Our Magic Beans
At The Espresso Lounge we are always looking for ways to improve our customer experience through developing our barista skills; making the perfect Espresso as the foundation for every drink. After months of research we have selected a combination of Arabica and Robusta coffee roasted to grade 4 strength to create our very own magic beans.
Our all important Fairtrade Organic bean is slow roasted using the traditional Italian methods giving our trademark full bodied Espresso; rich in flavour yet smooth with a deliciously well rounded caffeine kick.
The first stage in the production process is known as “endothermic”, here the green coffee beans are slowly dried to become a yellow color and the beans begin to smell like toast or popcorn.
The second step, otherwise known as the first crack, occurs at approximately 205 °C (400 °F) in which the bean doubles in size, becomes a light brown color, and experiences a weight loss of approximately 5%.
In the next step the temperature rises from 205 °C to approximately 220 °C, the colour changes from light brown to medium brown, and a weight loss of approximately 13% occurs. The resulting chemical process is called pyrolysis and is characterisd by a change in the chemical composition of the bean as well as a release of CO2.
Throughout the final stage, the beans experience a short endothermic period which is followed by another exothermic step called the second crack. This second pyrolysis occurs between 225-230°C, and the roast color is defined as medium-dark brown resulting in our special blend used today at The Espresso Lounge.
Our Baristas are trained to understand every application, from roasting, handling the beans, packaging, grinding, timings, brewing and methods for steaming milk to produce the perfect coffee fulfilling every customer’s specific taste.
I often get asked “How are you different from other coffee shops?” Well it’s simple, at The Espresso Lounge we care about our beans and engineer every application of the process to produce a cup of coffee that exactly matches your desired taste. We don’t produce one blend and a generic Espresso for each and every person, that’s the magic of The Espresso Lounge. We wanted to be different and introduce the original Italian coffee culture which is why we ask “Would you like your coffee medium or strong?” (this does not mean one or two shots! It’s an application that involves quantity of coffee coupled with tamp pressure).
