Coffee gelatin/creme

[Mary Elizabeth]

I'm trying to make this coffee geletin and creme, and the coffee flavor is too harsh. I am using a Pasquini espresso machine and Starbucks/Costco beans, fresh ground. Is there a way to make strong coffee that is smoother, more suitable for a dessert like this? Maybe instant coffee/espresso?

[mkayahara]

What do you mean by "too harsh"? Too bitter? Too strong? When I've made coffee desserts in the past (including an agar-based coffee jelly), I just use French press coffee. (If you're worried about the sediment, you could always run it through a coffee filter.) An Italian-style moka pot might work as well, but I usually find moka too bitter for dessert applications. To some extent, you can moderate the perceived bitterness by adjusting the level of sugar.

If you're just finding the coffee flavour is too strong, you could always use weaker coffee.

[Stephanie Wallace]

Try finding mild beans from South America that HAVE NOT been heavily roasted. The majority of the bitterness comes from the caramelization of overly-roasted coffee. African coffees may be too heavy on the umami for an application such as this. You may also have more success at getting a decent extraction by brewing a coarser grind in a french press.

[Mary Elizabeth]

mkayahara and Melange--Thank you for responding! I have a french press, and I'll follow your suggestions about beans and adding water to weaken the strength. I don't know coffee, so you have been very helpful.

[Mary Elizabeth]

mkayahara and Melange--I made the jelly and bavarian with columbian beans, light roast, medium grind, added extra water, and it was perfect. Thank you for your help!