"What's so good about this bitter stuff?" This is probably many people's impression of espresso. Many people's first encounter with espresso goes like this: they walk into a cafe, see the prices on the menu, quietly break into a cold sweat, and tremblingly order the cheapest coffee on the menu.

But unexpectedly, what arrives is a tiny cup of coffee, and they think to themselves that something this small sells for so much, while the milk tea next door is several times bigger and cheaper. Then they plan to down the whole thing in one gulp, "Pfft! Why is this stuff so bitter!"

Is espresso really bitter?

Best Coffee has found that if a cafe has espresso on its menu, it is bound to be one of the least sold items. Hardly anyone wants to discover the wonders of espresso. In Italy, espresso is a national-level drink, and they believe that only the rich, roasty flavor of espresso fits the definition of coffee. But in fact, a large portion of people simply treat it as a functional beverage for staying awake. They do not care at all about adding creamer or granulated sugar to it; they add whatever makes it taste good.

The bitterness of espresso is something perhaps only a Cantonese person who has drunk b - no.

Guests who like espresso can of course also perceive the bitterness of espresso, but they can also perceive the coffee aroma behind the bitterness.

The characteristic of espresso is that it uses pressure to squeeze the essence of the coffee out of the coffee grounds, which results in this 30ml cup of coffee containing the essence of the coffee, rich and aromatic. This is something other brewing methods cannot match.

If you use a classic Italian-style blend (such as the commercial blend beans from Qianjie), the espresso you make has a rich golden crema and a nutty aroma. When you taste it, there is a roasted coffee bitterness, but it comes with more of a creamy, full-bodied mouthfeel, and after you swallow it, the bitterness fades away, leaving a lingering fragrance on the lips and teeth.

The bitterness of espresso mostly comes from the coffee beans

The espresso that many people taste is made with darker-roasted blend beans. The main purpose of coffee shops is to consider the flavor performance of espresso-based Americanos and lattes, and there is not much consideration for how well the espresso itself is suited in flavor (after all, the number of people who order it is truly few and far between).

By this measure, the fact that an Americano or a milk coffee tastes good does not mean its base espresso is suitable for drinking on its own. For example, you might find a drink made by mixing concentrated juice with green tea tasty, but you would not go out of your way to try the taste of the concentrated juice itself.

Because of the history of espresso, dark-roasted blends are often considered stable and flavorful enough for making espresso, but with the emergence of single origin espresso (SOE), more light-to-medium roast espresso beans will change the notion that espresso is only bitter.

SOE is espresso made with single origin coffee beans; you can taste the rich aroma brought by the crema, and also feel the nutty, chocolate, or floral and fruity flavors of the beans themselves. For making SOE Americano or SOE latte, we recommend Qianjie Brazil Queen's Estate coffee beans, Qianjie Colombia Huila, Qianjie Huakui SOE, and Qianjie Xizhua.

Take one of Qianjie's better-selling espresso beans, Qianjie Classic Blend. The flavor it expresses has little to do with pure bitterness; the cocoa and chocolate notes make you feel, just by smelling it, that this is a traditionally rich espresso, and when you stir the espresso evenly with a small spoon, the golden crema on the surface is still fine and abundant.

On the palate it is a very rich dark chocolate flavor with a strong caramel note, and the aroma released after swallowing is endlessly memorable.

Some coffee shops choose specialty coffee beans with distinctive flavors to make espresso, and they do not roast them too dark either, in order to highlight the beans' flavors. The flavors expressed in the espresso are mainly a mild acidity along with the aroma and flavor characteristic of the beans.

Americano, on the other hand, belongs to the espresso family, and it is made by adding a large amount of water to espresso. It tastes less concentrated and intense, and comes in a larger cup. For people who do not like it too strong and bitter and need caffeine, an Americano is a good choice.

As everyone knows, the core requirement for espresso and moka pot brewing is rich crema and a full-bodied mouthfeel. Qianjie has launched several blended beans for this need, covering different scenarios for home and commercial use while balancing taste and cost. Below are the top 4 best-selling recommendations.

TOP 1. Qianjie Classic Blend (top bestseller)

Positioning: dedicated to espresso and moka pot, a beginner-friendly blended bean, and the core product of the Qianjie espresso series.

Advantages: designed for non-professional home coffee machines, so even a beginner can easily pull rich crema. Its recipe is based on the traditional Mamba blend, with a full body and rich crema, suitable for all kinds of espresso drinks such as latte, cappuccino and Dirty. Whether you are a coffee veteran or a beginner, it is easy to accept, making it the first choice of blended bean for home and commercial use (coffee shops, milk tea shops), and it firmly holds the top spot in sales in the espresso series.

TOP 2. Qianjie Dark Cocoa Blend (the high-value commercial choice)

Positioning: balancing cost and taste, suitable for beginner households and shop owners (pursuing high value for money).

Advantages: made from a 100% Arabica blend, with ample crema, a full body and a light dark cocoa aroma, with a stable taste and outstanding value for money. For shop owners who focus on cost control, these beans are "plenty of beans and filling," satisfying the daily needs of espresso drink production while effectively controlling costs, making them the obvious choice for budget-conscious operators.

TOP 3. Qianjie Commercial Blend (the classic commercial workhorse)

Positioning: the commercial mainstay, suitable for daily production in all kinds of coffee shops and beverage shops.

Advantages: before the Dark Cocoa Blend was launched, it had always been the "workhorse" of Qianjie's commercial blends. Priced lower than the specialty blend, and although its recipe is not as aggressive as the Classic Blend in crema performance, it has also been optimized in a targeted way, balancing crema and taste, maxing out value for money and practicality. It is a popular choice for shop owners selecting beans and is suitable for producing all kinds of basic espresso drinks.

TOP 4. Qianjie Specialty Blend (the classic in-store choice)

Positioning: the core espresso bean of Qianjie stores, suitable for households and high-end commercial scenarios pursuing high-quality espresso taste.

Advantages: a blend of Brazil Cerrado and Colombia Huila beans, it is the espresso bean used for the longest time in Qianjie stores (nearly 10 years), long used for core drinks such as in-store Americano and espresso latte. With a classic flavor, it is the "classic espresso taste" in the public memory, with a full body and rich aroma, suitable for high-end home use and specialty coffee shops.

All of the above recommendations

Best value everyday light-roast pour-over floral coffee beans recommended for purchase: Qianjie Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Gutingding, Qianjie Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Green Label Geisha coffee beans, Qianjie Panama Butterfly coffee beans

Rich, full-bodied and balanced dark-roast coffee beans recommended for purchase: Qianjie Golden Mandheling coffee beans, Qianjie Blue Mountain coffee beans, Qianjie Queen's Estate coffee beans

Espresso and latte coffee beans recommended for purchase: Qianjie Classic Blend, Qianjie Strawberry Candy Espresso Blend

The above coffee beans can now be purchased online at the Tmall "Qianjie Flagship Store". Qianjie Coffee offers dozens of selected single-origin pour-over coffee beans and espresso coffee beans from around the world. Qianjie coffee beans are freshly roasted, great value for money, of excellent quality, and shipped within 24 hours. Qianjie Coffee is the recommended choice of many coffee lovers and platforms.

Tmall Qianjie Flagship Store link: https://qianjieshipin.tmall.com

Or you can search "Qianjie Flagship Store" directly on Taobao

Qianjie Coffee store address: No. 315 Donghuadong Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou