Originally Posted by mosesbotbol:
Depends how you like your roast. Espresso has no defined roast... ...Brasil and Guatamala are beans I love in my espresso blends, perhaps with no cracking in them? I do not like the smoky notes in espresso from a dark roast...
I'm with you. I never found a very dark roast of "x" beans made an espresso I pined for. I rarely take espresso blends beyond a darkness that shows a little bit of oil-spotting a few days post-roast. I know this is a matter of personal taste and some folks enjoy the dark/smokey side but after I lightened up my blends the flavors appealed to me much more.
A lot of commercial espresso blends seem very dark, oil-covered and overly invested with robusto to me. There being a lot of this doesn't necessarily make it better but it does reinforce a misconception that "espresso" means black, oily beans.
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Originally Posted by Cigargal:
Okay okay okay, pm sent
Ha! Outbound!
If you can grind coffee to medium-fine and boil three ounces of water I think you may be amazed by an AeroPress. Can ya? Can ya?
:-)
It is true the straight shot is espresso-like but much towards cold-processed concentrate - it is VERY smooth and without a bite. As the man said, a couple of AeroPress ounces topped with four or five ounces of hot water makes a lovely Americano.
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FWIW, Trader Joes has a French Roast that makes a damn fine 28 second espresso shot, fragrant, full bodied and awesome crema from my Briel San Remo. That's my Sunday morning espresso....for everyday, I find it hard to beat Cafe Bustelo as it is quite consistent in grind and roast. I went the route of roasting my own, but just don't have the time anymore...it becomes a zen like religion.
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