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Neglected Food Bubbles: The Espresso Coffee Foam

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Re: Neglected Food Bubbles: The Espresso Coffee Foam

#41

Post by hx87 »

agentgt wrote: post #26
hx87 wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Cubans always drink espresso sweet. Is it because Cuban coffee is always smoky and overroasted? Or maybe I just bought the wrong Cuban coffee.

Cuban espresso is often made with robusto beans which are very strong. So your theory might be true. Many cuban restaurants I have been to in Miami use Café Bustelo which to be honest probably wouldn't be so crappy if the roast-to-serve-delta was lower. Robusto beans get a bad wrap.

Café Bustelo at least comes in vacuum packed bricks, so roast-to-serve delta probably isn't that bad compared to most commercial coffee. In any case, it's not responsible for making me feel like I've just smoked 6 packs of cigarettes every time I drink one.

Re: Neglected Food Bubbles: The Espresso Coffee Foam

#42

Post by elteto »

franciscojgo wrote: post #11
ino wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. For best results do it with the very first coffee that rises from the moka.

This. I also boil the water first in the pot, (meanwhile setting the coffee, etc) then take gloves and put the top on. This prevents the ground coffee from overheating and burning. It rises in 5-10 seconds. Also take the very first coffee that rises. Oh, I also use a milk frother. Heat milk on the micro and the froth it, making sure only micro bubbles form. And trying to make sure no much air mixes in. (which causes…

This is a really good idea! I'm definitely trying this with my moka pot.

Re: Neglected Food Bubbles: The Espresso Coffee Foam

#43

Post by benmarks »

I'm curious what others may have to say about which regions have great independent shops (or franchises, if such exist). I'm lucky to travel all over the world for work, in part because I can taste-tour espresso culture everywhere. There are scant few places with consistently good espresso (read: flavorful, non-bitter shots with rich, oily crema). Australia has proven to be the steady best. I've been thoroughly disappointed by espresso in Italy, France, San Francisco, and so many other places.

I'm lucky to live close to one of the best espresso shops, which is the one which taught me that espresso shouldn't be bitter (Metto Coffee in Mount Pleasant, SC). They use beans from Zoka, specifically Espresso Cuatro, in combination with great equipment, water treatment, and mentorship from the owners.

In my experience at home, the beans make the most difference. Even a cheap grinder and equally cheap Krups espresso machine can give you a decent shot if you use distilled water and great beans (such as the Cuatro I cite above). As others have said, there's great joy in iterating your way towards pulling consistently good shots at home.

Re: Neglected Food Bubbles: The Espresso Coffee Foam

#44

Post by ChuckMcM »

My hat is off to any scientist can create a NIH funded research project out of sampling espresso :-) Reminds me when my daughter got an independent study project to understand social behaviors of associated players in shared simulations. Basically I had complained that she was playing WoW instead of doing her homework, so she found a way to make it her homework.

That aside, food foams? What is the reasoning for giving these their own category?

Re: Neglected Food Bubbles: The Espresso Coffee Foam

#45

Post by rjett »

HoppedUpMenace wrote: post #20

My first machine to make espresso was a espresso/drip coffee combo. Not knowing any better, I was merely pulling strong coffee and not espresso shots. Then I got a stand alone espresso machine, much closer to the real deal but still a far cry from what a coffee roaster like Temple Coffee could make in their store. Finally, invested in a Breville BES870XL and after many trials and errors, my espresso shots are fairly…

As coffee ages, especially in the first 2 weeks, it degasses CO2, thus the one way valves on most coffee bags. Since CO2 has a lot to do with crema, it's usually lacking in coffees that go past that 2 week mark. It really depends on the coffee, but I find grinding older coffees at a finer grind setting may help you pull your shot at similar parameters (input/output/time), but more often than not, I prefer updosing by half a gram or so to achieve balance in the shot. Also, this is probably heresy to any Italian reading, but I don't consider crema a super important aspect of the espresso shot. That part of the shot contains many of the bitter compounds of the extracted coffee, which is why espresso shots are commonly served with a demi-spoon, used to stir the shot and incorporate/dissipate the crema.

Re: Neglected Food Bubbles: The Espresso Coffee Foam

#46

Post by NetStrikeForce »

hammock wrote: post #16
wildmusings wrote: post #4

You can actually simulate this at home with just a moka pot; no need for a fancy ultra-expensive espresso machine. Pour just a tiny amount of the espresso into a cup with sugar and beat it really hard with a spoon. Then pour the rest of the coffee into the same container. Voila, crema, or at least something that looks and feels like crema. I think this is a Cuban-American (maybe originally Cuban) innovation and growi…

Espresso machines need not be fancy or ultra-expensive. That's a terrible myth. The best one I've found (in terms of quality espresso and reliability) is the Delonghi basic model and costs $99.[1] The Italian Americans I know also use this model, despite having tried others. [1] https://www.amazon.com/DeLonghi-EC155-Espresso-Cappuccino-Ma...

What's an Italian American? I'm asking because an Italian grows up in a coffee culture very different than the American. E.g. what you do around the water cooler South Europeans do around the coffee machine.

If an Italian American is an American that grew up in America and has Italian ancestors... well, I can't see how that's relevant when it comes to coffee.

And sorry for the slight offtopic, but Americans always looked fun when talking about their 1/16th Navajo and their Irish great great grandparent :-)

Re: Neglected Food Bubbles: The Espresso Coffee Foam

#47

Post by NetStrikeForce »

wildmusings wrote: post #4

You can actually simulate this at home with just a moka pot; no need for a fancy ultra-expensive espresso machine. Pour just a tiny amount of the espresso into a cup with sugar and beat it really hard with a spoon. Then pour the rest of the coffee into the same container. Voila, crema, or at least something that looks and feels like crema. I think this is a Cuban-American (maybe originally Cuban) innovation and growi…

I've seen Italians (southern Italians) do that, too.

Re: Neglected Food Bubbles: The Espresso Coffee Foam

#49

Post by wastedhours »

hammock wrote: post #16
wildmusings wrote: post #4

You can actually simulate this at home with just a moka pot; no need for a fancy ultra-expensive espresso machine. Pour just a tiny amount of the espresso into a cup with sugar and beat it really hard with a spoon. Then pour the rest of the coffee into the same container. Voila, crema, or at least something that looks and feels like crema. I think this is a Cuban-American (maybe originally Cuban) innovation and growi…

Espresso machines need not be fancy or ultra-expensive. That's a terrible myth. The best one I've found (in terms of quality espresso and reliability) is the Delonghi basic model and costs $99.[1] The Italian Americans I know also use this model, despite having tried others. [1] https://www.amazon.com/DeLonghi-EC155-Espresso-Cappuccino-Ma...

I had the precursor to that as my first ever machine - some absolutely love shots out of it. A lot of practice, but once you had it down, easily the best cheap one out there.

Re: Neglected Food Bubbles: The Espresso Coffee Foam

#50

Post by rvanmil »

resolaibohp wrote: post #32

Most people not familiar with espresso making believe the most important piece of equipment is the espresso machine itself. The most important piece of equipment is the grinder. A grinder that can grind beans to the correct consistency will make a mediocre espresso machine seem amazing. You can buy the most expensive espresso machine in the world and use a bad grinder and always have bad results.

Exactly! Grinder > beans > machine.
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