There is nothing like having a cup of coffee in the morning. An espresso coffee, after brewing, will have around a 12% of coffee solids dissolved from the grounds. This article can know the best espresso beans, espresso beans vs. coffee beans, and how to grind espresso beans with the help of a burr grinder.
Contents
What are Espresso Beans?
Espresso beans belong to the dark roast category, in which the beans give less acidity with a fuller body and are richest in coffee’s natural oils. We cannot use regular beans to make a perfect shot. Some varieties are light, and some are too charred or dark to brew espresso. The espresso beans give rich crema that enhances the whole drink. Crema is the light-colored layer that forms on the brewed coffee surface during the extraction stage.
We cannot make espresso using low-quality beans with only an expensive machine. We need to pair the quality beans with the espresso machine to brew a perfect cup of a perfect shot.
Choose the best beans that are perfect for making a morning latte. Espresso beans come from Indonesia or Brazil, sometimes from both places, and sometimes from Colombia.
Best Espresso Beans
Below are some espresso beans with the best crema, intense flavors, and smooth and solid daily drinks.
Lavazza Espresso beans have a rich crema and aromatic taste, and the super crema blend offers full-body notes with roasted hazelnut and brown sugar and Italian espresso harmony.
It gives an aromatic blend with fruity and flowery notes, a compact crema, and a soft texture. It comes with natural sweetness so that we can enjoy it without sugar.
The espresso bean’s flavor profile is composed highly of Arabica coffee beans, balanced roasting, and provides rich aromatic intensity. Prepare the coffee with an espresso machine to enjoy the best aromatic blend.
Lavazza is perfect for coffee lovers who like traditional espresso coffee with a full, rich taste without any bitterness.
Cost: $16
Starbucks Espresso Dark Roast Beans
Starbucks Espresso roast is intense, caramelly sweet, and perfect with steamed milk. As some looks changed, the tasting notes are still the same rich, great-tasting coffee everyone knows and loves.
These espresso beans blend in roasted deep and dark molasses and caramelized sugar notes. Starbucks espresso roast is crafted with beans from different regions like Latin America and Asia-Pacific.
The blending of beans from different places results in giving a unique flavor combination. Each bean requires a unique balance of temperature and time to reach its peak of aroma, acidity, flavor, and body.
The Starbucks espresso roasted beans is a part of the coffee ritual and starts a new day or a reward at the end of the long day.
Cost: $13.79
Kicking Horse Coffee
Kicking Horse has unique Pentax technology with Pentax bright, fruit, and cocoa heavenly. Get a grip on the chocolaty, smooth blend. Don’t hang in suspense; this blend reads like a manifesto of special delicious coffee.
It brews silky, complex, wild berry syrup with a smooth cocoa finish. These espresso beans originate from Africa, Central & South America, and Indonesia.
These espresso beans are grown in a socially and environmentally responsible way by farmers with sustainable businesses.
These beans are roasted in the Rocky Mountains, which are fair and good for coffee lovers, farmers, and the planet. The aroma of these beans tastes like blackcurrant, milk chocolate, and brown sugar.
Cost: $16.99
Intelligentsia Black Cat Classic Espresso
Intelligentsia blends black cat classic, the flagship espresso blend, and has been a staple. Its hallmarks are sweetness, cleanliness, and complexity. It contains dark chocolate, ripe cherry, and brown sugar; it is also a perfect complement to the scone or a nice glazed donut. The composition of the blends changes seasonally depending on the great fresh taste of the entire partner.
The Black Cat project was formed from believing that only the best beans make the greatest espressos. At intelligentsia, we can take decaf seriously. The caffeine-free coffee is decaffeinated through a chemical-free mountain water process to maintain each batch’s unique flavor.
Cost: $29.99
Espresso Beans Vs. Coffee Beans
Below are some points to be considered for espresso beans vs. coffee beans.
- Roast: The main difference is that espresso beans are roasted darker and longer than coffee beans, so it has a toasted and deeper flavor. Light, medium, and medium-dark roasts are typically used for drip coffee. Roasting the beans for a long time removes many acidities, which creates a heavier and fuller feeling in the mouth.
- Grind: Espresso grinds are much finer than other types of coffee grinds. Because the process of preparing espresso requires hot water pushed through tightly packed grounds. But for the coffee, grains must be very fine, like sand, because the water comes and passes with them for a very short period.
- Brewing: Espresso uses a different type of brewing process compared to regular coffee, for which we can use drip, percolator, French press, and other methods. But for espresso, it needs high pressure to extract. So we must use an espresso machine or Aeropress to get a shot or two of a concentrated espresso.
- Taste: As espresso is brewed, roasted, and ground differently, it has a different flavor when compared to drip coffee. Espresso has a less acidic taste, bolder, and has a well-defined and full-bodied finish.
- The espresso is stronger, which means it is rich in flavored coffee because of the roasting process, which brings more oils from the beans, and we feel heavier often.
How to Grind Beans?
To get a perfect shot of espresso, start with freshly grounded espresso beans. The main factor in grinding is the size and fineness of making espresso.
Most espresso grinders allow adjusting the size settings until we get the best preferences and bean variety.
We can also use a hand-operated coffee grinder, resulting in low-quality and inconsistent espresso. Here you can find both methods that help you grind the espresso beans to make the best espresso.
Grind Espresso Beans using Burr Grinder
- Any grinder that comes along with an espresso machine or is sometimes attached to it is a burr grinder. We can also buy the burr grinder separately, but it costs some hundred dollars.
- These Burr grinders will grind each bean precisely using small spinning discs that make a more consistent grind. Low-speed burr grinders are less likely to burn the beans when grinding but are more costly than high-speed grinders.
- We can grind many beans at once; it has enough space to fit. But do not ground and keep the beans; it loses their freshness. Place the beans in the grinder to grind accordingly; typically, one tablespoon is enough for one cup.
- We must select the grind size as fine or superfine with the settings in the burr grinder. Some of the grinders have a numerical scale instead. The settings will change according to the beans model.
- After the grinding process is completed, test the grounds by taking a small pinch and observing. If the coffee fails to clump together and falls separately, it needs more grinding.
Grind Espresso Beans using a Hand Grinder
- Identify the grinder with spinning blades; most hand grinders will have a detachable plastic lid. So make sure to press the lid before turning on the grinder.
- Now place the beans in the grinder; some grinders will have a small room to grind.
- Grind the beans into short bursts. Don’t grind too long; the friction will overheat the beans and make them bitter.
- Instead, grind the beans by turning the grinder on for not more than three seconds and wait for two seconds for the next bursts.
- Make the beans into a fine powder with the hand grinder; it takes twenty seconds.
- Now remove the grounds from the grinder to use. Make sure to remove the hard chunks of ground also removed with a spoon’s help so that the chunks for the next time will not burn and add an unpleasant taste.
Conclusion
Now you know which espresso beans are selected and how to grind them to make a perfect shot. Choose the beans from intense, more complex medium roasts or something that suits you.
Remember to purchase whole beans and grind them yourself to get a good cup of coffee. Grind the beans with a burr grinder; it is the best option for grinding espresso beans. We can also know the differences between espresso beans vs. coffee beans differences.
