Espresso Blend

Here is the new benchmark espresso with sweet-bittersweet balance, body, crema, and finesse, the core definition of the espresso beverage, and defines it in the established West Coast espresso style (clean, bright notes) without the burden of European espresso conventions. In other words, no robusta! Oh, and no obsessive interest in crema! (You can produce buckets of crema in espresso and still have a very mediocre-tasting cup. What … do you make espresso just to look at the beautiful crema? No dummy, you make it to drink it!) New Classic generally involves Brazil as one of the base ingredients, with washed Centrals and South American coffees bolstering sweetness, and of course, chocolate roast tone.

While this blend is designed primarily for a medium-dark roast, stopping the roast before 2nd crack, it also works well with a darker roast treatment. It does not have the extreme brightness that have been the trademark of some other Espresso blends; it is a bit more restrained in it’s overall demeanor. The cup has a balance between sweet and bittersweet flavors, moderate bright accent, soft traces of fruit, body and depth. The medium-dark roasts have a very sweet aromatic side, lightly fruited with plum and a hint of spice (cinnamon, cardamom). Darker roasts tend toward chocolate laced with dark fruit tones, in both aroma and cup flavor. Both have a firm, opaque body, which only helps strengthen the creamy dark chocolate flavors, along with toasted almond roast notes as the espresso cools. In the aftertaste, dark fruits accent a very sweet finish for espresso. There are whole spice hints, like anise, too, which with the fruited accent made me think of fruit-flavored licorice. Of course, results vary with how the espresso machine and grinder are set up. We use 8.5 bars of pressure at the head, with 202-205 degrees water temperature (measured at the head) to start, dropping to about 198. At higher temperatures, it’s a more aggressive espresso with a bittersweet edge and well-suited to milk drinks.