Discoloured crema

[jcla5]

Hey!
I work at a cafe, and recently we have changed coffee brand. The new coffee tastes great, but I am having a problem with the pour. The coffee is pouring fine, right amount, looks good, and correct timing etc, yet it is coming out speckled with darker brown spots. Could somebody tell me what this is and some tips on how to fix it? I have mucked aroudn with the ground, and different pressure tamping, but havent had much success...
Thanks!

[A_M]

Re: Discoloured crema

I have no experience but in teh first instance...

1:

The new coffee tastes great

This is teh most important fact - Its what in teh cup that counts...

2:

The coffee is pouring fine, right amount, looks good, and correct timing etc,

Well, that is an added bonus, if in doubt refer to point 1: Its what in teh cup that counts...

3:

yet it is coming out speckled with darker brown spots

Freshness of beans / The Blend / The Roast ..... Personally I do not think it is a big deal... However it is an INDICATOR...

You may find that as time goes on, it changes as teh beans age and maybe; "whats in teh cup"goes off a little... Thus it could be a good indicator..

It could be that as it ages and soothes out; "whats in teh cup" gets better ?

I am sure another more experiences CS will have a comment for you.

AM

[Rusty]

Re: Discoloured crema

it is coming out speckled with darker brown spots.

AMs advice is very good, my guess is the beans

You may want to check out this site for problems with crema:
http://www.sweetmarias.com/espresso-crema.html

[jcla5]

Re: Discoloured crema

Thanks guys, that link to sweetmarias was very helpful too, great site
cheers

[Martial_Monkey]

Re: Discoloured crema

Brown specks in the crema is nothing to be worried about. If it taste great then good.

[jamaicablueboy]

Re: Discoloured crema

ask the owner if it was significantly cheaper?

I hate coffee blends with bad crema, have been experimenting with various blends lately but have noticed darker circles on blends with robusta. Robusta will give better crema but I have noticed this happen with MAP and MAURO blends imported from Italy. Keep in mind these are the lower end of the scale in quality, even Arabica comes in A, B, C grades as does Robusta.

i dont hate Robusta, as much as I used to, some decent blends make a decent cup. Just my 2 bob ...

[Dimal]

Re: Discoloured crema

Actually,

I really enjoyed a straight Robusta roast from Dennis of Cuppacoffee. Naturally, Den only uses very high quality beans and after I allowed them to develop for about another 10 days after receiving them, the crema became much more dense, smooth and a beautiful goldy-bronze colour. It was most enjoyable in the cup too, albeit a little singular in dimension.

Im currently enjoying a beautiful Yirgacheffe AA S.O. blend about 11 or 12 days post roast. Simply superb as an espresso and equally wonderful as a doppio piccolo. The crema produced is a dark honey colour with flecks of red throughout, very stable and a delight on the palate being fruity, sweet, slightly acidic and with a pinot-like finish.... and thats even before I get to the espresso proper ;D

Whats the upshot of all of this? Beautiful high quality beans, freshly roasted and allowed to develop to their full flavour potential. Gotta have high quality beans, freshly roasted by someone who knows their stuff so maybe a suggestion from you for a change (if possible and likely to be accepted by the owner without angst) to something from one of our Sponsors or Andy himself? Most have national award medals for the quality of their efforts too 8-)..... Might be worth a try

Mal.