Crema...can there ever be too much?

[Clonetrooper]

Hi all!
Just a feeler that I want to put out there...

Crema, can there ever be too much?

I personally dont think that there can be to much of this good stuff. I love it. Ive noticed that sometimes when the beans I get are fresh enough, I can extract up to 1/3rd or sometimes half a shot glass full of this liquid gold. This has led me to the question.......

just how much crema should one expect in the ideal double shot and single shot? Sure the answer may be the more the bettter, but really?? Whats the vibe?

[Wushoes]

Re: Crema...can there ever be too much?

No definitive answer for this one. Depends on what beans are in the blend, how old it is etc. Some beans produce more crema than others...simple as that. Not talking about robusta vs arabica either. Some arabicas produce more crema than others.

[robusto]

Re: Crema...can there ever be too much?

Creme is good, but taste is not necessarily proportional to its volume.

As you observed, fresh beans produce voluminous amounts of crema, but the taste will probably not be optimum. In any case, being primarily carbon dioxide gas, it quickly dissipates.

Crema for its own sake is probably much overrated. It is more valuable as an indicator that all is right--or wrong--with the extraction.

--Robusto

[Clonetrooper]

Re: Crema...can there ever be too much?

Ive noticed that the crema does dissipate and sag on the "megathick" pours, but not known why. I guess it would make sense if it is CO2. I had thought that crema is primarily coffee oils and was related to the pressure of extraction.

So what is the ideal tasting crema? I have found that intensity of the sweetness of the crema is not variable despite the volume produced. Am I doing something wrong? (Silvia, Rocky and mostly running Ethiopian Yirg or Limu or Bali God mountain as single origins)

[muppet_man67]

Re: Crema...can there ever be too much?

Idealy my espresso will be capped of with crema in the same way that my latte is capped with froth. I want to drink through it so that I get both espresso and crema in the same mouthful. I dont think volume of crema says anything about extraction. a 15 second shot can have heaps of crema. The color tell you loads. If you dont have any, or very little then you know the coffee is stale.

[Holyfrog]

This one seems to have too much crema.
It is quite foamy to be honest, maybe something else wrong with it.

(no - Im not using the Coles beans in the background. Fresh roasted Timor Organic, Freshly ground very fine)

Today for some reason all 4 shots have been blonding very quickly, but you'll notice retains some candy cane brown.

[Baref00t]

There's definitely such a thing as too much crema. The crema component is rarely sweet and often on cheap Brazillian base beans can be more bitter and metallic than the shot itself - I love my crema but as a component of the cup, not the whole thing!

[theonethatgotaway]

can never have enough crema to drink mmmmmmmmm