Everything you need to know About espresso beans

Introduction

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

Types of Coffee Beans

Coffee beans come in various shapes, sizes, caffeine amounts, regions, and processing methods before roasting. However, coffee beans can be divided into two different types: Arabica and Robusta. So there are indeed two different types, but which of them is the best? Many believe that Arabica is of higher quality and has better flavor, but taste is something abstract and entirely up to you what you think. Below, we have outlined the differences between Arabica vs Robusta beans:

• Arabica - Historically, many have held the opinion that Arabica is of higher quality and more flavorful. Arabica needs to be grown at higher altitudes, in more humid climates, and is harder to cultivate. Compared to Robusta, Arabica has lower acidity, caffeine content, and generally has softer and more complex flavors. Lightly roasted Arabica can yield fruity, floral, and sweet notes.

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

Where does coffee come from?

Often, coffee is named after the region it comes from. The flavors of the coffee will also reflect the region it originates from. Generally, coffee comes from these three regions: Central and South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia, which are regions near the equator. Coffee plantations need rich and fertile soil, mild temperatures, frequent rain, and protection 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 there is, 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 roasteries write on the bag the altitude where the coffee was grown, it indicates how intense the coffee's flavors can be.

If you see that roasteries write that the beans have notes of chocolate, caramel, and blueberries, it means that with proper brewing, you can bring out such flavors without adding anything. Brewing espresso and being able to taste these specific notes can be difficult and take time to learn. You are always working against the natural bitterness and acidity that comes with coffee. The art is to achieve a balance between bitterness and acidity to bring out the good notes from the coffee by following the recommendations above and experimenting.

What do roast profiles mean and how do they affect the taste of coffee?

There is no established standard for how dark or light the coffee must 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 adjust your brewing according to the bean's characteristics. The longer the bean is roasted, the more it will lose its structure and become drier, resulting in a darker roast profile. For you who brew espresso, you need to focus on the following aspects: brewing temperature, grind size, that is to say, how fine or coarse you grind your beans, and lastly, the ratio between water and coffee. Below this article, under the comment section, we have shared 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 help you on the right path.