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Coffee Crema: The Adornment of a Good Espresso

A well-done coffee crema can be found on a correctly prepared, fresh espresso and makes you look forward to the perfect coffee just by looking at it. It stands for the quality of the coffee and the skillful preparation in equal measure.

With a good espresso, the crema settles by itself, so it is not poured onto the coffee. Ideally, it is light brown, thick and a few millimeters high. It is created by the oil in the coffee bean, which rises to the top after preparation. In addition to the coffee beans, carbon dioxide, proteins and sugar bind to form a velvety, fine consistency.

Connoisseurs swear by a good crema that it holds a teaspoon of sugar for about 3 seconds before the sugar settles to the bottom. The crema should then close completely on the surface. The settling of the coffee crema on the surface is particularly visible when the espresso is served in a glass. Then you can see how fine bubbles form, which collect on the surface to form a golden-brown layer. The finer the bubbles settle, the higher the quality of the crema. In the best case, a kind of hood forms on the espresso in which you can hardly see the individual bubbles.

The bean used for the espresso is decisive for the consistency of the coffee crema. With an Arabica bean, the crema becomes finer and lighter, it is velvety. With espresso made from Robusta beans, or with a proportion of Robusta beans, the crema becomes thicker and firmer, so it stays on the surface longer.

Different ways of preparing the coffee crema

There is no crema on a normal filter coffee, as this is only created by pressure during preparation. The higher the pressure, the better the coffee crema. With a classic espresso maker, this is not ideal because the water pressure is not high enough. That’s why espresso makers are now available with a special crema valve that ensures perfect coffee enjoyment all round. In fully automatic coffee machines that are filled with whole beans, or with pad and capsule machines, you can prepare a good coffee crema at the touch of a button. With high-quality portafilter machines, very high pressure of nine to ten bar is generated and the crema is correspondingly good with this professional method of preparation, in which the coffee only dribbles slightly at first and then flows into the cup with an even stream. This guarantees the perfect crema.

The characteristics of a perfect coffee crema

The crema is a quality criterion for the coffee and connoisseurs can tell whether the coffee is fresh or the beans are a bit older by its colour, consistency, dwell time on the coffee and the quantity. The fresher the coffee, the better the coffee crema. And the color also provides information: If the crema is very dark, then the water was too hot during the brewing process or the beans were ground too finely. On the other hand, if the color is too light, then the beans were prepared too quickly and with too cold water, or the beans were too old and ground too coarsely. If the coffee crema dissolves quickly, then too little pressure was brewed – however, the espresso cup may also have been too hot or too cold. In general, the ground coffee should be fresh, the amount must be right and it should be brewed with a water temperature of 90 to 95° C and a pressure of nine to ten bar – then nothing can go wrong. In terms of color, the ideal crema should have a beautiful golden-brown tone.
With fully automatic coffee machines, pad and capsule machines, the crema is created by additional valves that froth the coffee. A good crema completes the pleasurable experience when drinking an espresso, because it ensures a harmonious and velvety overall impression.

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Cooking Tips

Perfect Espresso Crema: That’s What Matters!

The crema is the crowning glory of every espresso. It should be light brown, dense and a few millimeters high. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always succeed. Sometimes the espresso has too much crema, sometimes not enough. Sometimes the crema is too light, sometimes too dark.

This characterizes a perfect espresso crema

A successful crema can be found on correctly prepared, fresh espresso and, just looking at it, makes you look forward to perfect enjoyment. It stands equally for the quality of the coffee and a skilful preparation.

With a good espresso, the crema settles by itself, so it is not poured onto the coffee. Ideally, it is light brown, thick and a few millimeters high. Connoisseurs swear by a good crema that it holds a teaspoon of sugar for about 3 seconds before the sugar settles to the bottom. The crema should then close completely on the surface.

The settling of the crema on the surface is particularly visible when the espresso is served in a glass. Then you can see how fine bubbles form, which collect on the surface to form a golden-brown layer of foam. The finer the bubbles settle, the higher the quality of the crema. In the best case, a kind of hood forms on the espresso in which the individual bubbles can hardly be seen.

How is the crema formed on the espresso?

Thanks to the high pressure of the espresso machine, coffee oils, proteins and sugar are released from the powder. They rise to the top and combine to form a dense foam with a velvety fine consistency.

Which machine brews the perfect espresso crema?

Crema is created by pressure during preparation, which is why it is not found on filter coffee. The higher the pressure of the machine, the better the crema succeeds. An overview of the different preparation methods for espresso crema:

Espresso maker: Crema cannot be formed with the classic version because the water pressure is not high enough. That’s why there are now espresso makers with a special crema valve that ensures perfect coffee enjoyment all round.
Fully automatic coffee machine: high-quality machines create a good crema at the touch of a button. But not every machine is equally good: cheap versions produce the crema through a valve that only foams the coffee.
Pad or capsule machines: These machines also deliver espresso with dense, crema-like foam at the touch of a button. Like some fully automatic machines, they have additional valves that foam the coffee.
Portafilter machines: They generate a very high pressure of nine to ten bar. Therefore, the crema for your coffee is perfect with these machines – and nothing is foamed here!
In general, the crema is a quality criterion for the coffee. Connoisseurs can tell whether the coffee is fresh or the beans are a bit older by their consistency, colour, dwell time on the coffee and the quantity. The fresher the coffee, the better the crema.

The bean used for the espresso is decisive for the consistency of the crema. With an Arabica bean, the crema becomes finer and lighter, it is velvety. With espresso made from Robusta beans, or with a proportion of Robusta beans, the crema is denser and firmer, so it stays on the surface longer.

Espresso crema too light? That’s the reason!

The color also provides information about the quality of the coffee. If the crema is too light, the coffee was probably made too quickly and with water that was too cold. Another reason may be that the beans used were too old and ground too coarsely. On the other hand, if the crema is very dark, then the water was too hot during the brewing process or the beans were ground too finely.

If the crema dissolves quickly, then too little pressure was used during brewing – or the espresso cup was too cold or too hot.

The most important factors for a beautiful crema

In order to create a nice crema, the following points should be right:

The ground coffee should be fresh. The aroma is best three weeks to three months after roasting. You can tell when this has taken place by the roasting date on the pack.
The degree of grinding also plays an important role.
The amount has to be right. For example, if you fill your portafilter machine with too little powder, the crema will be less dense.
The water temperature has to be right. It should be around 90 to 95°C.
The pressure should be about nine to ten bar.

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What Does a Good Crema Look Like on the Espresso?

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.

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