Glad I finally got that off my chest. It’s fair to say there is a common misconception that espresso beans are supposed to be dark roasted, often almost to the point of charcoal. This may be in part because espresso is so inextricably linked to Italy where it was invented and, in roaster lingo, an Italian roast is very dark. Or perhaps a lot of roasters go dark for espresso so that the coffee will punch through all the milk and sugar in your typical cappuccino, latte and other coffee-flavored confections that have so little to do with the coffee itself. Whatever the explanation, it is an injustice to an artisan espresso, blended and roasted to bring out all of coffee’s sweet and subtle, but distinct characteristics. A well-crafted shot of espresso produces a complexity of flavors that resonates in the mouth (and the memory). But the care needed to produce a truly great shot of espresso is very intensive and only a handful of coffee houses are really equipped with properly maintained machines and properly trained baristas to do this well. That may be one reason that there is such a vibrant world of home baristas, fanatical coffee lovers who obsess over their beans, machines and techniques. It’s true, if you want to do it right, sometimes you just have to do it yourself.
