Well… I wanted to make such a comparison for quite some time now and now, as I have the same coffee ground at two different settings, one - a bit courser and the second - a bit finer, I have the opportunity to make the test and see if this is gonna be a different taste.
The coffee is Honduras Finca El Puente
This coffee is supposed to have more classical taste, being a chocolate one but still it has some fruity flavors in it. Apart from the chocolate and hazelnut, you can find some plum notes as well. This coffee was a coffee of the month in January so I purchased both espresso ground coffee (M2-3 size) and V60 one(M2-8 size). Coffee of the month usually comes with a 15% discount, so I make sure to buy a packet every month. The price of this one was about $8 per 200g package.
And now let’s brew. First I brewed the V60 one.
The amount of coffee that goes into the brewers is 21 grams with the addition of about 320 ml of hot water. The hotter the water, the better for a light roasted coffees. As the roast becomes darker you can brew with a cooler water, but it’s not a good idea to brew with a water cooler than 92 degrees centigrade.
*This is approx. half of the needed water. *
Brewing takes about 2-3 minutes and the result have to be easy drinkable and flavorful. You can compare a nice high quality coffee with a cup of tea. When the coffee is more fruitful, a person not used to this kind of coffees will definitely doubt if he is drinking a coffee or a tea of some kind.
So… time to brew the espresso.
The coffee that goes in the portafilter is about 8 grams and brewing time is about 15-20 seconds. That’s why you need a lot finer grind level here. And what do the espresso drinker seek in their shot? A lot more intensive flavor and that’s why the espresso coffee is about 30 ml. Compared to a 120-130 ml cup for the V60 brewing method.
The espresso coffee is already brewed too! So now it’s time to taste both of the drinks. Can you guess which of the coffees I’m gonna like more?
Now… The V60:
This coffee as I mentioned is lighter and quite drinkable. Usually the coffees I brew in the filter are very flavorful and a naturally sweet too! The sweetness is missing here though. There is some, but it’s very weak and does not balance the classical flavor so well. There is a plum aftertaste, but overall taste is the classical chocolate/hazelnut.
The espresso:
Taste here is more intense and flavorful. You can definitely see that the plum is going along with the chocolate and the hazelnuts. Even the sweetness becomes nice and balanced. This is definitely the coffee that I enjoy more. Of course this result may be different if I try this with another coffee, which is more fruitful. This experiment showed me that there is a huge difference when you brew your coffee using different techniques even when the coffees are same. Most likely I will make this experiment with a different coffee too, maybe a red labeled one next time. One thing I’m sure. The next time I purchase the Finca El Puente coffee, it’s definitely going to be espresso ground one!
See you soon and have a warm and happy weekend!