How to tell if you’re getting Great Espresso
COMMENT, Global — Long time readers and people who have met me know I drink a lot of coffee.
My preferred preparation is 3 shots of espresso on a bed of hot water in a cup 70% full. No sugar, no milk. It wakes me up. I am about to get one now….
The best way to tell great coffee…
Is pure espresso. Ideally a short black. Or if you must have milk short macchiato (which means stained with milk)
Milky coffees may be enjoyable but disguise the taste. I do love the occasional cappuccino.
Flavoured coffees are drinks, but it’s hard to assess them as coffee, because you cannot taste the pure coffee flavours in them.
So the best way to assess a great cup of coffee is a short black, or failing that a series of shots of espresso. The latter is how most people assess it.
What to look for? Here’s a few things:
- The Smell. Fresh coffee has an overpowering smell, that pours into your brain.
- Signs. The brand and the blend. Some blends are better.
- Who is behind the bar. Does he/she know what they are doing?
- Visually the crema. No crema, probably not good coffee. It’s to do with the machine and cleanliness/maintenance.
- Not too Hot or cold. Too hot is a common mistake of young baristas.
- The first taste. Strong, but not bitter or burnt
- The after taste as you drink
- The consistency
The taste, like wine, has a great degree of personal preference.
Of course there are other factors, some tangible, others less so. But if the preceding are wrong it cannot be a great espresso…!
Some things like weather or the humidity will effect the taste of coffee.
Starbucks is not strictly speaking great espresso by these standards. It’s hard to get great espresso in the USA, although I had one at the Four Seasons Bristol Grill in Boston.
The best coffee is European or Australian, but more on this in another post…
Take care,
Christopher
Speaker. Author. Editor-In-Chief. Executive Director of Innovation, 2thinknow.
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