Pete - espresso, steam or pump?

[RobertN]

We talked about this a bit a while ago, but I gotta ask again...

We have two machines. One is a old Krups Il'Primo steam machine. The other is a Starbucks Barrista pump machine. My wife likes the steam machine, I like the pump machine. We have his and hers espresso machines on the counter /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

So here is our debate. She likes the espresso from the steam machine, and thinks it packs more zing to it. I like the espresso from the pump machine. It is thicker and richer, kind of creamy and sweet.

Now, as a partial disclaimer, we never drink straight espresso; it is always mixed in a latte or mocha.

Which machine would give more zing to an espresso? How do they figure extraction rates for caffiene? For beer brewing, you can measure the specific gravity of the wort to get an idea for your extraction rates. But, for espresso, we're not extracting sugars...

Although I like the final product from both machines, I think the espresso from the steam machine comes out thinner, more bitter, kinda watery. The pump machine makes a really nice creamy sweet extraction. It's almost like comparing a pale ale to a stout /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Boondox]

The short answer is the best way is the way you like it. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Espresso, actually all coffee extraction is evaluated on the basis of soluble solids. But there's a range, rife with subjectivity, in what is a decent level of extraction. Under extraction leads to watery stuff. Over extraction leads to a bitter cup. And that range varies according to several other variables including bean type, roast type, hardness of your water, and freshness of the roasted coffee.

A couple of suggestions to level the playing field. (1) Use fresh coffee. Not just fresh out of the package, but fresh when it was packaged. Very few coffee roasters do that. The simplest way to find fresh coffee is to look for a vented package. If the package can't vent CO2 as the coffee degasses, the manufacturer must allow the coffee to stale somewhat (we call it "rotting the bean") before packaging. But if the package is vented, in most cases it can be packaged immediately after roasting. No vent = old beans. And canned or vacuum sealed = absolutely stale! (2) Clean your brewers with a food grade cleanser and rinse/purge them completely afterwards. (3) Use bottled water for the taste test. Hard water effects the taste and extraction for steam machines more than pumps. (4) Experiment with different grind settings and also how firmly you compress those grounds into the brew head.

Try for that foamy "crema" layer on top of your extracted espresso. It's not about snob appeal! The look of the crema is how you determine whether or not you got the most ooomph out of your beans without having the benefit of particulate analysis and chromography labs. That said, it is easier to get a perfect caramel colored crema with a pump machine.

Lastly, if by "zing" you mean that "wake me up jolt," try using a lighter roast. People think French Roast or Espresso Roast has the most caffeine. That is absolutely false! Truth is the darker the roast the less caffeine! I use a lightly roasted fair trade organic Ethiopian bean for my espresso, and it rocks!

Hope this helps. Pete