‘For the preparation of traditional espresso, a blend is usually used, i.e. a bean mixture often consisting of Arabica and Robusta. This blend is usually roasted relatively dark to achieve the desired flavour profile of a traditional espresso: nutty, chocolaty with a slight to dominant bitter note. The focus here is on the art of the master roaster to select the right beans and roast them accordingly to achieve a consistent flavour profile.

However, there is also an increasingly modern interpretation of espresso. Here, the focus is no longer on the roast and the associated roasted flavours, but rather on the origin of the beans. Modern espressos are often so-called single origin coffees, i.e. the beans come from one growing region or one farm. The aim here is rather to emphasise the special flavour profiles of the individual origins, different varieties or different forms of processing and also to preserve them with a light roast profile. These types of modern espresso roasts then tend to have more acidic flavour profiles, such as citrus, berry or stone fruit aromas, or floral aromas such as jasmine or bergamot and black tea, depending on where the coffee comes from, how exactly it was processed and then roasted. More traditional, dark blends and roasts tend to have flavours of dried fruit such as dates or plums, more nutty characters such as hazelnut, almond or walnut and chocolaty notes in the direction of dark chocolate.

Traditional and modern espresso are not fundamentally mutually exclusive; on the contrary, they allow us as consumers to enjoy a wide range of different flavours and aromas, emphasising just how diverse coffee can be.’

Steffi's espresso selection:

Traditional:

• Melitta^® Bacio d'Oro^®
• Caffè Corsini, Silvano Corsini Riserva
• Melitta^® Terra Attiva Espresso

Modern:

• Melitta^® La Tazza Verde Selection