The first thing you taste, as you drink a nice hot espresso, is the rich and foamy layer of crema. It is a distinctive golden brown-colored foam that remains on top of a freshly pulled shot of espresso. This layer of crema is formed when air bubbles from the piping hot water combine with ground coffee's soluble oils.
Regular espresso drinkers know that a good espresso shot will have a thick layer of crema. If you have no crema, it is a sign that the espresso is not good. We know for a fact that Coffeeza machines and capsules delivers perfect espressos with a nice layer of crema, before we tell you why, let’s understand what are the causes of a low-quality crema.
1- Wrong grind size of coffee
In regular espresso machines, using the wrong coffee grind size is the most common reason for no crema. Espresso requires a much finer grind size than drip coffee or normal ground coffee for general coffee machines. Espresso grounds should ideally be finer than table salt. You'll get a flat, flavorless espresso with no crema if the coffee grounds are too thin. Furthermore, if the coffee grounds are too coarse, hot water will pass through them too rapidly, not giving them enough time to mix well enough to extract the oil that creates the crema, resulting in weak tasting under-extracted coffee.
With Coffeeza pods, you do not have to worry about getting the right grind size of ground coffee, as they are pre-packed with freshly roasted, finely ground coffee for pulling the ideal espresso shot.
2- Not enough water pressure
Another possible reason is that the water pressure in your espresso machine is too low. With a cheaper espresso machine, the water is not hot enough, and there is not enough pressure to get a good shot of espresso with a good crema. Generally, espresso machines need 7-9 bars of pressure to make a good espresso, Coffeeza machines have 20 bar pressure, which makes it one of the best espresso making machines. The Finero Next is a top selling espresso machine on Amazon as well.
3- Stale Coffee Beans
Coffee made from stale beans will taste unpleasant and will ruin any coffee-making process. Since these beans have been exposed to oxygen, the oils that give high-quality coffee its flavour have already been broken down. Without the precious oils, crema cannot be produced. Coffee beans can go bad very quickly at home (the same goes for ground coffee as well), and buying in small batches when everyone is pressed for time can be a hassle. It is ideal to use Coffeeza coffee pods for this, since you don't have to worry about the beans going bad, you don't have to grind and measure them (think about all the cleaning to skip on), and you save a great deal of time. The coffee grounds are nitrogen flushed and packaged in a unique capsule format, which allows it to stay fresh for a long time.
We addressed the 3 main factors that affect the quality of the crema, the coffee to water ratio is sometimes a problem as well, but fully automated espresso machines have preset dispense quantities that take care of this issue. With Coffeeza machines you can be assured of a quality cup of espresso with a nice, thick layer of crema on top on every use.
