As coffee culture becomes popular in China, coffee shops are gradually popping up in the streets and alleys. Italian coffee, which is characterized by speed and convenience, is particularly popular. A strong aroma of espresso coffee has created a variety of popular espresso coffees. Front Street will talk about the characteristics of espresso coffee, the "soul of the coffee shop".
Main features of espresso coffee
Italian espresso, also known as Espresso, is a coffee liquid that Italians use a pressurized coffee machine to quickly extract at high temperature, with a layer of golden foam floating on the surface. Each store uses different espresso beans and extraction methods, so the flavor will be different, but a standard cup of espresso will have the following two characteristics.
Cream
We went to a coffee shop and ordered a cup of espresso. The barista brought it to us as soon as he finished extracting it. You can see a thick layer of golden foam floating on the top, which we call Cream.
When coffee beans are roasted, a large amount of gas is produced. The water dissolves the carbon dioxide under high pressure. However, the brewed coffee liquid gradually returns to normal atmospheric pressure. The coffee liquid cannot continue to trap all the gas components, so countless small bubbles will emerge from the liquid. These foams will remain on top of the coffee liquid and look like a stable layer of "bubbles." The rich and creamy Cream means that the coffee beans used in the espresso are freshly roasted. Since the gas in the coffee beans will continue to escape over time, the further away from the roasting date, the lower the carbon dioxide content and the less foam layer during extraction.
If there is no cream on the top of a cup of espresso, it is likely that the coffee beans have been stored for too long, or that the espresso has not been drunk for a long time and the foam has disappeared. The darker the color of the cream, the richer the taste. Due to the Maynard reaction of coffee beans at high temperatures, darker roasted coffee beans will have a darker foam layer and a mellower taste.
high concentration
The extraction of an espresso requires the release of a large amount of soluble substances in just a few tens of seconds, so the coffee powder needs to be ground very finely and evenly. After nearly boiling hot water and high pressure of 9 atmospheres, the concentration of espresso is very high, all the flavors will be doubled, and the entrance will have a strong taste. After swallowing, various aromas remain in the mouth with a long-lasting aftertaste. Therefore, when many coffee shops serve strong espresso, they will also provide customers with a glass of water.
How to make espresso coffee
Many coffee lovers have unknowingly equipped their homes with a lot of coffee appliances, and friends who are obsessed with Italian coffee have even stocked up on Italian coffee machines in preparation for making their own coffee. Here on Front Street, we use the espresso coffee produced in the store as a reference to briefly describe how to make an Espresso.
The coffee machine in the Front Street store is a commercial single-head "Lelit Bianca" that can adjust the extraction by changing the pressure. The maximum pressure can be 11bar. A home coffee machine only needs to reach a pressure of 9 bar to meet the functions of extracting and frothing milk, and is paired with an espresso coffee grinder.
Front Street uses a double powder bowl capacity, and the amount of powder is about 18 to 20 grams. When Front Street produces coffee, 20 grams of coffee powder is used. Usually the ratio of coffee powder to coffee liquid is 1:1.5~1:2.5. The extraction ratio of Front Street is 1:2, that is, 20 grams of coffee powder extracts 40 grams of coffee liquid. The time is related to the flow rate of the coffee powder. Generally, the duration of a single extraction is controlled between 20 and 35 seconds, because within 20 seconds, the coffee usually tastes thin, and if it exceeds 35 seconds, it is easy to over-extract and produce a burnt and bitter taste. Most of the enrichments on Front Street are in the range of 28 to 30 seconds.
First, wipe the powder bowl dry, turn on the grinder, grind out a double amount of coffee powder, place it on the electronic scale and increase or decrease it to reach a weight of 20 grams. Then use tools to spread the powder evenly and fill the coffee powder cake tightly to ensure more stable coffee extraction. Then turn on the extraction switch and release water, moisten the brewing head and take away the stuck coffee grounds. Gently buckle the handle on the brewing head and start to pull down the brewing extraction. When the electronic scale shows that 40 grams of coffee liquid has been extracted, and it takes about 30 seconds, you can pull the extraction switch. Pour the coffee liquid into the Espresso cup and enjoy.
The taste and texture of espresso is related to the coffee beans used. The espresso coffee produced in the Front Street store is blended with the warm sunshine of Front Street sunflowers. It is made from Honduran sherry coffee and Ethiopian sun-dried red cherries in a ratio of 7:3. It is made into an Espresso with rich oil and a very obvious whiskey aroma. The entrance is vanilla biscuit, the acidity of the berries and the solid flavor. After drinking it, the whole mouth is filled with various aromas.
Espresso can also be diluted with water, which is the common Americano coffee on the menu. It is full of fragrance. Add milk to make latte coffee, which presents the sweet and delicious taste of chocolate and cream.
Recommended Italian blended coffee beans
In addition to the wine-flavored Nuanyang blended coffee, there are three more cost-effective Italian blended coffee beans on the Front Street Bean List for everyone to choose from. The extracted espresso mainly has a nutty tonality. Each blend has subtle differences due to the different ratios used.
1. Classic and full-bodied type - Front Street commercial blended coffee beans
Robusta washed coffee beans (10%) + Colombian washed coffee beans (30%) + Brazilian semi-dried coffee (60%)
The espresso produced has rich golden oil and nutty aroma. When you taste it, there will be a burnt coffee bitterness, but it will be accompanied by a more creamy and full taste. After swallowing, the bitterness will also dissipate, leaving a fragrant aroma on your lips and teeth.
2. Slightly acidic and mellow type - Front Street black cocoa blend (100% Arabica) coffee beans
Yunnan washed arabica coffee beans (30%) + Brazilian semi-sun-dried coffee beans (70%)
Yunnan arabica coffee has a soft acidity paired with the mellow aroma of Brazilian Cerado coffee. The espresso coffee has a taste of caramel, nuts, and soft plum sourness.
3. Balanced aroma - Front Street premium blend of 100% Arabica coffee beans
Colombian washed coffee beans (30%) + Brazilian semi-sun-dried coffee beans (70%)
Adding Colombian coffee to the nutty tone of classic Brazilian coffee, the espresso presents a dark chocolate flavor, caramel sweetness, and a full roasting aroma.
In the end, I want to extract espresso coffee that can present the various flavors described by Front Street. Front Street recommends using freshly roasted coffee beans. After roasting, the coffee beans need an exhaust period of 7 to 10 days, and then enter the aroma-rich tasting period. At this time, the extracted espresso is more stable. In order to ensure that everyone can drink freshly roasted coffee beans when ordering, the coffee beans shipped by Front Street are freshly roasted within 5 days, so that when everyone receives them, they are still in the aromatic stage.
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
