Every espresso drinker loves the brown, velvety surface, which not only looks good but also reveals a lot about the drink: the crema. Any coffee layman would now claim that it always looks the same. But in fact, the crema can give us information about the quality of the espresso. But which factors have an influence on the crema? Is the industrial coffee machine suitable for making an espresso at work? We get to the bottom of the secret of the crema.
What is a cream?
The crema is the golden-brown foam on the surface of the espresso, which settles to the top shortly after the end of the preparation. However, this only happens when it is made with enough pressure and only when making an espresso. Ideally, the crema has the pattern of a tiger skin. A stable, dense crema is a sign of optimal extraction during preparation.
If you choose an espresso blend with a Robusta portion, you will always get a richer crema than with a pure Arabica blend.
How can I test the crema of my espresso from the professional coffee machine?
One or the other may have seen it on TV: the espresso drinker puts a spoonful of sugar on the crema. The result: the sugar remains for a moment before falling through the crema into the liquid.
This scenario is no old wives’ tale: a good crema really is able to keep fine sugars on the surface for a brief moment. Just try it out.
Which factors can negatively influence the crema?
One factor that influences the golden-brown foam is the degree of grinding. If this is too fine, over-extraction takes place and the crema becomes very dark and tastes bitter. If you have chosen a grind level that is too coarse for your professional coffee machine, the crema will be very watery and unstable.
However, if you have filled your industrial coffee machines with old beans, you will see hardly any crema. And the one that is there is dissolving very quickly. This is due to the carbon dioxide released by the beans after roasting. If the beans are too old, no more carbon dioxide is released. However, this is essential for a nice crema. Only use fresh beans and grind them just before preparation.
If the crema is too dark or barely there, it can also be due to the pressure being too high during preparation. If there is too little pressure, however, the crema will be too light and dissolve very quickly. This is the reason why you can only make an espresso with a portafilter or an industrial coffee machine and not with a filter coffee machine.
The same phenomenon of a light, quickly dissolving crema occurs if too little coffee powder was used for the production. The opposite occurs when one has used too much powder. The only thing that helps here is to find out the right amount by trying it out several times.
If you have considered all these factors and you still do not get any crema, this may also be due to the type of coffee. There are varieties that naturally hardly form any crema.
And now it’s time to try and test what the professional coffee machine can do. Play lightly with the various factors and see what effects they have. Only by trial and error will you find out which settings are the best.
