Espresso

I started my love affair with espresso 16 years ago when I was 15 years of age.  That is also the year my future wife (who was a Barista at the coffeeshop) served me my first cold-brewed espresso ice coffee.  I soon after learned that espresso wasn't a type of bean, but a blend of a variety of coffee beans that is chosen to produce a thick, rich, tasty shot when concentrated.  Espresso can also be used to describe your brewing method.  Some roasters use as little as 2 beans in their blends or as many as 6.  I used a special 5 bean blend for 9 years that my friend and coffee mentor Bruce of Coffeeworks gave me when I roasted for him in 1999.  Bruce worked at Joffreys, one of the 3rd Wave Coffee pioneers, before opening Coffeeworks in Charlotte, NC in 1991.  When we opened Bean Traders in 2000, Bruce gave us his best wishes and blessing to use his secret espresso recipe.  Over the years we have had people from all over the world try our espresso, and overwhelmingly the response was the same: it was a favorite.  A couple of years ago, quite by accident, I tweaked the recipe.  I ran out of the green coffee of one of our espresso blend beans and had to improvise with what I thought might be an unnoticeable difference.  Immediately we were getting more and more compliments...even our loyal espresso drinkers were asking how we managed to make our espresso better. 

We never went back to the old recipe and now I feel good knowing that one day I might be able to pass along my very own secret recipe to the next generation roaster.  The experience really taught me that the art of coffee is a constant moving ever changing world and to not be afraid to move with it even though you have something that works.  You can always have a better product and you will never know that until you try something different.  We have always had that philosophy in-store with design, product, and beverage, but I never thought to move it further to roasting. 

When I choose my first caffeine in-take of the day, I usually start with a double shot of espresso.  It hits me fast and then allows me to drink my black regular coffee without desperation.  If you want a great double shot to start your day without leaving the house, remember espresso can be just as enjoyable to drink at home as well as your favorite coffeeshop.  Of course I know a lot goes with going to the coffeeshop besides the espresso (atmosphere, friends, great Baristas, getting out of the house, etc) but if you want to stay at home from time to time, here are my suggestions for achieving great espresso at home:

1) Buy your espresso fresh from a local roaster or via internet from a micro-roaster who roasts to order.

2) Grind your espresso fine enough to extract all of the flavor, but not too fine that the espresso becomes a muddy consistency that is not penetrable.  If your espresso grinds feel like baby powder, it is too fine....if it feels like bigger grains of sand, it is too coarse.

3) Make sure to store your coffee properly.  If possible buy whole bean and grind as you need.  Whole bean or ground coffee should be kept in an air-tight container, at room temp, and away from direct sunlight and humid conditions.  And contrary to popular belief...do not freeze...and the fridge is the death of your bean.

4) Getting a proper machine is key.  If you are drinking straight espresso, a stove top maker is great.  A Mr. Moka or Moka Express is fine, but if you want a flashy version go for it.  The options are plenty this day and age, and for the most part the stovetop makers are usually the same internally.  If you want to make cappuccinos or lattes as well, there is a plethora of options out there.  My advice is to get a pump machine which is more powerful so easier to get better shots than its weak brother steam driven.  Do your homework and read reviews and you should be able to find your fit.

5) Keep said pump machine clean. Wipe down your machine after every use..it's the least you can do since it serves you your morning sanity.  Every time you use your steam wand, you should purge it before and after steaming your milk and always wipe excess milk off wand with damp towel every time.  Backflushing is utmost important and should be done 1-2 times a week for a home machine.

6) Using water that has no distinct smell or taste is extremely important. If you filter your water..great...if not, it could taint your beverage.  Countless times people have asked me why their shots taste funny or sour at home and I advise to use a clean tasting water like LeBleu and problem solved.  Who knew tap water had such flavor. 

7) Proper tamping (after instructions 1-6 are accomplished) is the finishing move on great espresso.  First, use an actual tamper and tamp it proper.  Make sure you extract your shot in a warm porcelain espresso cup / mug and that the extraction time is 20-30 seconds.  If your shot brews nice and has crema (the layer of foam on your espresso), a nice crema.....your espresso task is accomplished my friend.  Tip one back for me.

see you in the am
DC