INTRODUCTION
Light roast espresso brewing is a tricky yet highly rewarding experience. Light roast espresso can be a wonderful way to expand your understanding of coffee brewing and try new flavours because of its delicate scents, subtle flavours, and unique floral notes. Don't expect the first shot or two to be perfect, but after dialling in, some flavours that you may enjoy from filter brewing are brought forward even strong from espresso. Here, we'll go over how to make light roast espresso, from choosing the best coffee to getting the ideal shot.
METHODS
Choosing the proper coffee is the first step in making light roast espresso. Compared to heavier roasts, light roast coffees are roasted at a lower temperature for a shorter period of time. A brighter, more acidic and sweeter flavour profile with more floral scents is the result of this. Look for a coffee that clearly labels that it's a light 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 fairly 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 light 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 light roasted a new Ugandan coffee, and it's unanimous from our customers that it smells like STRAWBERRY JAM! in espresso this tasting note is very pronounced. Available from the link below.
