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Owner’s book •
03 Espresso
Most available coffee blends sold consist of two different
coffee blends, which differentiate in taste, caffeine amount
and shape. Arabica beans have a rounded cut in the middle, are
longer and flatter. The unroasted beans have an intense green
colour. The cut on the Robusta (or Canephora) bean on the
other hand is very straight, it is rounder and it is a little lighter
in colour with brown or grey shading. Whereas the Robusta
bean has high caffeine content, the Arabica beans are milder
and more aromatic. Even though common opinion suggests
that pure Arabica blends are better than ones with a small
proportion of Robusta beans, it should be noted that a small
Robusta part (about 10%) intensifies the taste and the aroma;
it also simplifies the espresso making procedure and compen-
sates the traces of bitterness in Arabica beans. Even though the
roasted beans are enclosed in vacuum or valve packages and
do not lose their characteristics for many months, they are,
however, at their best within the first 3–4 weeks. We suggest a
dry and airy place for storage. Warmth, light and strong aromas
are to be avoided. Espresso loses its aroma very quickly when
exposed to air. Therefore, the packaging should only be opened
just before filling it into the grinder. Because more taste is lost
more quickly when the beans are grinded, only grind as much
as you need.
The importance of
the bean.
03 Espresso.
The importance of the water.
The quality of the water used is very important for the pre-
paration of a good espresso. It is important not to use hard
water, so the taste and the aroma of the ground beans can fully
unfold. The water hardness varies from region to region, de-
pending on the potassium salts solved in it. A German hardness
grade (°dh) complies with the content of 0.35oz limestone per
264.17 gallons of water. Many water filter manufacturers offer
test cards, helping you to find out about the composition of
your tap water and what hardness grade it is. We recommend
a hardness grade from about 6°dh (US: 0.336 ppm CaCO₃) A
normal water filter filters the limestone out of the water, so
that the aroma of the espresso can unfold fully. Apart from the
taste, there is also another reason why you should not use hard
water. Limescale can cause crust formation in the pipes and the
boiler and thus cause slow water flow. Limescale blockage can
also cause a reduction in temperature of the outflowing water
and thus affect the outcome.
01 Arabica bean: unroasted, roasted
02 Robusta / Canephora bean: unroasted, roasted
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