The milk-based coffees majority of cafe-goers and home baristas enjoy are built on a well-extracted espresso which we, as specialty coffee lovers, also relish when taken black.Â
In this guide for home baristas and beginner cafe baristas, we share our recommended Archers recipe as a baseline and some troubleshooting tips when calibrating or ‘dialing’ in espresso.
Basic variables:
Well-extracted espresso comes as a result of inherently high-quality roasted coffee beans brewed by a home or cafe barista that can maneuver the variables of dose, grind, yield, ratio, and time compatibly to make a comfortable and balanced beverage.
- Dose is the amount of dry, ground coffee used, measured in grams.Â
- Grind is the size, how fine or coarse the coffee grounds are
- Yield is the amount of coffee beverage that ends up in the cup, also measured in grams.Â
- Ratio is the quantitative relation between the amount of coffee grounds to the amount of water used in brewing.
(For example, in a 1:2 ratio, use 1 gram of coffee Dose per 2 grams of Yield). - Time is how long it takes to finish extraction, measured in seconds, from the moment brewing begins.
Telling by taste, indicators of a well-extracted espresso are comfortability on the palate, a balance of sweet, sour, and bitter, and a good tactile quality.
Archers' recipe:
Here is our recommended recipe for the coffees in our Specialty and Micro-Selection that are suitable for Espresso and Milk Base. Apart from an espresso machine, you will need a grinder, scale, and timer, to follow these recipes.
Our dear home baristas and beginner cafe baristas can use it as a starting point when crafting their espresso, to be taken alone or with milk.
We encourage our friends to calibrate by taste, just one variable at a time until the cup delivers the desired flavors.
Troubleshooting:
The care we take in roasting is meant to deliver the delicious cup of Archers you’re after.Â
We take care by profiling each coffee, mindful of variety and process, to simply reveal the best qualities held within each bean and let them shine when you brew with your preferred device or method.
For espresso, try these simple troubleshooting tips first before going into a deep dive of more complex variables (for example: water) if you ever perceive something is not quite right with your cup.
More often than not, adjustments in the basic variables will fix it. And, it’s best to proceed one variable at a time until you get the desired flavors. The tasting notes we’ve identified for your specific coffee will help you here.
Keep in mind, our target is always that ‘sweet spot.’ It's what we aim at when we roast, and it’s what you want to achieve when you brew.
TO FIX TASTE:
- Too bitter, decrease Yield which will also decrease the shot Time, OR consider grinding coarser.
- Too sour, increase Yield which will also increase the shot Time, OR consider grinding finer.
TO FIX TACTILE:
- Too runny or watery, decrease Yield, and/or consider grinding finer.
TO FIX TIME:
- Too fast, grind finer
- Too slow, grind coarser
A FINAL NOTE:
As much as we delight in our ongoing exploration of diverse and nuanced flavor profiles, we find greater fulfillment when we’re able to help you discover and extract the best qualities of Archers coffees in your cups. Here’s to you pulling on point spros using the recipe we’ve shared!
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