentage and correlate their preferred brewing parameters with numerical data. Measuring TDS also means we can calculate the extraction percentage using the following formula:
(%TDS x brewed coffee weight) / ground coffee weight = extraction percentage
Many coffee lovers will express their admiration for the barista operating the coffee machine at the bar when they come to Qian Street. They are curious about how to operate the seemingly complicated coffee machine. In fact, all baristas know is the detailed steps of making Italian coffee. As for how the coffee machine operates, most baristas don't know. So today, Front Street will introduce to you the detailed production process of Italian coffee! Take the normal operation process of FrontStreet Coffee as an example:
Step 1: Wipe the coffee grounds bowl to make sure it is dry and free of water
Step 2: Weigh the coffee powder. Use an electronic scale to weigh the appropriate amount of coffee powder, and control the error within 0.1 grams.
Step 3: Apply powder
Step 4: Press powder
Step 5: Tap on the handle
Step Six: Key Extraction
Step 7: Tap the powder handle and clean the brewing head.
Recommended extraction plan for Front Street espresso: 20g powder, 40g coffee liquid, 30 seconds
Just like that, an espresso shot is finished.
If you want to make other coffee drinks, you just add water, sugar, and milk to it. If you like Americano coffee, Front Street will prepare a 200ml coffee cup, pour 160ml of warm water, and finally pour in espresso, and a cup of hot Americano is ready.
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
