– TASTE THE ORIGIN –

The modern coffee market aims to provide products with the desired consistency and flavor profile. Espresso, one of the most widely consumed forms of coffee drink, is the coffee most susceptible to variation in quality.

Systematically improving espresso coffee is the result of mathematical insights and experimentation. Espresso has seen many evolutions over time, being an ever-changing and ever-evolving drink. Things once considered incorrect are now becoming a trend that experts aim for.

A shot of espresso extracted within 15 seconds under low pressure, now commonly referred to as Turbo Shot. This has been scientifically proven. For more convincing evidence, let’s learn about the difference between traditional espresso and Turbo Shot.

Espresso Modernization Trend

To find consistency in a good cup of coffee, Jaime Foster’s research team created a profile that describes how hot water presses through coffee grounds. By looking at the process of different grind levels, they discovered the ideal grind conditions for optimal coffee grounds. Coffee is often finely ground, which optimizes the surface area of ​​the coffee grounds in contact with the water.

However, according to the researchers’ calculations, it has been revealed that if the coffee beans are ground too fine, the water is obstructed by the surface of the coffee, which quickly leads to saturation. Since then, the coffee beans inside the grounds have been extracted unevenly, losing the consistency in the standard of an espresso. The Espresso modernized model shows the optimal solution for the grind size and has been extensively tested in many coffee shops.

Traditional Shot – Traditional brewing method

According to the definition of the Association of Specialty Coffees, espresso is a beverage with a capacity of 25-35ml (20-30gr) made from 7-9g of finely ground coffee mixed with hot water at a temperature of 92 – 95 degrees Celsius, extracted under static water pressure from 9 – 10 bar for a total extraction time of 20 – 30s. These indicators are widely applied in the industry. In theory, this should create a robust and flavorful cup of coffee.

In addition to a compressive force, flow rate, time or volume of coffee, other variables affect beverage quality before the coffee is exposed to water. The grind size setting determines the grain distribution in the coffee cake, creating a contact surface area. After being compacted into a mass, the distribution of coffee beans plays an essential role in controlling the permeability through each layer of toast, which generates the flow rate. Fine grinding, compaction, and using more coffee cause the flow rate of water to be blocked and reduced.

The traditional extraction process easily clogs the drainage holes of the coffee cake pack with fine particles. The uneven distribution leads to channelling. For congested coffee, the flow is uneven, causing more extraction in some areas than others. Of course, the extraction capacity of coffee will not be high, which is not difficult to understand.

Develop the right brew profile for espresso extraction – Turbo Shot

Distribution of ground coffee beans

The distribution density, surface area and volume of the particles were used to estimate the water absorption of the coffee cake. Moreover, this is also very important in determining the water flow rate. Furthermore, the size of the granules controls the extraction dynamics because it creates typical distances so that the solutes are uniformly moved within the granules before reaching the cell interface, where they are hydrated, dissolved.

This is the primary problem with espresso: the actual coffee bean itself needs to act as a limiting factor to speed up the extraction process.

Reduce pressure

When the volume of coffee is changed, the only parameter that needs to be changed is the thickness of the coffee cake. If it is too thick, the water does not have sugar to flow through and seeps into the cell walls of the coffee beans for extraction. If it is pushed at high pressure, the cake is easily broken, and the final product is only the result of the channelling process.

The workaround is to grind the coffee coarser and reduce the water pressure. The reason for this, at 6bar pressure, the flow rate decreases, and the water has more time to pass through the coffee slowly, making more contact with the coffee beans in the coffee cake. Along with the proper distribution of coffee, the solvent will easily penetrate the cell walls of the coffee evenly, helping to improve the extraction ability. Furthermore, Jaime Foster’s experiment proved this to be entirely plausible.

This result suggests that non-uniform flow operates at fine-grind size settings, resulting in poor extraction and wasted raw material. With guidance from the above model, the researchers outlined a process to eliminate these shortcomings.

Coffee is science. It needs to be studied and tested a lot to be able to uncover its fascinating core nature within it. Join 43 Factory Coffee Roaster to disseminate more exciting information and knowledge to understand better what the Workshop has been doing in the search for those original values.