INTRODUCTION
Medium roast espresso brewing is a somewhat tricky, yet worthwhile endeavour. Medium roast espresso can be a wonderful way to expand your understanding of coffee brewing and try new flavours because of its unique scents, subtle flavours, and bittersweet qualities. Don't expect the first shot to be perfect, but after dialling in, some flavours that you may enjoy from Aeropress or Cafetiere brewing are brought forward even stronger from espresso. Here, we'll go over how to make medium roast espresso, from choosing the best coffee to getting the ideal shot.
METHODS
Choosing the proper coffee is the first step in making medium roast espresso. Compared to dark and light roasts, medium roast coffees are roasted at a temperature and time higher than light roast, and shorter than dark roast; about a minute between the two. A somewhat acidic and bittersweet flavour profile with subtle floral scents is the result of this. Look for a coffee that clearly labels that it's a medium roast. The origin and method of the coffee's processing should also be taken into account because they will impact its flavour profile. For example a fully washed light roast coffee will have less body and taste more clean compared to a red honey processed light roast.
The coffee must now be dosed into the portafilter. The most important aspect to all of this is a good burr grinder, which gives a uniform grind, set to espresso ground level. You will need to put 18–20g of espresso ground coffee into the portafilter, depending on the size of your espresso machine. Before tamping the coffee down, make sure that it is dispersed equally throughout the portafilter. A Weiss distribution tool (WDT) can really help prepare and distribute the grinds for optimal extraction.
Tamping is the process of pressing down on the coffee in the portafilter basket to produce an even, dense espresso puck. The coffee should be tamped down firmly but not too forcefully since this can lead to uneven extraction. After the coffee has been tamped, the espresso shot can be extracted. To begin with, confirm that the portafilter is firmly locked into the group head.
Then, turn on the espresso maker and wait for the espresso to begin to pour. A double shot of espresso should be extracted for between 25 and 30 seconds. The grind setting can be changed to a finer size if the espresso is flowing too quickly. You can increase the grind setting to a coarser size if the espresso is pouring too slowly. The result should be a lightly acidic, yet sweet enough espresso shot which brings the listed tasting notes to the forefront with more intensity.
SUMMARY
Exploring new tastes and fragrances can be made possible by brewing medium roast espresso. Espresso shots can be made with the right coffee, proper grinding, and careful extraction. It's worth isolating and changing each variable for a brew that tastes best for you! We've recently started medium roasting our new Armada Blend, in espresso the tasting notes of dark chocolate and dried fruit are very pronounced. Available from the link below.
Don't forget to look at our other blogs on light roast and dark roast espresso!
