Barista course · Episode 1

What espresso really is

The full text of this episode — to read, look up and quote.

Cold open

Here are two cups. Both come from a good machine. Both are called espresso.

But only one of them is one. The first has a dense, hazelnut-brown crema that slowly closes over. The second has only a pale, thin foam that falls apart quickly.

By the end of this episode you will know exactly why that is. And which one you want.

Hook and learning goal

Before we start turning screws, we need to understand what actually makes an espresso an espresso. Because once you have grasped that, everything else in this course suddenly makes sense. And you will learn the most important thing straight away.

Your best measuring instrument is not the machine. It is your tongue.

Where this sits in the five Ms

Do you remember the five Ms from the opening? Mixture, measure, mill, machine, and the human being. Today we look at all five from a bird's eye view.

In the coming episodes we will take each one on its own.

Teaching: what defines espresso

Espresso is not a flavour and not a particular bean. Espresso is a method. Hot water, around ninety to ninety-four degrees, is forced under high pressure, roughly nine bar, through finely ground, firmly compressed coffee.

And all of that in just twenty-five to thirty seconds. What comes out is a small, concentrated amount. Around twenty-five to thirty-five millilitres, crowned with that crema.

This pressure is the whole difference. It draws substances, oils and aromas out of the coffee that you will never get with an ordinary brew. The crema on top is a fine foam of coffee oils and dissolved gas.

It is a sign, but, and do remember this, it is not the proof of quality. More on that in a moment. And the bean-to-cup machine?

It does not press with the same force and the same care. What it makes is what the Swiss affectionately call a Schümli. A coffee with a little crown of foam.

Tasty, convenient, but simply not a real espresso. No judgement about you. Almost everyone starts out with a bean-to-cup machine.

It is merely the point from which you now move on.

Chart: the crema myth

A widespread mistake. Lots of crema equals good espresso. Not true.

There is a species of bean, robusta, which produces a great deal of crema, but often tastes scratchy and flat. So a thick crema can deceive you. The same goes for the belief that dark roasted beans are automatically stronger.

A dark roast tastes more robust and more bitter. But it actually holds slightly less caffeine. You taste strength.

You do not taste caffeine. So do not rely on looks alone. Rely on the taste.

Teaching: tasting

Which brings us to your most important tool. Your tongue. Picture a horizontal axis.

On the far left sits sour, on the far right sits bitter. And exactly in the middle lies your target. A round, sweetish, balanced espresso.

So what is your target? What do the two poles mean? Does your espresso taste sharply sour, almost like lemon, and feel thin?

Then too little has been drawn out of the coffee. We say under-extracted. That happens when the water runs through too quickly.

Does it taste harshly bitter instead, ashy, drawing together at the back? Then too much has been drawn out. Over-extracted.

That happens when the water runs through too slowly. Your target lies between the two, in the middle. Sweet, balanced, with a long and pleasant finish.

Four words will help you describe it. Remember them, we will use them all season long. Body, the weight on your tongue.

Acidity, the liveliness, in the good sense. Sweetness, the target. And finish, how long the taste lingers pleasantly.

You do not have to become a professional taster.

Hands-on

You only have to learn one thing. Sour or bitter. That single question steers everything later on.

Now you. Make yourself an espresso, however you like, no pressure at all, it does not have to be perfect yet. And then take a small sip and ask yourself just this one question.

Does it draw together at the front sides of your tongue, sharp and sour? Or at the back, harsh and bitter? Or is it, perhaps, already pleasantly round?

You do not have to change anything yet. You are only meant to taste it consciously for the first time. That is the beginning of everything.

Common mistakes

Three stumbling blocks to finish with. One. Letting a lot of crema dazzle you.

Taste beats looks. Two. Dark means strong.

No, dark means bitter, not strong. Three. Judging by appearance instead of tasting.

From today it goes like this. Taste first, then think.

Recap and your task

Let us hold on to this. Espresso is a method. Pressure, heat, a short time.

Crema sometimes deceives. And your tongue decides, on an axis from sour to bitter, with the target exactly in the middle. Your assignment until the next episode.

Drink your next espresso with full attention. And make up your mind. Sour or bitter?

Write it down. In the next episode we start at the very beginning. With the bean.

omaneo — and YOU can do espresso.