Wide Variety of Espresso Coffee on ROASTe

Our espresso coffees come from a variety of geographical regions and artisan roasters. Both blends and single origin coffees are represented, all of which are perfect for espresso preparation methods. What are your tastes? Try an Ethiopian for wild and bold, a Puerto Rican for chocolaty, or any of our many blends for a chocolaty, fruity, caramel-ly or sweet flavor and combinations thereof. If Italian is your favorite, we offer several varieties from Italian roasters. Maybe sustainability is important to you - we have espresso coffees that are organic, fair-trade, shade-grown, and even rainforest-grown. With a selection so great, you can try new espresso coffees for quite awhile, without repeating, until you find your favorite. The fun is in the search!

"Espresso is one of the most misunderstood coffees. Available in different roasts and as single origin or blends, coffee becomes espresso through the forcing of hot water quickly through the fine grounds. This is done by a stovetop espresso maker or a more high tech espresso coffee machine on which you can adjust for temperature and amount of pressure. Either way, the grind must be fine so the water contacts as much coffee surface as possible as it quickly passes through the grounds. The resulting cup must exhibit a crema layer on top. Without the crema, the coffee is not the genuine item.
The term espresso coffee has also been applied to several darker roasts preferred by Italians. Beans roasted to this level are appropriate for espresso preparation methods, but when ground or prepared any way other than with espresso coffee equipment, the result is normal coffee. Such espresso-style coffee can be prepared in any coffeemaker, so we offer it in different grinds. If you find yourself with coarse grounds and you want to make espresso coffee in the stovetop pot or the espresso machine, you can grind the beans again to a finer level in your grinder.

"Espresso coffee is known for its crema, the dark, golden brown creamy area on top created by the espresso process which forces water through finely ground beans. Italians love the crema and will enjoy its aroma before quickly downing the cup in a few gulps. It’s okay to add sugar to the espresso coffee, but its full character is best experienced without any sweetener or dairy added.
Crema is affected by several variables. If made on a machine, the espresso settings need to be just right in order for the best crema to result. But other factors influence the crema too. This is where the coffees sold as espresso come in, because there are some varieties which produce better crema. This also might be affected by the roast. So the beans labeled espresso by the roaster might be not only what’s called the “espresso roast”, but they might have other characteristics that make them most appropriate for espresso coffee preparation and the resulting crema; thus this label is justified. The grind has to be just right also, because it can be too fine or not fine enough. So buying whole beans, if you have an excellent grinder and know the right settings, makes a lot of sense.