Some things are better with Age :)
I was talking to Ezra the other day and we were discussing some misconceptions out there in the coffee world. It started because I had just been pulling some test shots of La Bella Vita Espresso earlier in the day. While some might think that I am fortunate to be working with espresso fresh out of the roaster, it’s not quite what you might imagine. You see, when coffee first comes out of the roaster it is in one of its most sensitive states. During the roasting process there are gasses trapped inside the beans that are finally allowed to surface as it’s heated. In the first 24 hours after roasting, the coffee will release around 40% of its carbon dioxide. This carbon dioxide will give it a little higher acidity, and also make it more unstable and a little volatile in the brewing process. After one day of rest, your average coffee is fine for normal brew use, but espresso is a bit different…
Much like brewed coffee, espresso is more reactive when going through the brewing process in its early life, but more so due to the pressure driven method of extraction. Under the pressure of gravity (during normal drip brewing) it already expands much more rapidly on day one. So with 9 bars of water pressure (about 130 psi) forcing its way through it, it is a little persnickety at best. When running test shots in this scenario, I have encountered some oddities. One of the most common is that I will know that I am dosing every set of shots consistently, but it will be nearly impossible to nail down a grind. One set will run perfectly and the next one will be much faster, and the one after that might be a bit on the drippy side. Another noticeable sign that the espresso is too fresh is that the crema will be extraordinarily bubbly and will dissipate very quickly. While it is okay to use it early on, obviously there are some definite obstacles to deal with when you are using really fresh espresso.
So how long should you wait? Well, first that depends on your espresso. I know that with our blends it tends to be friendly on the third or fourth day. In an attempt to help out the end user with this, we actually schedule our espresso roasts so that the coffee will have 2 to 3 days to rest before we ship it to our customers. We like to make sure that if they need to use it immediately that they won’t be dealing with the fickle nature of fresh espresso. So, if you notice that the roast date on your espresso is a little earlier than other coffees you ordered at the same time, there is a method behind the madness. And, as always, if you have any questions about espresso, or anything coffee for that matter, don’t hesitate to email us or give us a call. We love to talk coffee!
Holly
