Robusta, Arabica- Temperature

Supertechnico

 Hi All Coffee Lovers,

I really dig the magazine and this forum. I have read some of the rallied arguments between the robusta bean and arabica bean on quality etc.

I was wondering if anyone can tell me if robusta blends should be extracted from the espresso machine at a hotter temperature than arabica, and is there actually ideal extraction temperatures for both?

Super 8)

FreshCoffee2

IMHO (that's "honest", not "humble"), I don

Supertechnico

Thanks for all that. ::) I still wonder about running single origins of each and trying to find an ideal temperature for each. I'm hoping to learn more about blending coffee using the two varieties, although I hear you on all the variations. I think blending is what is letting alot of roasters down in the market today. It seems to be a skill to throw greens in the roaster (and call yourself one), but when it comes down to blending, skill mean nothing. Or there is a big coffee pallet problem with some roasters. Anyhow I will press on. Super

FreshCoffee2

There is more to your post than outwardly trying to adjust brew water temperatures. I am afraid you may have to forgive me, but please believe me when I mention (gently) that it is futile wanting to extract an espresso from a single origin robusta of any particular kind. Life's too short to waste time on lower grade coffee. Even the good stuff is wooden and flat with no aroma, imagine what the low quality stuff is like. Good robusta has its place in blending, in small quantities, to enhance various characteristics in the blend. But by itself...? Don

ristretto

Nice work Fresh Coffee you know your stuff. Supertech.  Getting the best from yourself and the machine takes time, practice and tasting lots of espresso from different sources.  I found it easier to be able to judge a good espresso only when I had tasted lots of bad ones.  For me it was a case of knowing what is bad before being able to recognise what was good.  That is why for example in wine courses they teach you about faults first.   When you can recognise what is not good about an espresso then you will be able to change the errant variable. Fault finding is the mark of the really good barista. Keep on your journey, you sound like you are asking the right questions, although there is no substitute for playing behind the machine and talking to those more experienced than you. Ristretto  8)

FreshCoffee2

Ristretto, and I thought I was the only one that starts (coffee) appreciation classes with fault finding first, in order to show how exciting it is to recognize what's not right, fix it, and end up not only with a great result, but an unforgettable demonstration of how you DO get different results from the same coffee beans and equipment, leading to the dawning conclusion of how imperative operator technique is to the entire equation. Bugger! Fresh Coffee.