Full-bodied, acrid, bitter...There are those who like it long, those who prefer it short, and sometimes even cold. Coffee is rarely unanimous. We sought to learn more about this drink beloved by the Spaniards.
As you have probably already noticed, on TechnologiesTips, we only test coffee machines (filters, espresso, automatic machines) and not the taste of the drink, for a simple reason: we are not experts. in this domain. We therefore turned to specialists to find out a little more about the taste of this everyday drink. How to prepare coffee so that it is the best possible? Answer in this file... strong coffee!
The growing coffee market in Spain
According to a study published in October 2018 by Max Havelaar Spain, since 2003 the value of coffee sales has more than doubled in Spain. Today, a Spaniard consumes 5,4 kg of coffee per year. Capsules and pods, ground coffee, soluble or beans, we are spoiled for choice to taste our coffee. And it is the capsule that seems to appeal a little more to the Spaniards: according to an IFOP survey from October 2018, 67% of Spaniards drink their coffee with a pod, 53% consume ground coffee, 26% soluble and only 13% buy coffee beans.
Krups Nespresso Prodigio Introductory price €199
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Krups Dolce Gusto Lumio
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Bosch Tassimo Vivy 2
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Bosch Tassimo Suny TAS3203
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Delonghi Nespresso Lattissima One
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In addition to the raw material which is essential - see the end of this file - several criteria must be taken into account to obtain a good coffee, and not the least, since each type of machine has its own recipe.
How to master the preparation?
- The automatic coffee maker, expensive but effective
The automatic coffee machine is particularly present in our comparison. Often expensive and cumbersome, some are very simple, and others have multiple accessories and features.
First of all, you should pay attention to the grind: its size (fine, medium or coarse) influences the taste of the coffee. "A fine grind will be more suitable for an automatic machine" explains Renaud Fournet, Parisian Barista. It is also this very fine grind that will produce what is called "the crema", a small foam present on top of the freshly poured coffee. If the crema is essential, it is however not always a guarantee of quality, explains Thomas Lehoux, founder of La Brûlerie de Belleville: certain coffees like the Robusta have "a tendency to foam a lot but they turn out to be of poor quality. A very thick crema is obviously not the only criterion to take into account".
Another important vector, the pressure: it is measured in bars and influences the flow time of the coffee; a very important factor that has an impact on the taste of the drink. With too little pressure, the coffee is then under-extracted and it is too light. On the other hand, if it is extracted with too much pressure, the coffee is very bitter. And on this point coffee specialists have very different points of view: "The pressure should not be neglected, especially on an espresso machine where this factor has a great influence on the taste of the coffee. It must be at 9 bars and the temperature must be between 90 and 95 ° C", explains Renaud Fournet. The founder of the "Brûlerie de Belleville" believes that we must be wary of this criterion which is often a commercial discourse: "some manufacturers offer machines up to 16 bars, it is often nonsense and there's no need for it. It's 9 bars maximum for a coffee". In addition, for an espresso on an automatic machine to be successful, the coffee flow time must be between "between 20 and 30 seconds".
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Saeco Gran Aroma SM6580
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Delonghi Magnifica S ECAM21.112.S
Best price: 319.99 €
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Delonghi Dynamics FEB 3535.SB
Best price: 599 €
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Delonghi Magnifica S ECAM 22
Best price: 319.99 €
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Delonghi Magnifica S Smart
Best price: 399.99 €
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Delonghi PrimaDonna Soul ECAM610.75.MB
Best price: 1279.99 €
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- Filter coffee, the safe bet that is becoming more democratic
Make no mistake, the filter coffee maker is still on the rise: as we specified in a previous file, the filter coffee maker is still very popular in households. Affordable and simple, 73% of Spaniards use it and the filter is a very widespread method of preparation. The roasting workshop, the Brûlerie de Belleville, surfs on this fashion for "popular" coffee: "espresso is difficult to access for the general public, while filter coffee is much more affordable. For €35, you can obtain quality coffee, which is not the case with automatic machines" explains Thomas Lehoux. But how to prepare it well? The young entrepreneur explains the three rules for preparing a good filter coffee.
First of all, the water should be filtered to prevent scale from ending up in the machine and spoiling the taste of the aromas. Then, just like on an automatic machine, the grind should not be neglected: "for the filter coffee maker, it is a coarse grind that will be used instead, because it will promote the flow of water", explains d elsewhere the Barista Renaud Fournet.
Finally, there is the "recipe" which is the same on all filter coffee makers (with or without a grinder): you need 60 grams of coffee for 1 liter of water, "this is an essential point, just with that , we can get a very decent coffee", says Thomas Lehoux who specifies that the coffee must also be freshly ground beforehand, but also well packed. It goes without saying that the "pressure" factor does not exist on filter coffee makers, where the flow of coffee is natural. If this entrepreneur is particularly fond of Philips or Melitta filter coffee makers, we recommend the machines selected in our buying guide for the best filter coffee makers.
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Whether on filter coffee makers or automatic coffee machines, grinding the grain is obviously an essential point. Baristas and roasters strongly advise to have a bean grinder which will offer a fresh coffee whose aromas will of course be at their peak. "The bean grinder is not a detail, it is essential to get one or go to your roaster if you want to drink a decent coffee," says the barista. "The millstones (which allow the grain to be ground) must be efficient and have many grinds to make both a fine grind and a coarse grind", explains Thomas Lehoux.
The pod machine: "it's the fast food of coffee"
If the success of coffee in pods is therefore no longer to be proven, it still has its limits: not very ecological, in particular because of its aluminum packaging, its price is also excessive with regard to other forms of coffee. The Dolce Gusto capsule, for example, costs 40 cents, while the price of a cup of coffee beans is 11 cents. What Renaud Fournet confirms: "The problem with the capsules is that the ecological concern is not taken into account at all. And then it is a rather expensive product".
The founder of La Brûlerie de Belleville explains that the pod has been able to restore coffee to its former glory: "the quality of the coffee is not at all interesting, but Nespresso arrived by giving a qualitative image of coffee that the Spaniards totally lost". Coffee consumption is also very high in business, thus favoring Nespresso coffee machines. An "extraordinary" force, according to this entrepreneur, since the pod allows the coffee to always have the same taste, which is impossible with grain or ground coffee: "it's the fast food of coffee". And on this kind of machine, there are obviously few recommendations to make so that the coffee is well prepared: the roasting is industrial and the machine is adjusted to meet the requirements of the consumer. However, it is recommended to make an "empty" extraction before extracting the first espresso.
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Bosch Tassimo Vivy 2
Best price: 25.99 €
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Philips L'OR Barista Sublime
Best price: 59.99 €
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Krups Dolce Gusto Lumio
Best price: 87.9 €
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Bosch Tassimo Suny TAS3203
Best price: 54.98 €
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Krups Nespresso Essenza Mini
Best price: 86.99 €
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Delonghi Nespresso Lattissima One
Best price: 164 €
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And coffee in all this?
A roaster will confirm it to you, the coffee is chosen according to the tastes of each one. An arabica is quite sweet, while a robusta is more bitter. Less known, mocha, a variety of arabica, will leave a more cocoa taste. "Our beans come from Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia or Vietnam. Each country has a different property and will give a particular taste to the coffee", explains the roaster at the Oberkafé roaster in Paris. Bitter, sweet, more acid...
Attention, conservation is a very important criterion for the coffee to retain all its flavors: "a month and a half for coffee beans and only two weeks for ground coffee", explains Thomas Lehoux, who strongly advises against buying his coffee large surface ground. Stop misconceptions: coffee is not intended to be stored in a refrigerator, it just needs to be tightly closed and placed out of direct sunlight.
Obviously, there is no miracle recipe and good coffee only depends on the taste of the consumer: "there are several user profiles; those who want a coffee quickly and daily will tend more towards a espresso machine with grinder. On the contrary, those who want to take their time in the morning will prefer a filter coffee maker", says Delonghi's Brand Manager.
Like wine, the "ideal and perfect" coffee does not exist. Of course, there are important criteria for making a good coffee. The pressure, the grind, the temperature and obviously the efficiency of the machine are essential factors in obtaining a good taste. But beyond these technical aspects, there is of course the taste of the consumer. "It's a matter of taste," says Alexis Figini, manager at Delonghi.
