How to identify Espresso

Espresso is known as "Soul of Coffee". With a perfect cup of Espresso, we can make all kinds of coffee that are popular all over the world, such as Cappuccino, Mocha and Latte. It is said that Espresso originated in Cairo, Egypt in the early 15th century, but it was Italy that really carried it forward. Now Espresso has almost become a symbol of Italy.

1. Look at the volume

The standard amount of a perfect Single Espresso is to extract an ounce of coffee essence in 25 seconds.

2. Look at the appearance

The most important sign of a good Espresso is a light camel-colored emulsion Crema, which is a mixture of fat, water and air in the coffee during the extraction process. The Crema should be uniform in color, about 3cm to 5cm thick, shake the coffee cup gently, and the emulsion will stick to the wall like thick syrup. The thickness of the perfect Crema must be at least 4 cm, and it is unbreakable to blow gently. In the case of correct operation, if the Crema becomes golden or even white, the coffee beans have been kept for too long and have expired. Observing the Crema floating on the surface can also judge the operation when making Espresso, if the color is a little yellowish or white, the amount is very small, and the coffee flows out too fast, which indicates that the extraction pressure is too small and the extraction is insufficient, which requires finer grinding, tighter and more uniform filling pressure to increase the resistance of the coffee cake. If the Crema is dark brown or even black, discontinuous or even dripping out, it indicates that the extraction resistance is too high and the pressure is too high for the extraction transition, but for the whole coffee cake, the extraction is insufficient, the powder is too fine, too tight, and too much.

3. Smell

The perfect Espresso should have a pleasant aroma and should never have a scorched smell. If there is a burning smell, then it is a pity that what you drink is a cup of over-extracted Espresso.