A few days ago, a coffee lover asked FrontStreet Coffee if they use the same beans, the same grinding degree, and the same amount of powder to produce milk coffee, American style, and espresso. Will there be different requirements for the powder-to-water ratio of the concentrate? So the baristas at FrontStreet Coffee compared the performance of milk coffee and Americano made with espresso with different ratios of powder to water. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will share the proportions of making latte coffee, as well as Americano and espresso.
How to make latte coffee:
The cup used in this FrontStreet Coffee experiment is a latte cup usually used for production, with a capacity of 300ml;
FrontStreet Coffee uses 100% Arabica blended from Colombia and Brazil; the grinding degree is 1.9 of Pegasus 900N; a single-head handle is used to make espresso, the amount of powder is 20 grams, and three powder-to-water ratios were tested: 1:1, 1:1.5 and 1:2.
Now let us try to compare the taste of the concentrate made by using these three kinds of powder water, and what kind of taste the milk coffee and American style have?
Powder to water ratio 1:1 ——20g of powder extracts 20g of coffee liquid, extraction time: 19 seconds
【Concentrated】Smooth in the mouth, but slightly higher in acidity, with a creamy, nutty flavor, and a long-lasting sweetness from the sucrose.
[Latte] smells obviously nutty, with nuts, chocolate, cream, and a touch of butter cookies in the mouth. The sweetness of the milk is obvious.
[American style] It smells of caramel, has a soft entrance, a smooth taste, and a taste of red berries.
Pink to water ratio 1:1.5
20 grams of powder extracts 30 grams of coffee liquid, extraction time: 27 seconds
[Concentrated] There is a sour note of berries in the mouth, and the flavor of chocolate and hazelnut in the middle, with a long-lasting sweet aftertaste.
[Latte] smells of caramel, with cream, milk chocolate, and a slight nutty flavor in the mouth. The taste of milk and coffee is relatively balanced.
[American style] The entrance is slightly sour like berry, and the sweetness of sucrose is obvious at the end.
Powder to water ratio: 1:2 - 20 grams of powder extracts 40 grams of coffee liquid, extraction time: 34 seconds
[Concentrated] It has a creamy sweetness in the mouth, a sweet aftertaste, and a bit of rock sugar sweetness, and the aftertaste will have a clear smoke flavor.
[Latte] Although the entrance is light, it has a toffee-like sweetness, and the aftertaste is cinnamon and woody.
[American style] It smells a little woody, with cocoa and woody flavors in the mouth.
【Summary】
Based on the above practice, FrontStreet Coffee found that espresso coffee with a small powder to water ratio will taste more sour, but after adding milk, it will become very sweet, and it will also have a very soft feeling when made into American style. Front Street believes that this is mainly because the extraction ratio of espresso coffee is reduced and the extraction time is shortened. Basically, only the substances in the front section are extracted, and it is not easy to over-extract. In addition, because there is less concentrated coffee liquid, the amount of milk will increase while the output is the same, so the sweetness will be more obvious.
The cup of concentrate with a larger pink to water ratio is lighter in the mouth, but the sweetness is quite obvious, but the woody and smoky flavor soon appears. When it is made into a latte, although it is light and sweet in the mouth, it is very similar to the concentrate, and the woody flavor soon appears. After making it into American style, there is an obvious over-extracted woody flavor in the mouth.
The powder to water ratio is 1:1.5, whether it is concentrated or American style, the flavor level will be relatively rich. When it is made into a latte, the taste of milk and coffee is also relatively balanced. The taste of coffee will not overwhelm the milk, and the taste of milk will not steal the limelight of the coffee, which is a more balanced feeling.
FrontStreet Coffee’s previous article also mentioned that the espresso extracted at the beginning has higher acidity and concentration, and the espresso extracted from the middle will begin to have obvious sweetness and the taste will begin to fade. Therefore, the espresso with a larger powder-to-water ratio will be easier to over-extract.
FrontStreet Coffee used this premium blend from FrontStreet this time. Take 100% Arabica coffee beans and parameters as an example. Without changing the grinding degree, if you want a cup of sweet latte or a softer American style, you can try an espresso liquid with a powder to water ratio of 1:1; and if you want a cup of concentrated coffee with rich layers or an American style, or a more balanced latte, you might as well try an espresso liquid with a powder to water ratio of 1:1.5.
What coffee beans are used for espresso?
According to FrontStreet Coffee, espresso is used to make these three types of coffee. So what kind of coffee beans are used to extract the flavor of espresso better?
For friends who are addicted to Italian coffee, we recommend the Front Street Classic Italian Blend. This is a recipe made from Brazil, Indonesia, and Vietnam. It uses deep roasting, which can highlight the mellow aroma of the coffee to the greatest extent, and also allows everyone to easily extract the rich and dense coffee oil. It is very suitable for making an American style diluted with water or a latte with milk. It can be purchased at the Front Street Taobao store or the Front Street Tmall flagship store.
So this is one of the reasons why Italian coffee is so popular among coffee fans, because coffee berries are always a crop. Every year, the flavor of the coffee berries will be unstable due to climate and environmental problems. It may be sweeter this year and not so sweet next year. Mixing several coffee beans together can solve this problem very well, and at least make the flavor of the coffee tasted consistent every year.
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
