Crema De La Crema – An Espresso Coffee Blog in Singapore

I’ve wanted to broach on this subject for a long time now, ever since some friends and I have experienced disappointments from roasters in Singapore. What typically happens is that we’re assured by the MBTC (Men Behind The Counter) that the beans we’ve bought are freshly roasted the week before or so, and then we get home only to find out the beans are stale beyond consumption. Before I go… Continue reading

While I used to dismiss the americano as a watered down drink, I’ve grown to appreciate it much more after talking to fellow coffeegeek KS. It is much easier to discern the taste profile of the coffee if one is not used to the intenseness of an espresso. Of course, this intense taste profile comes only with freshness of the bean and quality of the barista and the machine preparing… Continue reading

After reading James Hoffmann’s 1st video blog (well done, James!), I was prompted to do an espresso tasting session at 1 am, and I’ve done enough to give myself a caffeine high at this point. His last words were a shocker. I won’t give any spoilers. You have to watch the video.

The message is that he was also prompted to do… Continue reading

Roasted on I-Roast 2 Rec 2, stopped with 2 minutes remaining.
Full City to Full City +

2nd day: espresso, slow drip, 45 second ristretto, gorgeous naked flow. Extremely creamy, long aftertaste. Hint of spice, chocolate notes. I think taste will be more pronounced when it peaks later. Will be better tomorrow or day after. Needs more rest. Fantastic RISTRETTO roast. I’m in love! What… Continue reading

I’ve often wondered why the bubbles in the crema sink as a shot is being pulled. James Hoffman, WBC 2007, answered this puzzlement in his blog, jimseven.com. The ensuing article on the Guinness Effect is noteworthy… Continue reading

What is an acceptable rate of flow from a bottomless portafilter? Brazil Moreninha Formosa Day 5
For me, I try to keep it to a mouse tail. While I know this is applicable
to those stock portafilters with their bottoms intact, I’m not sure
about the bottomless. Something to look in the forums for. My ideal for
a… Continue reading

I’ve got just a bit of Vivace Dolce left, over 3 weeks since their roast date. To make the best of it, I’ve been

1. Keeping the beans in its original one way valve bag, taking care to press out as much air out of the bag before ziplocking it.
2. Keeping the coffee beans in the dark, away from light.
3. Drinking only Aeropress – I can taste the staleness when I did

Espresso extracted in 45 seconds may be considered over-extracted in most circles, but for me, it’s sheer bliss. I’ve been, at the advice of Steve after watching Hoffmann’s techniques in WBC 2007, grinding finer, and tamping lighter. For the past 5 days, this has given me slow slow pours of nectar averaging 45 seconds to a minute. And we are talking ristretto. Not thin, overextracted Charbucks crapresso. My tamp is… Continue reading