However, the main appeal of the robusta that you’ll see in commercial blends is that it’s cheap. Sidenote: I would even argue that this rule also applies to most Brazilian coffee.Īlso, the species naturally has a higher content of caffeine and produces more crema than arabica, which might be attractive to some. For that reason, a properly grown robusta can actually taste delicious as a single-origin espresso. The beverage is so concentrated that you don’t need much acidity. However, when it comes to espresso beans you can break some of the normal coffee rules. It tastes different and somehow cruder (but it also has more caffeine and creates more crema, so that will be a positive for some folks). Freshly roasted beans give the most prominent crema in an espresso shot.įrom nature’s side, Robusta is less sweet and less acidic compared to arabica. For sure, you’ll never find it in your local supermarket. Unless you happen to know a green coffee buyer personally, you’re not likely to encounter this kind of coffee. It is possible to find quite a delicious robusta, however, it’s still a rarity. The arabica vs robusta debate can be quite heated and complicated.ĭue to its bad publicity, I used to think that robusta was inferior to arabica no matter what but in recent years I have changed my opinion. That way you’re certain to get freshly roasted beans Arabica vs. When shopping for coffee on Amazon, it’s always a good idea to pick the roaster as the ‘vendor’ – even though that might cost more in shipping. 1 to 4 weeks after roast is usually the best period for espresso.

Keep an eye on roast date: Like all kinds of coffee, espresso is better when fresh. That’s a bit darker than medium, but still quite suitable for espresso. If the bean is still dark but dry in its appearance, we’d call it a ‘full city’ roast. If the beans have an almost shining surface, it’s considered a French or Italian style roast (aka really, really dark). How do you know if a given coffee is a dark roast? If the oil migrates to the outside of the bean, it means that it’s quite dark. Beans can also be too dark and taste bitter and ashy. This way you will get good results when drinking both lattes and flat whites, as well as single shot espresso. I know it may sound vague, but my suggestion is to go for something that’s somewhere in the middle of the dark spectrum. That being said there are many shades of dark. That is the tradition, and it’s also what most people prefer. We already touched upon it, but yes, espresso should be at least a bit darker than regular beans. Maybe there’s even 20% of robusta mixed in. Typically, a base of cheaper beans from countries such as Brazil and Indonesia is used in a blend. For that reason, it makes sense to use an espresso blend in a busy café. It’s cheaper: Single-origin coffee is expensive.Better with milk: If you want to use the espresso in a milk-based drink such as a latte or cappuccino, you’ll need a rather dark roast to “cut” through the creaminess of the milk.People have come to expect a certain ‘espresso flavor’ than can’t be achieved with regular beans. Tradition: Espresso has always been roasted darker than other types of coffee.A lot can be said about the subject but here are the main reasons: There are several reasons that most cafés use a special blend for espresso and not just regular filter coffee. The first question you may ask is, ‘why not just use regular coffee beans?’

Espresso vs expresso