The secret of real espresso or what is "crema"

When we imagine coffee foam, cappuccino comes to mind, right? However, espresso also has its own foam, which reveals all the secrets of the drink.

We tell you how to read the quality of coffee at a glance.

• What is it about?

When espresso is brewed, the water passes through the ground coffee under high pressure. Thus, microscopic bubbles are formed on the surface of the drink, creating a soft caramel-colored foam. It is often called Crema. It is a mixture of gas that emits ground coffee, natural oils, sugars and proteins. It is extremely fragrant and delicious.

• What is it for?

This small layer on the surface of the drink is very rich, it gives coffee an incredible aroma. And that's not all. The cream adds a gentle texture to the drink, and even earlier, its presence indicated the freshness of the beans (however, in modern coffee machines, the foam can be created artificially).

• Coffee quality

Interestingly, the appearance of the cream can determine the quality of the drink. A very light foam, almost white, may indicate that the coffee has not been extracted long enough. That is, the water passed through the grain too quickly. This drink will be watery, tasteless. But very dark foam is one of the indicators of overcooked grain. This espresso can be bitter.

• Alternative opinion

Although cream is usually considered a very important part of espresso, some baristas recommend drinking coffee without it. It is believed that the cream adds bitterness to the drink and does not allow to recognize in detail the bouquet of flavors. But most coffee lovers, on the contrary, believe that the foam is the whole secret of taste. So here you just have to try what you like.