SO-Espresso Lab

Exploring the world of single origin espresso by testing home espresso machines, grinders, and high quality single origins by Wisconsin and regional coffee roasters.

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Espresso Types and Why We Are SO-Espresso Focused

As there are a number of different ways to think about espresso, I have decided to outline what I have encountered in my field research. This is not an exhaustive all encompassing list, just a few of the general categories in common practice in the American specialty coffee industry. Here, I also hope to give some rationale as to we are SO-Espresso focused.

2nd-Wave Espresso Blend: These are typically blends of 4-6 beans of a lower quality roasted past the Vienna level (dark roast), to the point when oil has started to show on the bean. There is little or no nuanced flavor of the bean left to taste, but in best practice chocolate, caramel, and nut flavors shine. In worst practice this type of espresso might burnt and even bitter. Freshness of beans, quality of equipment, and skill of the barista are not requirements for 2nd-Wave espresso blends.

Classic Northern-Italian and Vienna Espresso Blend: These blends normally made up of 4-6 beans of a medium quality that are roasted to the Full City or Full City+ level (medium-dark roast), allowing some of the nuanced flavor of the beans to shine through, yet also drawing out the sweeter chocolate, caramel, and nut flavors of the darker roasts. This type of espresso roasting attempts highlight the sweeter honey, caramel, and chocolate notes, as well as to ever so slightly allow some of the citric acidic to bleed through. Freshness of beans, quality of equipment, and skill of the barista start to become a factor in this espresso category.

3rd-Wave Blend: These blends are made up of 2-3 beans of high quality roasted to roast to the lighter level of City to Full City (light to medium-light roast), to allow for more of the nuanced flavor of the bean, yet to seek a more balanced cup. Starting to taste more of the citric acids, yet still retain some of sweeter honey, caramel, and chocolate notes. Freshness of beans, quality of equipment, and skill of the barista are requirements for 3rd-Wave blends.

Single Origin Espresso: Always one bean espresso, of the highest quality, roasted as light as possible to allow for the maximum flavor extraction and to highlight the nuanced flavor of the bean. When roasted and pulled well, SO-Espresso is one of the most unique and wonderful espresso shots to try, as they are fruit, berry, and floral notes forward, with subtle honey, caramel, and chocolate notes. When done poorly, SO-Espresso can be way too acidic, sour, and overwhelming in flavor. Freshness of beans, quality of equipment, and skill of the barista are absolutely necessary for SO-Espresso.

At the SO-Espresso Lab we view the single origin espresso to be the height of coffee-culture evolution, mainly because it does the most justice to the beans origin, drawing out the flavors related to not just the beans genetics but also the soil conditions, climate, and altitude where the bean was grown. Such espresso demands the highest quality of coffee bean, with no flavor defects that need to be balanced out through blending.

SO-Espresso is like a beautiful work of art or musical composition. There are verbals involved, attention to the details is a must, and much practice and skill is required in order for the experience to be enjoyable and repeatable. When done well, the end result is unforgettable.

SO-Espresso also requires a highest level of equipment, espresso machines that are capable of temperature and pressure profiling, as well as grinders with temperature control. In addition, SO-Espresso also requires highly trained baristas who can dial in all the equipment, adjusting it for each type of single origin and differences in roast level.

For these and many other reasons, the SO-Espresso Lab is highly devoted exploring this new and unique espresso culture. From time to time, however, 3rd-Wave espresso blends will also be reviewed, to serve as a point of comparison with the SO-Espressos being reviewed and to save us from becoming myopically focused.

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The Classic E-61 Grouphead (more photos - pin-board)

In 1961 Faema (Fabbrica Apparecchiature Elettromeccaniche e Affini) introduces a revolutionary new type of espresso machine that would come to largely replace the manual lever machine invented by Achille Gaggia in 1945. This new technology was the first espresso machine to make use of mechanical pump to deliver pressurized water with approximately 9 BAR to the group head, thus replacing the piston spring driven lever. In addition, Faema also introduced the first thermosyphon grouphead (E-61), which circulated hot water through the grouphead to help it maintain a more consistent temperature. The mechanical pump and E-61 grouphead combination, like the manual lever machine, still allowed for pre-infusion.

Even to this day, despite many newer technological advancements since 1961, the E-61 enjoys wide use in both domestic and commercial espresso machine markets. 

While there are many companies making domestic espresso machines, the Rocket Espresso, Quick Mill, Izzo Alex, EMC, Isomac, Vibiemme, and Bezzera and are among the best options. A number of these companies also not only manufacture espresso machines with the E-61 grouphead, but also a double boiler system and PID adjustable control over the boiler water temperature, which gives them maximum temperature control. These are ideal machines for 3rd-Wave home barista, for a dedicated single origin espresso machine, or for light commercial use.

I personally have years of experience pulling shots on an Isomac Tea II and Expobar Brewtus with PID. This brought me to greatly appreciate the E-61 grouphead, PID, and using the pre-infusion functionality to get the most of high quality freshly roasted single origin coffee. Its the unique temperature and pressure profile that the E-61 offers that sets it above the others in terms of flavor extraction.

These single group E-61 espresso machines area ideal for the home barista that wants to pull amazing SO-Espresso shots that highlight the nuanced flavor of the bean.

When compared with single group options by La Marzocco, Slayer, and Synesso, which sell for between $7,000 - $12,000, the single group e61 machines are much more affordable, costing between $1,250 and $4,500.

The most of advanced of the single group E-61 machines are the Rocket Espresso R 60V and the Vesuvius Dual Boiler Espresso, both of which are were the first on the market to offer the possibility of pressure profile the espresso shots. This is feature that up until now was reserved for machines that cost twice or even three times as much, but that is also key to maximizing the extraction.

There are also a number of manufacturers who offer 2-4 group commercial machines with the E-61 grouphead. in the North American market the Faema E61 Legend, Rocket Espresso RE S, and the La Pavoni Diamante are among the most accessible.

While espresso technology has seen many advancements in recent decades, the vintage E-61 grouphead continues preform well against the competition and has maintained a strong devoted cult-like following. I for one, am a passionate devotee to this low-tech approach and find it one of the best ways to pull amazing SO-Espresso shots.

For more pictures, diagrams, and videos explaining how the E-61 grouphead works, visit my pin-board.

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This is the Guatemala Dola De Oro SO-Espresso from Verve Coffee that helps give inspiration for this project.

A TRIBUTE TO THOSE WHO INSPIRED ME TO GO DOWN THIS PATH

This project is a tribute to my barista and coffee roasting training where I was indoctrinated into the “school of light roasting”, which puts the fruit, berry, and floral notes forward. Where I learned the value of omni roasting, that involved taste testing beyond traditional cupping and included the SO-Espresso test and a wide range of brew bar methods as well. This blog a tribute to Barista training that forced us to be SO-Espresso-Centric in our understanding of the espresso bar menu, in our temperature profiling and pre-infusion skills, and in our education of the costumers.

Much thanks goes out to Verve Coffee and their Guatemala Dola De Oro I had that was among the best SO-Espressos I have ever had and that continues to provide inspiration from my SO-Espresso quest.

This experiment is also a tribute to the time I spent exploring the 3rd-Wave of coffee in California, Arizona, and Utah (see Southwest Coffee-Culture Project). To coffee roasters and coffeehouse like Verve Coffee, Portalo Coffee Lab, Insight Coffee, Cartel Coffee Lab, Ritual Coffee, and Temple Coffee all of which pulled amazing SO-Espressos and SO-Americano that blew me ways and help me develop an even deeper passion for the 3rd-Wave of coffee.

This blog is devoted to all the home baristas who are passionately chasing after tasting the nuanced flavor of the bean by pulling amazing SO-Espresso shots and want to explore a wide range of options to do so.

The SO-Espresso Lab is committed to supporting the best of the Midwest 3rd-Wave and New-Wave + coffee roasters I discovered in my Wisconsin Coffee-Culture Project and have yet to be discover in my Chicago Project and Twin Cities Project. Such coffee roasters as Kickapoo Coffee, Ruby Colorful Coffee, JBC Coffee, Luna Coffee Roasters, Kin Kin Coffee, Hawthorne Coffee,  and Yes Coffee Roasters, and others will be taste tested in lab experiments.

Likewise we devoted to highlighting the best of the semi-professional espresso machine manufactures using the manual lever and E-61 groupheads, such as Rocket Espresso, Quick Mill, Izzo Alex, EMC, Isomac, Vibiemme, Bezzera, and La Pavorni. In addition we will be reviewing espresso grinders by such manufacturers as Mahlkonig, Mazzer, Baratza, Compak, Macap, Fiorenzato, Ceado, La Pavoni, and others.

In is the hope of the SO-Espresso Lad that our efforts will be able to help build an SO-Espresso culture and passion for chasing after the nuanced flavor of the bean here in the Midwest.