Everything you need to know About espresso beans

Introduction

Contrary to what many people believe, it is not espresso a specific type of bean. When many people see the word "espresso" written on the coffee bag means that the roastery recommends that espresso brewing as the method gives the best results with the coffee bean. Generally speaking, any type of coffee bean can be used for any brewing method. 

Types of coffee beans

Coffee beans come in different shapes, sizes, caffeine content, regions and even the processing process before roasting. However, the coffee bean can be divided into two different types; Arabica and Robusta. OK, so there are two different types, but which one is the best? Many people think that Arabica is higher quality and has a better taste, but taste is something that is abstract and is entirely up to you what you think. Below we have written the differences between Arabica vs Robusta beans:

• Arabica - Historically, many have held the opinion that Arabica is of higher quality and has a richer flavor. Arabica needs to be grown at higher altitudes, in wetter climates and is more difficult to grow. Compared to Robusta, Arabica has lower acidity, caffeine content and generally has smoother and more complex flavors. Lightly roasted Arabica can give fruity, floral and sweet notes. 

• Robust - Many have said that Robusta is a bean type that has lower quality compared to Arabica but has the advantage that it can grow in a wider range of conditions from high to low altitudes, different climates and is more resistant to weather. Robusta contains a higher caffeine content (almost twice as much) and has higher acidity which gives a taste profile that can be perceived as more austere. Around 40% of all coffee grown in the world is Robusta beans. 

Where does the coffee come from?

Most often, coffee is named after the region where it comes from. The flavors of the coffee will also reflect the region where it comes from. Generally, coffee comes from these three regions, South and Central America, Africa and Southeast Asia which are regions that are close to the equator. Coffee plantations need rich and fertile soil, mild temperatures, frequent rain and shelter from the sun and high altitude to grow.

The best coffee beans grow between 600 and 1850 meters above sea level. The reason is that the higher the altitude, the less oxygen is available, which in turn can slow down the growing process. The longer the growing process, the more time the coffee has to mature and develop complex flavors. When roasters write on the bag the altitude at which the coffee was grown, it indicates how intense the flavors of the coffee can be.

About You see roasteries write that the beans have notes of chocolate, caramel and blueberry, this means that with proper brewing you can get such flavors without adding anything. Brewing espresso and being able to feel these specific notes can be difficult and take some learning. You are always working against the natural bitterness and acidity that comes with the coffee. The trick is to be able to get a balance between bitterness and acidity to bring out the good notes from the coffee by following the recommendations above and experimenting.

What does roast profile mean and how does it affect the taste of the coffee?

There is no set standard for how dark or light coffee should be roasted. However, the roast level can drastically change the density of the coffee beans, how easily the coffee can be extracted, and how you need to adapt your brewing to the characteristics of the bean. The longer the bean is roasted, the more the bean will lose its structure and become drier, resulting in a darker roast profile. For those who brew espresso, need to focus on the following aspects; brewing temperature, the grind size i.e. how fine or coarse you grind your beans and lastly the ratio between water and coffee. Below this article in the comments section we have shared with you three different espresso brewing methods for the three different types of roast profiles as well as our recommended espresso beans for each roast type. This is a general recommendation and will be able to help you on the right path.