Although most people come to Qian Street to drink Pour over(V60) coffee, there are also many people who are willing to drink Italian coffee. As we all know, espresso is the basis of various Italian drinks - including Americano, latte, cappuccino, Australian white, mocha, etc.
According to Front Street, espresso is called "espresso" by foreigners, and the caffeine content per unit volume is also higher than most coffee drinks. Espresso is extracted by an espresso machine. The extraction principle is to force hot water (usually around 92 degrees) under a high pressure environment through a layer of finely ground and compacted coffee powder. The liquid produced in this process by extracting solids and dissolving ingredients is called espresso. Although espresso is the origin of all coffee drinks, it is also a coffee drink in its own right. Most people also compare espresso as a representative of Italian coffee to Americano. So what is the difference between Italian coffee and American coffee?
Americano is made in two ways. One is a drink extracted with an Americano coffee drip machine, and the other is made by adding conscious espresso with water. This difference can be explained by the historical development of American coffee. The American-style drip filter machine first became popular in every household in the United States. Americans are accustomed to the taste of coffee made by drip filter machines—coffee has a light taste, a thin taste, and a strong watery taste. During World War II, the coffee American officers drank in Europe was basically espresso, which had a strong and exciting taste.
So in order to simulate the flavor of drip machine coffee, they added water to the espresso liquid. In this way, the flavor of the coffee will be much softer and very easy to drink. Since no one in other countries in Europe drank coffee like this at that time, this coffee was called "Americano". In fact, there was an ironic meaning behind this name, which made the locals laugh at Americans for not being able to drink espresso. The French even called "Americano" "sock coffee" behind their backs to describe the bad taste of Americano.
FrontStreet Coffee's Americano is actually espresso with water. Most coffee shops on the market use this method of preparation. Generally speaking, the water-to-liquid ratio of American coffee is 1:4-1:9, and different cafes will have different standards. The ratio of hot American coffee water to coffee liquid in Front Street is 1:4.5, which is determined by combining the characteristics of Nuanyang's blended concentrate and the cup size produced by the store. The ratio of iced Americano water to coffee liquid in Front Street is almost 1:9. Because it is a blend of Italian coffee beans made in the store, unlike other coffee shops that pursue a nutty flavor, FrontStreet Coffee's American style will have a strong aroma of wine, rich coffee oil, and overall mellowness. The taste is biased toward cream texture, with a long chocolate finish. Compared to a hot American, an iced American will be more refreshing. Using different Italian coffee beans, the flavors of the coffee drinks produced are different. Front Street has designed a total of four types of Italian coffee beans to meet various needs: Front Street Boutique Blend 100% Arabica, Front Street Commercial Blend, Front Street Black Cocoa Blend (100% Arabica) and Yanyang Blend.
Front Street Black Cocoa Blend (100% Arabica) uses Brazilian, Colombian, Yunnan coffee beans and other commonly used beans suitable for Italian coffee. The purpose is to obtain better coffee flavor at a lower cost. For cafes that pursue rich oils and fats, Front Street’s Front Street Commercial Blend adds 10% Robusta beans, which not only improves the overall mellowness but also makes the coffee more fragrant. The nutty flavor is outstanding, and the chocolate flavor matches the sweetness of the milk, which is perfect. Front Street Premium Blend 100% Arabica uses Arabica coffee beans from Brazil and Colombia. Arabica from all over America can express a cleaner taste of coffee. The flavor of these two production areas is nutty and chocolatey, which is very suitable for Italian coffee production.
Sunflower Warm Sun blended coffee beans is Front Street’s new attempt in 2019. At that time, the concept of boutique (single-origin) coffee was popular, and many SOEs with flavor as their selling point appeared. However, Front Street planned to use high-quality single-origin beans to blend coffee beans with flavor as the main purpose. It was best for Front Street to decide to use 30% Yirgacheffe red cherries and 70% Honduran sherry as the formula for Sunflower Warm Sun blended coffee beans. The fragrant aroma of vanilla cream and fermented wine attracted a large number of audiences.
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 sugar and milk to it. Making iced coffee is relatively simple, just add hot espresso to cold milk. As for hot milk coffee, you need to use the steam wand on the coffee machine. Regarding how to froth milk, FrontStreet Coffee has also written a special article to teach you. If you need it, you can look it up yourself. It is worth mentioning that many coffee chain brands now use fully automatic coffee machines, and their operation is even simpler, just press a button.
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
