We all want the perfect cup of coffee. Whether you order coffee at a coffee shop or make it at home, it’s always more enjoyable if the coffee looks nice. One of the most important parts of making espresso look appealing is the crema. You may not know what crema is, but you have probably noticed it before. Let’s learn more about what crema on a coffee means.

What is Crema?

Crema is the layer of foam that appears when a shot of espresso is pulled from an espresso machine. It a lighter color than the espresso and it bubbles, much like the foam on top of a beer. Crema has come to be a symbol of the quality of your coffee because the look of the crema usually indicates how your espresso will taste.

What Should Crema Look Like?

Good crema usually looks rich, swirly, and amber-hued. If it is too light, gritty, or has too many large bubbles, then it is not a quality crema. Crema eventually dissolves into the espresso, but a good crema will last for longer than a minute. If your crema dissolves before that, then it’s considered poor quality.

What Is the Purpose of Crema?

Crema can show you how fresh your coffee is and how well it was extracted. If you are using old beans, then your crema will not look good. If you didn’t extract all of the coffee out of the beans, then your crema will be low quality as well.

While having a good crema on your coffee is nice, it’s not the defining factor of a good cup of coffee. You can still enjoy your espresso if the crema is off! This is because some beans that are very dark and were processed in a non-traditional way may not make good crema! And sometimes, a good barista can make good crema from poorly roasted beans. 

So, remember, you can’t judge a book by its cover and you can’t always judge an espresso by its crema!

Your fans from NHD :)

(Like what you see? You can make this will the help of our Organic Compostable Fairtrade Espresso Capsules)

Credits

Cover Photo by Nicholas Ng on Unsplash