I want that European flavor at home

[hazardnc]

I have the machine (Rancio Silvia) and the grinder (rocky), and I have learned to pull a decent shot, but I still haven't been able to recreate the flavor of thesss cappuccinos or cafe au lait I loved in Europe. What beans should I buy that will give me what I want?

[phaelon56]

Keep in mind that for milk drinks the milk won't come out tasting exactly the same because they use Parmalat milk in most places over there (not to mention that the diet of the dairy cows is different).

Are you trying to reproduce the flavor profile you get in France or in Italy? In France it tends to be thinner bodied and a longer pull than in Italy - probably a long shot with about 2.5 oz of fluid from a double.

Also worth mentioning - if you have or can get access to an accurate digital kitchen scale it's a good idea to initially weigh the beans per batch until you get a good feel for what level of filling the portafilter will yield about 17 grams of grounds per double shot.

There was a very informative article at Coffeegeek a couple years ago in which Alan Frew (an espresso machine dealer) discussed Small Espresso Tweaks. It was specifically about his experience in trying to uncover the cause of noticeable shot quality variation on Silvia machines that he was pretesting before selling them. The major factor turned out to be the weight or amount of beans per shot. It's a quick read and very worthwhile.

I think a great majority of the more popular places in Paris use Illy. It happens to be the leading brand in Italy, along with Lavazza, but in the US it's overpriced and more often than not it's tough to get a can that is really fresh (i.e. recently roasted).

Illy has a fairly mild flavor profile which is agreeable to many people. Fortune Elkins just posted an interesting Illy related comment in her Bread Coffee Chocolate Yoga Blog

if you're the kind of person who feels illy would be an good cup if it were both fresh and a little bolder, then i think you might like the primo's quite a bit!

She's referring to the Primo's Organic Espresso blend from Doma Coffee

Perhaps worth checking out? I think an espresso blend with a relatively light roast (i.e. not dark and oily) and no robusta in the mix might have the sort of flavor profile you seek (many Italian roaster add about 10% good quality robusta to get a slight bitter undertone and more abundant crema in the host - some US blenders do as well).

You also might check out the "North Italian Roast Style Espresso, Daterra Farm," from Terroir Coffee. It's a single origin in that it comes from one estate but there are a couple different bean types in the blend. It also happens to be a Brazilian - same country of origin that Illy uses for sourcing most or all of its beans. Please note that I'm not putting Illy and Terroir in the same class - I think Terroir is head and shoulders above Illy in terms of quality and you'll find the price per pound to be about the same.

[hazardnc]

Thanks Owen - I was hoping you would respond!

To be honest, thre are times when I want to pretend I am in Venice and times I want to pretend I am in Paris

Do you think I could use the Italian roast from Terrior and adjust the shot depending on whether I want a cappuccino or a cafe au lait?

I miss reading about your adventures in Charlotte - have you not been in a while?

[phaelon56]

Do you think I could use the Italian roast from Terrior and adjust the shot depending on whether I want a cappuccino or a cafe au lait?

I'm a creature of habit and tend to strive for the same shot characteristics nearly all the time because, apart from the occasional straight shot or breve machiatto, I nearly always drink a six ounce cappa/latte in an Illy cup and use a 1.5 ounce double ristretto shot.

I'm guessing that the cafe au lait popular in Europe typically relies on either a lungo (long pull espresso with more fluid volume than a regular espresso shot) or more often, it is made and consumed in the home where people are using stovetop espresso makers (aka "moka pots").

Moka coffee is probably ideal for cafe au lait because it's typically a strong, rich dark coffee - ideal for cutting through the milk. I think to make one from an espresso machine you might experiment with a somewhat coarser grind and try for about a 4 - 5 oz fluid volume in the cup with a 25 - 28 second pull time. This should yield what is known as a cafe crema - close to being a "regular" cup of coffee but richer and stringer with some crema on it.

By the way... when we were in Paris this January (first time visit), my GF ordered cafe au lait a number of times and it was lousy on all except one occasion - really watered down tasting and weak. I was surprised by that but was advised that cafe au lait is typically consumed at breakfast time in the home in France - most who order it out are tourists or visitors.

[hazardnc]

1.5 ounce double ristretto shot

Okay - now I need to go to barrista school! What is this?

I do not have a sufficiently sophisticated coffee palate to comment on the quality or lack thereof of cafe au lait in Paris. I liked them, but perhaps it was the atmosphere that contributed to the satisfaction

I had great cafe lattes in Italy and a truly wonderful cafe con leche in Barcelona. I make cappuccino's at home that are probably a bastardization - more like a latte with too much foam ala Starbucks.

All I can say for sure is that Starbucks disappoints every time. I tried their French roast for making drinks at home and the burnt taste made me gag.