ARTICLES BY SUSAN STANEK
What is tea? Tea is an infusion of the leaves from the tea tree, and no other. Herbal teas are infusions of herbs, and are not technically called "tea". There are many different kinds of teas to choose from, each with a very different character, aroma, brightness and sweetness. Whatever personality you treasure in your teas, all are made from the leaves of the same type of plant known as Camellia Sinesis, the tea bush. The quality and type of tea produced depends upon the care of the bushes, leaf selection and preparation. Black tea, green tea, oolong and white tea are made from the same plant. It is because of their preparation that they yield such varied qualities.
Tea Feature: Green Tea, Dragonwell Pearl.
Unlike black tea, green tea is not allowed to ferment. They are "killed" or flash fired in a large metal pan almost immmediately after they are picked or withered. Any rolled tea is don so by hand. Green teas such as Gunpowder, and Pearl are rolled. The leaves are dried or killed after rolling. It is fun to watch the leaf gently unfold into a whole leaf as it steeps in hot water.
Because little is done to the green tea product, the leaves remain very much in tact chemically speaking. They retain vitamin C, fluoride and nutritional chlorophyll, as well as cancer fighting anti-oxinants. Dragonwell Pearl is like Green Gunpowder in that it is rolled tightly, but it has a silvery sheen, and is larger, the size of a silvery pearl. Each pellet will include precisely two leaves and one tight budding tip. The tips of the branches hold the youngest, most tender leaves, and it is these which are sought after. It is possible to enjoy only the finest tips in a green tea known as Silver Needles. This high grade tea yields the most delicate and floral liqueur. Dragonwell Pearl yields a slightly darker liqueur that is sweet, vibrant, full and refreshingly floral, with out being scented. The leaves are prepared with the finest jasmine oils, making it delicately fascinating. It is one of the finest teas I've tasted and is not readily available in the United States. I would suggest buying some at Herman's Boy right here in Rockford, Michigan. Take advantage of their connections and enjoy a few of the best varieties of tea available in the country.
Most of the tea that is harvested is produced to become black tea. After the leaves had been plucked by hand, the are laid out on drying racks to wither for eighteen to twenty-four hours, until they become pliable enough for rolling. When ready, each leaf is rolled by hand. Working the leaves brings out the natural flavor, produces lesser pungency in the liquor, and promotes a longer shelf life. But mainly it helps to release the leaf's natural enzymes that make oxidization possible. The leaves are then spread out again to oxidize, or ferment. The tea maker turns the leaves and monitors them until, judging by smell, decides when the tea is ready to "kill" or, stop the fermentation through heat. The withered, rolled and now fermented leaves are placed into large metal pans in which they are flash fired at a steady 120 degrees, thereby killing the enzymes, sterilizing and drying the leaves.
ASSAM makes a deliciously rich and full bodied brew that's perfect either as a breakfast tea, or when you need a deep round pick-up. Because of this it is sometimes used in blends such as Irish Breakfast. Assam's dark, deep liquor is described as malty and robust, and can be served with a splash of milk.
CEYLON is comparable to Assam, yet it yields a lighter, golden liquor and is a bit more mellow and brisk. Quality Ceylons are grown only at very high altitudes, up pto 7000 feet above sea level, which contributes to it's clean flavor. Grades of Ceylon and Indian teas are indicated with the same method ranging from FTGFOP (finest tippy golden flowery orange pekoe), GFOP (golden flowery orange pekoe), BOP (broken orange pekoe), and so forth.
DARJEELING tea is grown in the Himalayan Mountain region of India. You'll find that it holds a flowery aroma and is often described as being "muscatel" after the famous Muscat grapes grown for wine. At times there will be a number fallowing the grade. This identifies the tea's flush. The first flush is harvested in spring and may be lighter and more flowery. The second flush is the summer harvest, which will taste fruiter, while the larger autumnal flush will have a full flavored liquor.
KEEMUN is an extraordinary, full bodied black tea out of China. It is unique in that it is the only tea whose winy essence is procured with age. It is deep, rich and complex, making it a very suitable breakfast tea.
KENYA, Africa produces a tea that is comparable to Assam in body and in strength. Rich and brisk, with a deeply colored liquor, Kenya can be served with a touch of lemon or milk.
LAPSANG SOUCHONG possesses the ultimate smokiness that a tea can provide. This is brought through by the pine fires in which the tea is cured over. It's rustic, piny aroma, and full body makes for a delight on cool afternoons. It is often served over fresh lemon slices. When tea was transported by camel caravan, they buyers would appreciate the aromas the tea acquired along it's journey such as the nightly campfires.
ORANGE PEKOE is one of the most well known teas. It yields a deep, golden liquor with full aroma and a round, clean, brisk flavor. Iced tea is often made with this tea because it will not cloud like other black teas. Orange Pekoe is a grade of Ceylon tea in which you'll find no tips, and the leaves are rolled lengthwise.
The Story of White Teas
The exquisite whit teas from China are in a class of their own. Only the new succulent sprouts, or tips of the tea tree are used and steamed immediately. They are never rolled and never allowed to ferment or even whither. After steaming the silvery tea is cleaned, leaving only the supple interior of the tea bud, including specifically two leaves and one bud. This produces a liquor that is very clean and mellow, with a delightful flowery aroma and elegant richness. Its flavor is comparable to fine green teas, but yields not their astringency or dryness. It is full, bright, and smooth in spite of its delicate aroma.
White teas are often more expensive due to it's rarity. The leaves are harvested in early spring at dawn, before the dew is dry, on only two days of the year. there may not be frost nor may it be raining. Only the fullest, undamaged buds are taken. One type of white tea is called Silver Needles (sounds scary) after the silvery white hairs found on the interior of the tea bud. There will be no stems or leaves in the dry form, just the interior bud. It will yield an even paler liquor and a very delicate flavor, and is the most desirable. White Peony, or Pai My Tan is a popular variety of white tea as well. It will consist of two leaves and one bud. This type is more often exported and is enjoyed in the United States for it's pronounced aroma and slightly fuller flavor. Because of th delicate nature of white teas do not brew with water that is over 180 degrees so that the tea will not be cooked or scalded which, will result in bitterness.
Coffee beans are not actually beans, but seeds from the cherries of a coffee trees. Inside each cherry are two seeds sandwiched together flat side to flat side.
ROBUSTA AND ARABICA
There are two varieties of coffee, scientifically known as coffea robusta, and coffea arabica. Robusta beans are hardy, disease resistant plants that are able to grow at lower altitudes. They are typically used in commercial grade coffee, and contain more caffeine and acid. This species might be found growing wild, while the Arabica variety was the earliest and most likely to be cultivated. Arabica coffee is more refined both in flavor and in nature. They grow strictly at high altitude. The higher the altitude, the slower the cherries ripen. These types are called "hard bean" because the pit is, well, hard. Hard beans will have a more developed acidity in the cup, and more flavor in general. Soft beans are grown at lower altitudes. The fruit ripens rather quickly, and the beans are much more porous and mild. Arabica beans total ten to fifteen percent of the coffee produced. They must grow at higher altitues and require a bit more care. The reward is that they provide a better flavor and aroma with less acid.
THE PREPARATION
Preparing coffee is labor intensive. Coffee is still picked by hand because the cherries that are on the same branch will ripen at their individual rate. The cherries are then processed to remove the skin and pulp from the pit. There are two ways of doing this, the dry method, and the wet. In the dry method, the cherries are sun dried or dried in a mechanical dryer. The dried fruit is then stripped off the coffee bean by machines. The wet process uses a soaking method in which the fruit comes off producing what is known as washed coffee. Once this process is complete only the pit remains leaving what we know as the coffee bean. The beans are then sorted by hand into different grades which are usually judged by their width, size and appearance. The coffee beans are then loaded up in burlap bags and are ready to be shipped out for roasting.
ROASTING
The unroasted coffee bean is small and solid, with a light green or light brown color. During the roasting process, the bean becomes large, dark and less dense. The longer the bean is roasted the longer and oilier it becomes. Not all coffees will respond the same way. Soft beans will darken quicker. The espresso roast is the darkest roast. It is where the beans are roasted to where they are almost burned. The bean is dark brown with a wet look to it. This is because it is caramelized. French roast is a well known darker roast for coffee beans. It is caramelized completely but not quite charred like the espresso roast. this degree of roast will give you that dark roast bite to any coffee, even robusta beans. dark roasts when done with good stock can be quite satisfying; however some people have been introduced to dark roasts of poor quality and mistakenly acquaint the bitterness of the bean with the roast. Dark roasts have a a particular roasted flavor that I affectionately refer to as "the dark roast char". Not all varieties of coffees should be dark roasted. Coffee roasters judge the flavor qualities of the beans they receive, and assign different roasts to each to bring out the characteristics of that particular variety.
Though there is only one gourmet bean, the arabica bean, where the plant grows, latitude, altitude, region and climate alter the flavor. The coffee grown on the misty mountains of Hawaii will smell and taste different than the same plant grown in Kenya, Africa. That is why when you purchase your roasted beans you can choose from a myriad of varieties such as Ethiopian, Jamaican, Kona (Hawaiian), Guatemala, and Columbia, just to name a few.
So next time you enjoy your coffee understand all the science and preparation that goes into each bean you grind.
5. LAPSANG SOUCHONG AND RUSSIAN CARAVAN TEA
Lapsang Souchong tea is a type of black tea with distinctive characteristics that no other tea can offer. It has a particular smoky, piney aroma that is from being smoked over pine or cedar fires. After the tea is harvested it is withered like all teas are, but withered over pine fires to enhance flavor. Then it is flash fired in metal pans, rolled and oxidized in the traditional manor of making all black tea. But this variety is dried in bamboo baskets hung over smoldering pine or cedar fires, so it is initially smoked in the final drying process, thereby absorbing further the hardy aromas. The resulting flavor is bold, and the pine smoke is easily distinguishable, nonetheless the cup overall is remarkably smooth. The tea leaves themselves offer a delicate smoothness behind the broad smoky hardiness. The pine flavor is merely an enhancer atop the complicated brew, though it is more dominant in the aroma of the tea. The color of the liquor is mahogany, with reddish or golden tones.
Lapsang Souchong is originally from the Zheng Shen part of Mount Wuyi in the Fujian province of China. This is a very small part of the world, so the production of the tea is small, making it fairly rare, hence the production of its commercial counterpart Russian Caravan. It is prepared in a similar way, and has a smoky, piney aroma and bold yet smooth flavor. The name is derived from the tea received by Europeans centuries ago. Tea was imported through the ancient tea caravans, where camels would freight product over great distances. The tea would absorb the aromas of the journey, the burlap, weather, and nightly, smoky campfires.
So though to say that a tea tastes like smoky pine fires might not initially sound appealing, it is still a delightful, full, yet delicate, warm cup of tea, with the romance of ancient caravans traveling to and from exotic places, in a time when tea was a sacred, daily ritual. And to some, it still is.
Using a French press is becoming more popular for brewing coffee, and tea. It is basically a beaker with a handle, and a lid with a screen that can be plunged downward to hold the grounds while the fresh coffee or tea is poured. It is also referred to as a plunger pot.
To brew a tasty cup of coffee, let’s begin with the beans. Select your favorite gourmet Arabica roasted coffee beans, and grind them right before use. The fresher the grounds are, the more aromatic the cup. A course grind of beans is needed for French press brewing because the longer the brewing process the courser the grind should be. So being that these grounds will be steeping for four minutes, a very course grind is best. Short brewing processes such as espresso, will require a finely ground bean.
Use two tablespoons of grounds for every 6 oz. cup of water, and place the fresh grounds in the bottom of the pot.
Bring filtered drinking water to a boil. Tainted water makes for a tainted cup. Use water just off the boil. To pour boiling water over the grounds will scald the beans. By using water just off the boil ensures the optimum temperature for extraction.
Pour the water over the grounds and allow the grounds to incorporate with it. Place the lid on to keep in the steamy aroma, but do not plunge down the screen. Allow the grounds to mingle and steep in the water for four minutes. The whole surface area of each ground is coming in contact with the hot water, so during this steeping time you are getting the most out of your beans.
When the steeping is complete press the wire mesh screen down to keep the grounds at the bottom of the pot as you pour. The final brew will be velvety and rich.
The French press produces a wonderfully fulfilling cup indeed. It will have a strong, complex flavor that is not obtainable by an automatic drip with paper filter. The reason being is that the grounds are allowed to steep, and become fully exposed to the water, thereby creating an effective extraction of all the complexities the grounds have to offer. There might be some sediment in the bottom of your cup, but if this bothers you, leave the last drop, though I have known people to treasure it graciously.
Fallowing these simple steps will ensure you that you’ll have a truly fulfilling cup of coffee time and time again. This method produces a rich and hardy cup with many layers of flavor, and substantial aroma. If you truly want to taste the qualities that the bean has to offer, and understand the true essence thereof, the French Press is the way to go. This brewing method will allow you to pick up on subtle flavor nuances, and aptly depict the personality of your gourmet coffee.
Just as people have wine or beer tasting, one can host a coffee tasting. If you want to experience the differences between gourmet coffees grown in different regions, the French press is a practical and effective way. You will taste the arid earth of Africa, the rich velvety soils of Indonesia, the complex qualities of South American grown coffees, and the floral aroma of Hawaiian grown coffees. Find out what it means when someone speaks of the winy tones of Kenya AA, or the smokiness of Guatemala Antigua, or where the fame of Yamen Mocha, the oldest coffee in the world comes from. Even coffees grown on different plantations in the same region can embody different characteristics. Try coffee grown in Costa Rica along side Costa Rica La Minita, a well known producer. What ever coffee you brew, flavored or not, the French Press brings out the true essence of the bean. Taste, and enjoy.
7. METCHA: THE TEA OF JAPANESE TEA CEREMONY
Metcha is a form of Green Tea that is of a powder, and it is often used in Japanese Tea Ceremony. In 13th Century the Japanese samurai began a ritual of drinking it of which has become known today as the tea ceremony. Each hand movement, and placement of objects, which objects, clothing, gestures, words and environment is all very intentional. It takes years of practice, sometimes a lifetime to perfect the tea preparation and drinking ritual. There are several schools and sub-schools, each of which state specific utensils, and tea varieties, depending on the school and the season. The tea ceremony is procured by people in kimonos who are disciplined in many traditions and arts such as calligraphy, incense, flower arrangement, ceramics, and sado. Though tea has been familiar in China for many years before it reached Japan, the Japanese have brought to it the life of ceremony. The idea of harmony, purity, and respect are the fundamental ideas of the tea ceremony. There are several elaborate, yet practical stages of the ritual. It is a procession of cleansing, of walking through dewy garden paths, and awaiting the host’s beckon. It involves appreciation of art, and nature, tranquility and ceremony. Often there is a meal involved, or sometimes just a snack of sweet delicatessens. The guest of honor is always served first, and even the arrangement of the seating of the guests is in specific order of hierarchy. Every gesture, every bow, spoken word, and even the utensils and the way in which they are washed are sacred and ceremonial. Not many words are exchanged, so that people can listen and become in tune with the harmony of nature, and also the simplicity of décor around them. The notion that no meeting of people can be reproduced is kept in mind, so not to take the event for granted. The event can last long or short, and will involve either an intimate few, or a large sum of people depending on the supply. There are many intricate gestures that ensure a tranquil experience of both guest and host alike, that which would take some time to elaborate on. But with this ceremony we learn that through hospitality, humility, harmony and humanity we appreciate of the world around us, and find our place in it through daily rituals such as the drinking of tea.
The pouring of sake, a Japanese rice wine, also has its procedure that indicates a respectful involvement with the people in our company. Through etiquette we express respect toward others in all cultures, not just Japanese cultures. And so in turn we gain respect from others.
The unroasted coffee bean is small and dense, being either light green or tan in color. When the bean is roasted it becomes larger, darker, and less dense. The longer the bean is roasted, the darker and larger it becomes. A “dark roast” coffee means that the beans had been roasted to the point of caramelizing, where the natural oils from within the bean surface. When you buy coffee by the pound do not fret over the bag that looks smaller, a pound is a pound regardless of the volume the beans take up.
Espresso is the darkest type of roast. When coffee is called an espresso roast it means that the bean was roasted to the point where they are almost burned. You will be able to see the oily sheen on each bean. This is not oil that has been added to it, nor is it water moisture, but it is the essential oils from within the bean. When ever one brews espresso, this type of roast is standard to use. Espresso brewed coffee is made with espresso roasted beans, and ground the espresso grind (which is the most fine grind, besides Turkish grind.)
French roast is another type of dark roast. This is where the beans are caramelized completely with out the taste of the fire (which I affectionately refer to as the “dark roast char”.) The idea is to bring the bean to its fullest and broadest point, and to extract all of the essential oils, and to taste it with out any distractions therein.
Keep in mind that these terms refer only to the type of roast, not the type of bean. Most French roasts are a grade of Colombian, but there are many Indonesian grown coffees that make the finest dark roasts in the world. Some good Indonesian coffees to try are Celebes Kalossi, and Sumatra Mandheling …and of course Java though it’s not a dark roast.
How the bean reacts to heat depends not on where in the world the coffee was grown, but what does matter is the altitude of which it lived. The higher on the mountains the trees grow, the cooler the temperatures. This causes the cherries to ripen more slowly. This in turn changes the flavor of the pit, as it develops slower, and harder, more dense. Its flavor is more outstanding, and often more sharp, or more acidic. Hard beans need to be roasted longer than soft beans because they don’t flair out to the heat like soft beans, grown at lower altitudes do. Soft beans are seeds that have ripened quickly, and are therefore more porous and mild.
9. ENJOYING GOOD COFFEE, ENJOYING BAD
There are many varieties of coffee, and many ways to enjoy it. You might know that all coffee is from the same plant, and that where it grows is what contributes to subtle differences in flavor. Different ways of roasting the beans also depict the flavor. Different ways of grinding, and brewing also make more verities for us to enjoy.
All gourmet coffees are the Coffea Arabica species of the coffee tree. Coffee grown in South America will taste different than the same tree grown in Africa or Indonesia. Just like wine the characteristics of the soil, climate and altitude influence the flavor of the bean. Flavored coffees are usually your standard Colombian grown coffee with either liquid or powered flavoring coating the whole roasted bean.
There are many different roasts available as well. Most gourmet roasters have a specific temperature assigned to each variety of bean according to their type to bring out the best characteristics that they have to offer. Many Indonesian coffees do well with dark roasts. They are usually very rich and full bodied in flavor, and are often roasted to cartelization to compliment this characteristic. African grown coffees have a unique winy aspect, and will have a desirable earthiness that a dark roast will mask. So those coffees are not usually dark roasts, but medium or light roasts to bring out that unique aspect. Colombian coffees can be either light or dark roasts. French roast is a type of dark roast where the beans swell and become oily, or caramelized. (Most coffees sold under the description of French roast are Colombian. French roast describes the roast, not the type of bean. One can French roast any type of bean.) Espresso is the darkest type roast where the beans are almost burned. This type of roast is what is used for brewing espresso coffee.
Grinding your coffee should be done just prior to brewing. The longer ground coffee sits the more the aroma escapes. Sometimes it is labor intensive to grind every morning when you first wake up, so I grind enough for a few days and store it at room temperature in an air tight container. This is acceptable. Ideally, coffee should be stored whole, and in an air tight container, and for long term storage freeze them for up to a year.
The coarseness of the grind depends on the type of brewing. When using a French press or sometimes called a plunger pot, you should use the coarsest grind, the largest pieces. When brewing with a santos (which is like a stove top percolator) or a percolator a coarse grind should be used as well, but it’s not as coarse as the French press. Automatic drip grind is a medium grind. It should be granular in texture. Espresso is a type of grind as well as a type of brew, and roast. Espresso is a very fine grind where it is a powder with a grainy feel. Turkish coffee is a type of brewing method that uses coffee ground into a fine powder that is drunk with the brew.
In general grind your coffee as fine as the brewing system can handle. The finer your grind, the more surface area is exposed to the water, thereby extracting the most of the flavor. However, if it is ground too fine some of the essential oils will be evaporated from the friction of being ground. It also brings out the acid and increases sediment in your cup, or might even clog up your brewer. Some people like it “strong” and grind it very fine for the acidic characteristic, but it does throw off what is intended to taste like. Of course some brewing methods require a fine grind like Turkish and Espresso.
The most common types of electric grinders on the market are the burr grinder and the blade grinder. Most shoppes will have industrial sized burr grinders. Burr grinders are the most desirable. They produce a consistent grind with out re-grinding the grounds, or letting them get warm. You pour the beans into the top, and burrs, which look like gears with barbs, crush them into equal sizes as they fall through, and out the bottom into a container. The blade grinder is the most common type that is used at home, though there are some economical burr grinders produced for homes. Blade grinders have a small compartment on the top with a blade that circulates at the touch of a button. The blade whacks the beans into small pieces. The fall back of this type of grinder is that you have to be careful that you don’t re-grind the grounds while the whole beans linger along the outer edge. To prevent this from happening you must pulse the grind, and tap it gently to settle the outer pieces toward the blade. These types of grinders work great for spices as well. Most have stainless steel inside, which makes them easy toclean. One thing to note that is very important when grinding your coffee that you don’t use strong spices, or flavored coffee in the grinder before you grind non-flavored coffee, else your Colombian will taste like caramel crème. If you buy gourmet coffee the shop should have separate grinders for flavored and non-flavored coffee. Even their brewed coffee should be stored in separate containers. Sometimes highly regarded non-flavored gourmet coffees have subtle tones that people look for and appreciate. Hawaiian Kona has a delicate flowery aroma, a perfectly balanced richness, and a finish so clean that it can be easily skewed by bad grinding and brewing. Yamen Mocha has an earthy richness with a subtle coco aspects among the symphony of elements that will be ruined if tainted with the slightest remnant of the concentrated flavoring oils used in flavored coffee.
I love coffee. There are so many ways to enjoy it, grind it, brew it, roast it and grow it. Tasting coffee is a complicated task that has to be learned like some learn to taste wine, or cigars, or beers. Knowing how to prepare it is as important as enjoying it.
If you like gourmet coffee but don’t have the time to perform the meticulous details of an obsessive fanatic like myself, that’s ok. Enjoy coffee as you will. If you enjoy a cup from a fine grind, then grind it fine. If you like the char of scalded Starbucks, then enjoy. The ceremony is yours, the coffee is yours to enjoy as you will. If some snob like me says you’re storing it wrong, or preparing it wrong, that’s okay, because after educating yourself about how to do it properly, you have to brew it the way you like it. Coffee is not good if you don’t enjoy it.
One person ground a whole months worth of coffee at once. I told him he should grind it daily, but he said he didn’t want to fuss with the clean up. This I understand. There are ways to accommodate both your taste and your time. You can keep grounds for about a week as long as it’s in an air tight container. If you keep it longer, it’s not going to go sour, it’ll just loose some aroma and flavor. The less air the better. Keep them at room temperature. Some people keep their ground coffee in the refrigerator and find that it works, but be aware that it doesn’t pick up odors of other foods, and be careful of condensation. If any moisture gets on the grounds they’ll suffer. Do not put ground coffee in the freezer because of the risk of condensation, or ice crystals forming on them and ruining them. Whole beans are great in the freezer. To suit my budget I buy whole beans bulk and freeze them. I take out a pound at a time, and grind a half pound, store the rest whole, and keep it on the counter in a ceramic air tight container. Regardless of where and how you store your coffee keep it in an air tight container.
One gourmet coffee drinker said, “I had a day old, half cup of dirty re-heated Mc Donald’s coffee today, and I think it tasted even better than it did when it was fresh. It even boiled.”
See folks? There is a place for bad coffee!
It is said among the gourmet coffee enthusiasts, “Friends don’t let friends drink Starbucks.” The claim to fame of Starbucks is their overly dark roast, strongly brewed coffee.
Starbucks roasts all of their varieties beyond the espresso roast. They burn all of their coffee, and some say that this allows them to buy lower grade beans, and believe that each type should be roasted according to its own. But Starbucks, the Mc Donald’s of the coffee industry, in some way helps the gourmet coffee industry by bring the fad of enjoying coffee to the general public. People are introduced to gourmet coffees through Starbucks, and eventually learn about it. This in turn brings them to explore local coffee businesses. Besides, sometimes there is nothing better than an over-roasted, scalded, thick, strong cup of liquid pleasure bought through the drive-thru. So there is a place for bad coffee!
10. ESPRESSO, THE SCIENCE AND THE ART
Espresso was once thought to be somewhat exotic here in conservative town U.S.A., but now has become a standard, and an integral part in West Michigan’s culture and routine. You don’t need to know too much about the roast, the grind, and extraction to enjoy a tasty brew, but here are some basics that might clarify terms, and help you understand the extensive effort and obsession that goes into every gourmet shot of espresso.
The term espresso refers to many things. It describes the blend of beans, their roast, the grind and the brewing process.
Roasters go through extensive, tedious efforts to come up with their signature blend of beans. Coffee beans can pick up different flavor characteristics from where they’re grown, and how they’re prepared after they’re picked. Therefore, when people select a blend suitable for espresso they are thinking of how the beans they choose contribute to the perfect cup. Though espresso is known for being strong, the beans that are chosen are quite mild, or medium in body and flavor. Espresso blends are different than other blends because the beans have to withstand the rigorous roasting, grinding and brewing process. Both the roast and the brewing process bring out the inner essentials, it’s natural flavor oils, and sugars. So the beans you start with must be sweet and aromatic, not sharp and hardy.
Only through rigorous testing and tasting can one fine tune their recipe. These recipes are highly guarded trade secrets, but most consist of a couple different mild Brazilian, or other mild South American coffees, and a full bodied rich coffee like that which comes from Indonesia. Blenders look for a good balance between earthiness, richness, and most of all sweetness. Some people have added cheap, Robusta beans for kick. Though some companies have blended low grade coffees in their espresso blends, it is not standard, and makes for short lived crema, and should be left for experimental purposes only. Most gourmet coffee companies will not have Robusta beans in their blend.
Once the beans themselves are selected, the next step is that they must be roasted. The espresso roast is a specific type of roast that is designed to extract the oils from the bean, to bring out the sugars and caramelize them, but not burn them. Scalded sugar is not sweet. Sweetness is a very important aspect in a good cup of espresso, and the most delicate factor as well. If the beans are roasted too much, the sugars will become bitter. Espresso beans are roasted to the point where the beans swell, become dark brown, and the inner oils are emancipated but never burned, blackened or scalded. Starbucks seems to do this with success. Their char-roasting technique has become a major selling point. It also masks variations in crops from harvest to harvest, but yet it does masks cheaper grades in the blend that they’d use if the market demands.
To make it more confusing, there are different types of espresso roast. Espresso roasts are always a dark roast, but you can order a light espresso, and a dark espresso, depending on your personal preference. Coffee is always a personal experience!
So you have the perfect blend (I’m a fan of Illy brand), and the perfect roast, and now you’re looking at grinding and brewing. The ideal coffee house will grind the beans right before brewing. Some grind a lot at a time depending on how quickly they go through the product. The second the beans are ground they begin to loose their aroma, and their flavor dicipates. Because of this, and because the slightest heat from the grinder will burn away natural sugars, drink makers usually grind small amounts at a time. Most baristas will adjust the coarseness of the grind as the temperature and humidity change throughout the day. In the morning the air is cool and crisp. Cool air cannot hold as much moisture as warm air, so often there will be a dryer type of air. By mid-day the sun has warmed the environment, and humidity might change with air temperature, or weather. A barista has to adjust the grind according to atmospheric changes such as these. Coffee grounds are very susceptible to moisture, even humidity. They will absorb moisture right out of the air, and this affects the way they interact with hot water during extraction. The variation in grinds that a barista will pull throughout the day might be different, but on a micro-level. All espresso grinds should be coarse to the touch, but not quite a powder. It should be finely ground, but still be granular in texture.
Now that you have the blend, the roast and grind, we can finally brew. Generously fill the filter basket with grounds, and tamp them down. Be sure to leave space at the top for expansion. Adding more than needed will not make for a stronger drink.
When coffee absorbs water, the cake will expand. If you have too much the grounds cannot absorb and be brewed. Too few grounds makes for a washed-out experience.
There is an art to packing the grounds in the filter also. Every step is booked with procedure and a defined technique, even tamping. Tamping is the process of pressing the grounds into a firm cake. If the grounds are packed too lightly, the water will run through too fast. If it’s packed too tightly, it will taste bitter. Baristas will apply about thirty pounds of pressure with their hand, and with precision, to create a compact cake. This is to achieve proper water resistance. It is an act that should only take 30 seconds, but if it is not done properly will ruin a great shot of espresso. Any low points in the surface, or soft parts in the cake will channel the water improperly, and you’ll get an uneven extraction.
The grounds are under extreme pressure in there, 9 – 10 atmospheres. That is about nine times the pressure of our atmosphere. It is this high pressure situation that makes espresso because it extracts the essence of the bean, and creates crema.
When it comes to brewing, there are specific, written benchmarks for the extraction process. A single shot of espresso is 1.5 ounces traditionally, so exactly that much water passes through the cake. It should take 22, 23 seconds to pour. Some baristas time their extractions, while others watch the pour, and look for it to lighten, and stop it manually. Nonetheless, if it takes longer or shorter than 22 seconds, you have to adjust the grind accordingly. Nothing but the grind should be changed, not the amount of grounds, not the machine, nor the amount of water used. The pour should be “as thick as a mouse’s tail”, for all those who know mice! I think there are more appetizing descriptions, but I can’t remember any. Nevertheless, it should be a thin, straight line pouring into the cup, with out spitting, or jostling.
Now that the espresso is brewed, you can see by the crema if it was a successful pour. One of the best features of a good shot of espresso is the crema, and it can tell you a lot about how the espresso was brewed, and how it will taste. Crema is the reddish-brown foam on the surface. Sure, a lot of crema looks nice, but too much might be a bad sign. If it is pale in color then there was under extracted. No crema can be the result of over extraction. Adjusting the grind fixes these problems. Good crema shouldn’t dissipate too quickly, though it eventually will after about two minutes or so. A short lived crema is also a bad sign. I have however, drank espresso from Starbucks whose crema lasted a whopping ten seconds, and I still enjoyed the hot brew as long as I drank it very quickly. I think espresso is something that should be savored. I prefer to take two minutes to focus on it, and enjoy it.
When tasting espresso is should NOT be bitter! Most people’s experience with drinking straight espresso is a bad one, unfortunately. A good cup of espresso should be rich, velvety, and sweet. It should also be full bodied with a lingering earthy finish. It’s flavor should permeate the whole of your mouth and waken your senses, not startle them. You should be able to experience the essence of the bean as if it were a lifetime of growth in a cup. It should be bold but not necessarily hardy. It should taste like coffee, not like acid or char. Some people like to add a little sugar, others will garnish with a candied orange or lemon peel. I like a small dash of nutmeg myself. I prefer it in the bottom of the cup because it mixes better (no one stirs espresso) even though it does eat the crema.
Flavored lattes are a popular American invention that uses espresso. We love to glob on whipped cream, and candy on our drinks, and add several different flavors of high fructose syrup. We have made our delicate espresso into an ostentatious desert extravaganza, and pay good money for them. Unfortunately, espresso has become the most uninteresting factor in these recipes. But as long as it’s scalding hot, and loaded with flavoring syrups, customers are very happy.
There is an art to making great lattes and cappuccinos. Recipes with names like Snickerdoodle, and Holliday Eggnog Supreme are also guarded trade secrets, but a traditional latte or cappuccino will have nothing but espresso, steamed milk, and froth. The word cappuccino refers to the large cap of foam. If you order a cappuccino the glass should be only half full with liquid, which is of even portions of espresso and steamed milk. The upper portion should be completely filled with foam. The word latte refers to the large proportion of milk. There should be about three parts steamed milk, and one part espresso, topped with a little froth. Lattes are often flavored, whereas cappuccinos are generally not because the flavoring syrups tend to eat the foam which is a defining characteristic. Most people in West Michigan can order a “flavored cappuccino” and actually receive a latte. If you’re at a gas station you’ll receive a concoction made from a powder mix of instant coffee, powdered milk, sweeteners, and artificial flavors. These can be good for a lot of people on the go, but the terminology can cause confusion as it has nothing to do with a cappuccino by definition.
The mocha is the most popular espresso drink. It is actually a chocolate flavored latte. The term “mocha” initially describes the chocolate flavor, but is derived from a type of bean grown in Africa, particularly Yamen. The Mocha type bean is not flavored. You can buy Yamen Mocha coffee, and it should be nothing short of a great cup with dry acidity, and full bodied wisdom you’d expect form the richest African grown bean available. All in all, it’s just coffee. Professional coffee tasters has described it as being absolutely delicious with it’s full body, gentle earthiness, vibrant acidity, and subtle notes of cocoa in the finish. Though the coffee should be called Yamen for all technical purposes, it still holds the well known Mocha name. The word Mocha is actually the name of an old shipping port where large vessels would load up the coffee beans for distribution around the world. Today that port does not exist, but the coffee does. Mocha coffee has been used in blends such as the famous Mocha-Java blend. Java is a non-flavored coffee out of Indonesia that is full bodied, rich, and very smooth because it has a quick, clean finish. When you combine the sweet, rich Java beans with the earthy Mocha with it’s distinctive finish, you might just as well have come up with a damn good cup! That is why this blend has been so popular for so long. It has become a standard, timeless combination. The word java is slang for “coffee”, but it also is the name of a specific variety of bean.
Even though there might be multiple meanings to coffee phrases, and techniques, and preferences are as varied as the Americans who enjoy them, one thing is for sure. We love our coffee, we love our espresso, and our crazy inventions with them. Coffee is a culture, and an American culture of which we’ve made our own standards for. But the art of espresso is a culture in itself. It is an art and a science combined. It is a passion, and a way of life.
Susan Stanek
SummerMoon Studios ©