How good is your crema?

With Dancing Goat Coffee

Coffee crema is the thin layer of foam that sits on top of an espresso shot, making your morning espresso look much like a mini pint of Guinness!

Created when hot water passes through finely ground coffee beans at high pressure in your coffee machine at home or at your favourite coffee shop, the crema should be the perfect top to the coffee shot.

The crema is formed as this process creates bubbles in the espresso that emulsify with oils and fats in the coffee as it is ground. The quality and thickness of your coffee crema can tell you a lot about how well your machine is extracting flavour from your beans.

What makes good crema?

A crema should have the right balance of colour and should be a tawny, red-gold colour. Next, the crema should be smooth. If it’s gritty, you may have a problem. A good crema relies on thousands of tiny bubbles to create a foamy, but velvety surface. There is no room for big bubbles in good crema!

The colour of your crema can vary depending on several factors, including the coffee beans used, the roast of the beans, and even which type of espresso machine it is produced on. For example, if you use dark-roasted coffee beans like our White Rose Republic or medium-roasted Café Bar then your crema will be darker than if you used lightly roasted coffee.

Amount of Crema

Freshly roasted coffee beans will generally produce a more pronounced crema, as beans that were recently roasted are still giving off some of the oils and gasses that begin to release after the roasting process. Another thing that can affect the thickness of the crema is the darkness of the bean. Darker roasts generally produce less crema because some of the oils rub off during packaging and grinding. However, too light a roast and that is not ideal for espresso crema either!

Coffee crema can make all the difference!

The crema is the first impression of any espresso. It will be the first thing you observe and the first taste you get. Too light and your coffee is probably under extracted or your coffee machine is not at the correct brewing temperature. Too dark and your coffee is more than likely over extracted….and check that coffee machine temperature for this too!

Getting a good extraction is a fine art and takes practice. Once you have it mastered, your coffee experience will be sublime! If you’re an espresso lover, then you know what we’re talking about.

Why not put this to practice and check out the crema when making your morning brew with your favourite Dancing Goat coffee.