“We personally source coffee based on what we think appeals to the wider market, how the coffee will translate as espresso, and of course, quality and flavour,” Ghilyon says. However, at the same time, consumer taste preferences also inform a roaster’s decision to choose a particular coffee for espresso. Ultimately, it’s the roaster’s responsibility to make sure roast profiles allow a coffee’s inherent characteristics and qualities to shine through. “Even if you play around with the roast profile, you would have to roast it too dark or develop it for too long, so you would destroy most of the delicate tasting notes.” Keeping consumer preferences in mind “In turn, these flavours can’t be expressed in the best way possible,” Kaapo adds. “However, when prepared as espresso, it’s more challenging to balance all of the citrus qualities. “As filter coffee, Gesha has more floral notes, as well as flavours like jasmine, peach, apricot, bergamot, orange blossom, and citrus fruits,” he explains. He uses a washed Panama Gesha as an example. “The same coffee with different roast profiles will result in different flavours,” he adds. “It needs to be strong enough for people to appreciate it on its own, but it also needs to cut through milk. “It’s about the potency of flavour,” he says.

Kaapo (who is also the 2021 Finnish Barista Champion) emphasises the importance of having a certain flavour profile in mind before sourcing green coffee to roast for espresso.

Why do certain coffees work better as espresso?Īlthough the roasting process itself has a major impact on how espresso extracts, choosing which coffee to use is a crucial first step.

Which is darker espresso or dark roast