Guide to tasting coffee

Making a good coffee is not easy.
This is because there are many variable factors that contribute to the success of the perfect cup.
For example, the pressure of the espresso machine must be exactly 9 bar, with a tolerance very limited.
Even the texture of the coffee must be the right finesse, among other variable with temperature and humidity.

That is why the best results are obtained by grinding the coffee often and for how much you plan to use as soon as possible, change the burrs following environmental conditions.

Obviously all this, which requires special expertise and sensitivity, is undercut when not use first-quality products, like the coffee and water, a factor that many overlook, but which must be filtered and softened, if we were in an area where water is particularly hard, or rich in limestone.

But if we make a cup of coffee really good and tasty requires some experience, whether we are going to taste the coffee was done to perfection and therefore able to give the maximum aroma, is very simple.

Apart from the taste and aroma, of course, different depending on the mixture and which comes into play the unquestionable personal taste, visually we can immediately see if the coffee was at least extracted correctly.


Let's see together how.

Visual inspection of coffee  
 
Caffè sottoestratto - esame visivo della tazzina


Under-extrac coffee

Aspect
Foam clear to mesh with little thickness, which tends to disappear quickly -- Body not existent, little taste and light
Causes and solutions
Dose less than 6 grams - coarse grinding Pressing lightly or anything - water temperature less than the 88 ° - Pressure Pump inf. 9 bar Extraction time of less than 20 "
 
Caffe sovraestratto - esame visivo della tazzina

Over-extrac coffee
Aspect
Foam very dark brown with white button or black hole in the middle - little thickness, tendency to retreat quickly to the edge to form a black ring - strong, bitter taste, astringent, woody and very little taste
Causes and solutions
Dose over 7 grams - grinding too thin - Pressing too hard - water temperatures above the 92 ° - Pump pressure above the 10 Bar - Time of extraction is too long (over 35) "
 
Caffe perfetto - esame visivo della tazzina

The perfect coffee
Aspect
Cream fades from brown to reddish brown, sometimes streaked with dark brown - Thickness 3-4 mm long stay - a dense body, spicy, full, sweet and fragrant - Long persistence on the palate
 
Coffee extraction  
 

 

To understand the importance of time of extraction of coffee as its variation leads to a noticeable change in taste and aroma of this beverage, here in detail the process of extraction by the filter clothes.

You can see that the consistency of coffee varies depending on time of extraction, from a maximum concentration and then becomes increasingly diluted, but gaining in flavor and creaminess.

And only stopping the time of extraction at the right time, around 25 seconds, you manage to get the right blend of taste and strength.

Obviously, the extraction time will vary depending on many factors such as the type of mixture used, the texture of the coffee and the humidity factor and not last, of course, personal taste.

Estrazione del caffe con portafiltro nudo

From "From bean to cup", Marzocco
   
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