What is Coffee Crema?
Coffee Crema is a reddish brown layer of foam/froth that is commonly found on the surface of a shot of espresso coffee.
Coffee crema is formed through the combination of gas bubbles and the coffee's soluble oils/fats. The presence of crema in an espresso shot indicates a well ground and quality coffee prepared by a skilled barista.
What is the ideal Crema?
The end goal is to pull a shot of espresso with a crema that is neither not too thin, nor too thick. An ideal Crema that is having tightly compacted foam and a rich dark color.
- Foam bubbles - Presence of huge bubbles, it's incorrectly extracted.
- Foam colour - Too light, it's is an under-extracted shot, Too dark, it's over-extracted shot.