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Types and Varieties of Coffee Beans

Where coffee beans grow and their distinguishing attributes
Coffee beans are grown is three major regions of the world: Central and South America; Africa and the Middle-East; and South East Asia, particularly the islands of Indonesia.

Beans from the Americas are usually characterized by mild acidity with tobacco flavors, or even a hint of white chocolate. Beans from Africa are wine-like and very chocolatey, while Indonesian coffee beans are usually very earthy-tasting.

There are two varieties of coffee plant: "Arabica", which is thought to be indigenous to Ethiopia and was first cultivated on the Arabian Peninsula. The other variety of coffee is "Robusta" which contains up to 50% more caffeine than Arabica, and which is a far more hardy plant, resulting in it's much wider dispersion around the globe.

Robusta, however, is considered an inferior coffee since it tends to have less flavor, and exhibits bitterness. Nonetheless, because it is more widely distributed and a more hardy plant, it is less expensive than Arabica and used widely in coffee blends by the large industrial coffee blenders and instant coffee makers. Good quality Robusta beans are actually what provide the crema so essential to espresso coffee, so are typically found in espresso coffee blends, especially dark Italian espresso roasts.

Arabica coffee beans were traditionally called after the ports from which they were exported, hence "Mocha" which was shipped out of Yemen, and "Java", which was shipped out of Indonesia.

The coffee beans from each of these regions exhibit characteristics that can be grouped as follows: Beans with light-body, high acidity and sweet flavor come from Central and South America. Coffee beans that exhibit medium body and acidity hail from Africa. And finally, beans from South East Asia and the Pacific regions are characterized by dark body, low acidity, and an earthy flavor.

You no doubt will see coffee beans sometimes being described as "100% Colombian". This branding falls under the control of the Colombian Coffee Federation founded in 1927 to promote the growing and marketing of coffee from Colombia under the "Juan Valdez" brand.

Terminology Used to Describe Coffee Flavors
"Body" in reference to coffee refers to its feel in the mouth.

The flavor characteristics of coffee can be referred to with such terms as "earthy", "sweet", "bitter", "smoky", "cardboard-like", "citrus-like".

Coffee is naturally acidic. The pH of black coffee is around 5. (A pH less than 7 is acidic.) Reference is often made to the amount of acidity noticeable in a particular coffee bean.

My recommendation for coffee beans for the home

Espresso Beans

What are Espresso Beans?
Actually, there is really no such thing as an espresso coffee bean per se.  "Espresso" refers to the method of making the coffee, not to the bean itself.  However, many coffee roasters market particular roasts as "espresso roast", using beans that have qualities that are conducive to the production of crema.  Many think of an espresso roast as being dark, but this is also not necessarily the case.  The main thing to look for in a roast that is going to be used for making coffee using the "espresso method" is that it generates good crema.  Other than that, you need to find a blend that appeals to your personal taste, be it a light, medium, or dark roast.

How I Improved My Espresso Coffee and Saved Money by Buying Quality Espresso Beans Online

I personally prefer to buy my espresso coffee beans online not only for convenience and price, but also because it gives me access to specialty bean roasters.  Over the years I have purchased online from various sources, including Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Peet's Coffee, Sovrana Store, and more recently Cafe Maison and Espresso Vivace Roasteria.  I have found them all to be reliable.  Of course, Sovrana, Cafe Maison, and Vivace are much smaller than GMCR and Peet's, but they lack nothing when it comes to service and quality.  Sovrana always had my order on my front porch within 2 days, but I guess they have an advantage in that they are located close to where I live.  They actually are not coffee roasters, but resellers of the Italian brand known as "Lavazza". 

Cafe Maison provides more of a personal touch.  They roast their own beans, and your order comes with a label attached to the bag that says "Roasted for..." with your name inserted.  The packaging is plain clear plastic (at least in the case of the 5lb bags I always have in my order), but who cares when their roasts are superb in my point of view.  Each of their 3 espresso roasts make great crema.  At the time of writing, if your order is over $75 and you live in the lower 48 United States, you qualify for free UPS ground shipping.  I always take this option as my typical order is for 10lb of coffee which just tips the $75 scale.  If you do take this option, though, bear in mind that it may take up to a week for your coffee to arrive, so plan ahead; you don't want to run out, right!

Another great roaster I happened upon recently is Espresso Vivace Roasteria based in Seattle.  While visiting Seattle recently, I was given a bag of their Vita espresso roast, and it was exquisite in flavor and crema production.  I just ordered 3lb of beans from them, including the Vita roast and their other espresso roast called "dolce".  I must say that both are good, but that my personal preference is for "vita".

Of course there are many other options available out there. Illy always gets rave reviews, but I personally think you have to pay too much for the brand in that case.  Cafe Maison actually advertises as making roasts that taste just like Illy's.  Right now for my favorite online coffee bean retailer, it's a toss up between Cafe Maison and Espresso Vivace Roasteria.  Both roast excellent espresso beans and offer great service and reasonable pricing.

For years I always hoped that I would be able to find some great beans at Amazon. I tried a few, some were really bad, such as "Eight O'Clock" coffee beans. Copper Moon Guatemalan Antigua Blend are pretty decent and I have recommended them, but I always hoped for some Ethiopian Yirgacheffe beans as these are my favorite varietal for espresso, but for a long time there were none available at Amazon until I finally found these Coffee Masters Gourmet Coffee, Ethiopian Yirgacheffe in early 2013. As of this update in November 2015, I still have these on monthly order through Amazon's Subscribe and Save program. Take that as my seal of approval as I have never stuck with a line of beans this long before.

Please note that I have absolutely no affiliation with Cafe Maison nor Espresso Vivace other than as a satisfied customer of both. I am however a member of the Amazon Affiliate program. But everything I recommend from Amazon is only after I have made my own purchase of the product. As I mentioned about, I continue to purchase the Coffee Masters Gourmet Coffee, Ethiopian Yirgacheffe on a monthly basis because I find they meet my taste preferences and always allow me to make espresso coffee with perfect crema without fail. 

Please see this post for details of my recommendation for Copper Moon Guatemalan Antigua Blend that I mentioned above. Depending on personal taste, you may prefer these beans: Great Value Coffee Beans Suitable for Espresso.

What is Espresso Coffee (Expresso)

Espresso shot with crema
Espresso coffee is coffee made using a method of "extracting" the coffee under pressure with very hot water, though not boiling, in an espresso coffee machine. 

The method was invented in Italy at the beginning of the 20th century, and at first involved using steam to extract the coffee.  In the 1940's, the "spring piston lever machine" was invented, and is the precursor of the modern espresso machine and method of making espresso coffee.

"Expresso" is the French variation of the Italian word, and is a misspelling and mispronunciation not-uncommon in English which has adopted the original Italian word, "espresso".

The coffee beans used for making espresso coffee are chosen for their ability to produce "crema", and they are ground finely, between the powdery grind used for Turkish coffee, and the medium grind used for drip-filter systems.

When the coffee is extracted under the right temperature and pressure, the coffee oils, sugars and proteins are caramelized creating what is known as "crema", and essential element in good espresso coffee.
 
Crema floats on the top of the extracted espresso coffee and as has a color that can range from light-cream which can in fact be mistaken for milk when mid- to light-roast beans have been used, to reddish-brown, when dark-roast beans have been used. I like to think of crema is the "liqueur" of espresso coffee, imparting the unique flavor of espresso coffee, and without which the resulting coffee is typically bitter and unpleasant to drink, and not worth drinking.

Types of Espresso Coffee Drinks / Expresso Coffee Terminology

  • Espresso: Coffee drink made by extracting coffee under pressure from finely ground coffee beans using very hot water (Italian: Caffe French: Expresso)
  • Ristretto (Italian for "shortened"): Espresso coffee drink extracted using less water, yielding a stronger taste. In some countries referred to as a "short black"
  • Lungo (Italian for "long"): Espresso made by running about double the amount of water through the ground coffee. In some countries referred to as a "long black"
  • Doppio (Italian for "double": Two measures of ground coffee beans. In most English-speaking countries, referred to as a "double shot"
  • Americano: Espresso coffee with additional hot water added to the extracted coffee. (Note, the additional hot water is not run through the coffee as in the case of "lungo" or "long black")
  • Corretto ("Corrected"): Italian, in which liquor, particularly "grappa" is added to the extracted espresso coffee



Making Milk for Espresso Drinks

Typically the milk is prepared in a stainless-steel pitcher or "jug" as it is called in some countries. You need the pitcher to be large enough to accommodate the expansion in the volume of the milk as you steam it. Choose the size of the pitcher based on how many drinks you are going to prepare.

If you are going to prepare several drinks, you might consider preparing more than one batch of milk, or at least "recharging" what is left by adding more milk to the pitcher and preparing more. The fact is that once you have poured off milk for the first two drinks, you will be left with milk that is not sufficiently volumized to make a good drink and pleasing your guests. In steaming the milk you are setting out to "volumize" it by adding tiny air bubbles to the milk, what are called "microbubbles". (Another expression you'll hear that means the same thing is "stretching" the milk).

Place the tip of the steamer of your espresso machine just a little below the surface of the milk. Your aim is to suck air into the milk by forming a whirlpool near the top of the milk. Do not have the tip of the steamer above the milk or so close to the surface of the milk that the steam is blowing air into the milk: you are wanting the air to be sucked into the milk. Do not move the pitcher up and down in an action that takes the steamer head in and out of the milk. Unfortunately, this is something that you'll see happening at quite a few coffee shops, and when you see it you can be sure the "barista" is poorly trained and you are about to be served an inferior drink.

Tilt the pitcher slightly so that the air being sucked into the milk is hitting the side of the pitcher near the bottom and is making the milk rotate so that the heat is being distributed and all of the milk is being brought into contact with the steam as it circulates around the pitcher. By the time the milk has come to the correct temperature for your drink, it should be volumized to the extent that it has approximately doubled in volume.

As I said before, make sure you leave sufficient room for this expansion to occur when you start out otherwise you will have to stop the steaming process before it is at the right temperature.The milk should have been volumized by the addition of tiny "micro-bubbles" of air. It shouldn't be full of large bubbles which is what will happen if you lift the steam tip above the surface of the milk and blow into the milk. If however there are a few larger bubbles on the top of the milk when you are done, you can remove them by banging the pitcher on your countertop to break them.

Typically the milk is prepared in a stainless-steel pitcher or "jug" as it is called in some countries. You need the pitcher to be large enough to accommodate the expansion in the volume of the milk as you steam it. Choose the size of the pitcher based on how many drinks you are going to prepare.

If you are going to prepare several drinks, you might consider preparing more than one batch of milk, or at least "recharging" what is left by adding more milk to the pitcher and preparing more. The fact is that once you have poured off milk for the first two drinks, you will be left with milk that is not sufficiently volumized to make a good drink and pleasing your guests. In steaming the milk you are setting out to "volumize" it by adding tiny air bubbles to the milk, what are called "microbubbles". (Another expression you'll hear that means the same thing is "stretching" the milk).

Place the tip of the steamer of your espresso machine just a little below the surface of the milk. Your aim is to suck air into the milk by forming a whirlpool near the top of the milk. Do not have the tip of the steamer above the milk or so close to the surface of the milk that the steam is blowing air into the milk: you are wanting the air to be sucked into the milk. Do not move the pitcher up and down in an action that takes the steamer head in and out of the milk. Unfortunately, this is something that you'll see happening at quite a few coffee shops, and when you see it you can be sure the "barista" is poorly trained and you are about to be served an inferior drink.

Tilt the pitcher slightly so that the air being sucked into the milk is hitting the side of the pitcher near the bottom and is making the milk rotate so that the heat is being distributed and all of the milk is being brought into contact with the steam as it circulates around the pitcher. By the time the milk has come to the correct temperature for your drink, it should be volumized to the extent that it has approximately doubled in volume.


That's the basic preparation of your milk. However if you are going to be making a "flat white" or macchiato you have one more step to follow. That is to fold the micro-bubbles from the top into the milk at the bottom using a spoon or by swirling the milk in the pitcher until it becomes one consistent velvety and rich mixture. Use this milk for the preparation of flat whites and macchiato coffee.

Get Rid of Messy Clean Up
When Steaming Your Espresso Milk with an Aerolatte
whisk

Using the steamer in your home espresso machine can be a bit of a hassle. For a start, you need to have a machine that has a separate boiler for the water used to steam the milk. The reason for this is that to make steam, the water has to be heated a lot hotter than the water that is used to brew your espresso. If your machine has only one boiler for both brewing the espresso and steaming the milk, then don't use the machines steamer. (I give you an alternative below.) Some machines I found also cause the pressure in the espresso side to increase to the point that you get "blow back" when you remove the filter cup from the machine and coffee grounds will be blown all over your kitchen. (This was a fault of the "Briel" espresso machine I owned for a while; other than that fault, it was a good machine though.

When using the steamer you also need to be meticulous in keeping the steam head clean of milk so that the the tiny hole that the steam comes through doesn't become blocked with dried milk, not to mention obvious health and hygiene reasons that demand you keep the steam head clean, milk being such a wonderful breeding medium for bacteria!
Because of all these "drawbacks" I personally have dispensed with using the steamer at home, and use a wonderful little gadget called an "Aerolatte", which is basically a battery-powered whisk.

I use a plastic mug in which to heat the milk in the microwave oven; 1 minute is the perfect time for bringing the milk to the right temperature in my case. You then use the Aerolatte to achieve the same volumization effect talked about above. Again, position the whisk head
sufficiently below the surface of the milk for it to cause a vortex that sucks air down into the milk. I works perfectly, and all it takes to keep the whisk clean is to run it briefly under some running water after each time you use it.

Buy an Aerolatte at Amazon.com . You can get them in several finishes. The one I have at home is
the matt black. I recommend getting the stand that goes with it too so you can keep it conveniently next to your espresso machine.

See my video of how to make milk for espresso with an Aerolatte whisk.

The Golden Rule of Espresso Coffee Making

By now you've probably studied my 9 steps to making perfect espresso coffee and the separate lesson on making perfect crema. In the lesson on making perfect crema, I made reference to "The Golden Rule" that you see frequently quoted, which is: "Extract 2 to 2.5 ounces of coffee into your cup in 20 to 30 seconds from the moment you turn on the pump."

I have a completely different Golden Rule for making perfect espresso coffee that I am going to share with you now.

Perfect Crema
New Zealand where I grew up has an even more deeply entrenched "espresso coffee culture" than the United States, and there is one significant difference in how espresso coffee is made in New Zealand cafes and coffee shops. That key difference is this: in the United States the espresso is typically brewed into a pitcher and then poured into the cup. In New Zealand, and many other countries for that matter, the espresso is brewed directly into the cup from which is will be drunk.  This one simple difference makes a huge difference in flavor. Why? The crema!

Crema is the caramelized coffee sugars and coffee proteins that float on top of a well-brewed espresso coffee, and carries with it immense aroma and flavor. If you've had espresso and not liked it, it may have been because the "barista" didn't do a good job of making the espresso and literally threw most of the crema down the drain!

How so? Quite easily; by using the technique popular in the U.S. of brewing the espresso into a pitcher and then pouring it into the cup, most of the crema is left clinging to the sides of the pitcher, to be washed down the drain. What a crying shame! But it happens millions of times all over the U.S. in almost every coffee shop.

Crema - The Liqueur of Coffee


Crema consists of caramelized coffee sugars and coffee proteins.  It will be formed only when you brew your coffee at the right pressure and right temperature. Read this lesson on how to make perfect crema.


Crema left behind
Here's an illustration of what I mean. I brewed an espresso into a glass demitasse cup so you can clearly see the caramel-like foam on the top called "crema". Sometimes it may even appear milky-white when looking down on it, hence the name "crema".  Then I poured the espresso out into another cup. Look at all the crema left behind on the sides of the demitasse cup! The same thing happens when the coffee is extracted into a stainless steel pitcher and then poured into a cup.

Why is it that here in America so many coffee shops wash crema down the drain?

So that's my Golden Rule: Make your espresso directly into the cup from which you are going to drink it!  Don't be guilty of washing your crema down the drain. You'll be amazed at the difference in flavor!

To be able to make espresso with great crema, several things need to come together. After your espresso maker, the next most important thing is the beans you use. You can raise your chances of success by using these Ethiopian Yirgacheffe beans that I buy on standing order from Amazon every month.

Recipe for Homemade Blended Iced Coffee

There's no need to break out in a sweat while satisfying your caffeine addiction in the heat of the summer. Well, actually, if you're an addict like me, you'll still drink a flat white in the middle of the day in summer even though you're going to break out into a sweat. Let's call it the price of addiction. But then again, some hot summer days it's worth the trouble of making a blended iced coffee. Here's my quick and easy recipe for a refreshing iced blended espresso coffee drink that will satisfy your taste buds and your caffeine addiction.


Making Blended Iced-Coffee

Serves two to three thirsty coffee addicts

Ingredients:
10oz / 300ml ice cubes
10oz / 300ml cold milk
4 tablespoons of your favorite powdered iced coffee mix such as Caffe D'Vita available at Amazon.com.
4 shots of freshly brewed espresso coffee (extract 2 double shots one after the other)

Place the ice in a blender with the milk and powdered coffee mix and start the blender. Meanwhile, extract 4 shots of espresso into a pitcher. Add to the blender and continue to blend until thoroughly mixed and ice completely blended. Pour into serving glass with a few additional ice cubes if required.

Have fun with your drink by adding whipped cream on top if you like it (not for me, thanks). Another possible addition is powdered chocolate sprinkled on top. Sometimes I have added chocolate espresso beans to the blender to give a chocolate and caffeine buzz to the mix, but don't do this if you don't like a bit of "grit" in the drink because the espresso beans are not going to dissolve. And of course, you can always add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to the blender. Yum! Get creative and Enjoy!

Tip on How to Sweeten Iced Coffee Drinks
If you or your guests like their coffee sweetened, dissolve some sugar into hot water in a small pitcher to make a sweet syrup. Add the syrup to the iced-coffee. This way you don't end up with un-dissolved sugar crystals in your drink.

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