Making great espresso requires a few fundamental skills. Understanding the basics of your grinder and machine is a completely different experience than just pressing a button on a super-automatic and getting something “probably drinkable.”
Espresso isn’t easy to get right at first, and the early attempts can be frustrating. That’s where Koffeene comes in. You’ll find simple, reliable recipes to guide you toward a delicious cup at home. If it beats most café or takeaway coffees you buy on the go, I’ve done my job.
Along the way, you’ll learn how small adjustments change the flavor, to improve your coffee even more towards your taste.
At Koffeene, the focus is on simplicity. Great coffee isn’t about owning the most expensive or fancy gear, it’s about applying the basics to whatever setup you have, regardless of how much you have paid.
Here are the basic concepts behind Koffeene:
Primary flavor notes
Most specialty roasters list expected flavor notes on the bag. Usually, there are around three indicators on the bag, which map into broader “primary flavor notes”:
For example, on the bag you find something like “Dark Chocolate“, “Brown Sugar” and “Red Berries“, they can be categorized as “Chocolatey“, “Caramelly” and “Fruity“.
Secondary flavor notes
Coming back to “Dark Chocolate“, “Brown Sugar” and “Red Berries” written on the bag. These are the specific flavor nuances you might experience in your cup and these are the “secondary flavor notes” at Koffeene. However, flavors like ‘stone fruit’ or ‘forest berries’ have been translated into single flavor notes away from this grouping.
Sweetness
All primary flavor notes can express sweetness, that’s why it is decoupled from the flavor wheel and earns its own place. It is an attribute or a taste sensation, rather than its own flavor. Sugary flavors like caramel, brown sugar or molasses are categorized as “caramelly” at Koffeene and sweetness is either ‘pronounced‘ or ‘subtle’.
Acidity
Like sweetness, acidity is treated as an attribute and is labelled either ‘low‘, ‘balanced‘ or ‘high‘
Mouthfeel
Like the name suggests, mouthfeel tries to describe how a coffee feels when drinking it: ‘creamy’, ‘silky’, ‘smooth’, ‘soft’, ’round’, ‘balanced’, ‘structured’, ‘refined’, ‘crisp’, ‘complex’, ‘clean’, ‘juicy’, ‘bright’, ‘vibrant’, ‘velvety’ and/or ‘full’
The Recipes
For espresso, there are 4 baseline recipes at Koffeene, depending on the flavor notes, which determine the roast level across different roasters. While taste is highly subjective, these baseline recipes serve as an ideal starting point for dialing in a delicious shot at home.