Sweet, Sweet Super Tuscan Espresso

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Great espresso can be akin to a work of art. It can take your breath away and displace reality as your mind races and your imagination is set loose.

Crappy espresso on the other hand, can make you wince and wonder why you don’t love tea more.

I was very excited when I was asked by the Roasterie to review one of their espresso line products — the Super Tuscan.

Before we get to the review, let’s have a little review of what espresso is. I’d like to quote a snippets from the “What is espresso?” article on 1st In Coffee.

I highly encourage you to give the full article a read when you have a chance.

What is Espresso? One of the biggest misconception about espresso is that it is made from a specific type of bean or roast. The reality is that any type of coffee bean can make good espresso and depending on your location the roast of espresso can vary significantly.

I like what 1st in Coffee has to say:

“Espresso coffee is a small 1 to 2 oz. shot of pressure-brewed coffee using between 6.5 and 7.5 grams (about 1 Tablespoon) of finely ground coffee. Brewing takes about 25 to 30 seconds. Properly brewed, an espresso will feature a layer of rich dark golden cream, called crema on the surface. This crema is one indicator of a quality espresso. Making a great espresso is truly an art as well as a science. “

Espresso is literally pulled from the bean under high pressure (9 bar/135 PSI). The result is an amazing coffee essence with a sweet crema head.

With that in mind, lets talk about Super Tuscan. First I just have to tip my hat to the Roasterie for including a complimentary demitasse cup and saucer. It was a nice surprise to find waiting in with the coffee.

The coffee beans I was sent were freshly roasted just a week before. I don’t know if that was special for my review or the norm, but I can tell you that weeks later its aroma had not diminished in the least.

The smell of the Super Tuscan beans filled my head with its rich aroma, other people have commented about its robust aroma and I can definitely confirm their claims.

I fired up the Capresso Ultima Espresso maker and ground some beans incredulous that the aroma could possibly get even better and started the pull.

Black gold slowly filled my cups as the Capresso chugged away forcing the essence of coffee into my cup. The swirl of the forming crema soon followed in all its glory.

Bearing in mind the describing coffee is highly subjective and depends a lot on the taster and his or her experience, you personal experiences will no doubt differ from mine and that is one of the great things about the complex nature of an espresso.

One of the things I first noticed about the Super Tuscan is its smooth bold taste, that is to say it lacked the overbearing bitterness that can be so common in espresso blends.

So people like that bitterness, some don’t. I personally like just a hint of bitter so that the underlying tastes are not overpowered by it.

I did notice the buttery sweetness that the Roasterie describes it as having. It seemed to have hints of dark baking chocolate, with a lightly smoked aftertaste. Not the best description I know, but after four cups of espresso I was feeling pretty jazzed to say the least.

In conclusion I would highly recommend the Super Tuscan espresso from the Roasterie to anyone in the market for a great espresso blend.