Clash of styles: Classic vs. modern espresso. What is the difference?

When you order "un caffè" at a bar in Italy, you get a small, thick liquid that you drink in two sips. It is bitter, strong, and instantly energizes you. When you visit a specialty coffee shop in Bratislava, Berlin, or Copenhagen, you get espresso, which smells of jasmine, tastes of raspberries, and has an acidity that might surprise you at first.

Is one of them bad? No. They are two different worlds with different philosophies.

In this article, we will look at how the world of espresso divided into "classic" and "modern", which beans are suitable for the portafilter, and why it is perfectly fine to make espresso from light-roasted coffee.

Philosophy: Comfort vs. discovery

To understand the difference in preparation, we must first understand the goal the barista wants to achieve.

• Classic (traditional) espresso: Its goal is consistency and body. The Italian tradition seeks flavors like dark chocolate, nuts, caramel, and tobacco. Acidity (sourness) is perceived as undesirable here. It is a coffee for comfort – you know exactly what you will get, and the taste is always the same.
• Modern espresso: Its goal is character and clarity. The modern approach, associated with the third wave of coffee, perceives coffee as a fruit. The barista tries to extract its unique "terroir" (origin) from the coffee bean. If the coffee grew in Ethiopia, we want to taste bergamot and citrus in the espresso, not just the roast flavor.

Raw material: What roast level to choose?

This is the most common dilemma. Which of our profiles – Light, Medium or Full city – is suitable for your coffee machine?

Classic: Full city roast (Highlander a Simply coffee) If you are looking for the traditional taste of espresso without acidity, reach for profiles marked as Full city roast. The ideal representatives of this style are our blends Highlander or Simply coffee. It is our darker roast, where acidity is suppressed and, conversely, a massive body and sweet notes of chocolate, caramel, or nuts emerge. They are safe bets for more conservative coffee drinkers and work perfectly in automatic coffee machines as well.

Modern: Light roast and Medium roast The answer to the question from the introduction is: Yes, lighter roasts belong in espresso.

• Medium roast: The golden middle way. The coffee still has a pleasant sweetness, but you can already taste the fruitiness and the character of its origin. It is an ideal entry into the world of specialty espresso.
• Light roast: For those who want to taste pure fruit in their cup. This roast preserves the maximum of natural acids and enzymatic flavors. The challenge, however, is that such a bean is harder and less soluble, so it requires precise preparation.

The roaster's perspective: Why do we roast modern espresso differently?

"When roasting modern espresso, we walk a very fine line. My goal is not to 'cook' the bean, but to develop its potential. Dark roasting often acts like makeup – it covers up the flaws of the raw material, but unifies the taste into bitterness. With lighter roasting (Light and Medium), I put my skin in the game. If the coffee is of high quality, the roasting will highlight it. My job is to ensure that you don't taste me and the roasting process in the cup, but that you taste the farmer's work and the terroir – whether it's the wildness of Ethiopia or the sweetness of Colombia."

— Amir, Head Roaster Goriffee

Preparation and recipes: How to do it?

Here we get to the technique. If you try to prepare a modern espresso according to an Italian recipe, the result will probably be undrinkable (astringent and salty).

Recipe for classic espresso

The Italian school is strict and defined.

• Dose: 7 g (single) or 14 – 16 g (double).
• Yield: 1:2 (e.g., from 16 g of coffee you get 32 g of liquid).
• Time: 25 – 30 seconds.
• Pressure: Stable 9 bars.
• Result: Thick "crema", syrupy body, high intensity, bittersweet aftertaste.

Recipe for modern espresso

Modern espresso requires higher precision and often a different water ratio, to "open up" the flavors of the light roast.

• Dose: 18 – 20 g (larger baskets are used).
• Yield: 1:2,5 to 1:3 (so-called lungo or allongé style). From 18 g of coffee we often want 45 g to 50 g of beverage.
• Time: It is more flexible. It can be 25 seconds (so-called Turbo shot), but also 40 seconds at a lower pressure.
• Result: Thinner crema (light roast produces less CO2), lighter body (resembling juice), pronounced sweetness, and fruity acidity.

Tip from a champion: How not to fear acidity?

"People often have a prejudice that modern espresso must be unpleasantly sour. If that's the case, the mistake is usually in the preparation, not in the coffee. Forget the old Italian rules that an espresso must be exactly 25 milliliters. Modern, lighter beans are harder and need to extract their flavor into a larger volume of water.

Don't be afraid to run the espresso longer, easily at a ratio of 1:2,5 (for example, 18 g of coffee and 45 g of the resulting beverage). That extra bit of water 'opens up' the flavor, softens the aggressive acidity, and turns it into a pleasant, fruity juiciness. It's like the difference between lemon concentrate and a good lemonade."

— Šimon Janík, Barista Champion of Slovakia 2019

Clear comparison for quick reference

Which one is right for you?

Neither is better. It is a matter of preference.

If you like the classic, look for coffees with a chocolate and nut profile in our offer, or reach directly for our blends Highlander a Simply coffee. Prepare them in a 1:2 ratio for maximum body.

If you want to try the modern style, don't be afraid to reach for African coffees (Ethiopia, Rwanda) or lighter roasted coffees from Latin America. But remember Šimon Janík's advice: when preparing it at home, you might have to grind finer and let more waterinto the cup, so that the acidity turns into sweetness.

Frequently asked questions about modern and classic espresso (FAQ)

Why doesn't modern espresso have such a rich foam (crema)? Many people judge the quality of espresso by the thickness of the foam. With modern espresso, however, a thinner crema is natural and not a flaw. Lighter roasted beans contain less CO2 (carbon dioxide) and oils that haven't reached the surface of the bean. While crema is visually pleasing, it is often just bitter in taste. Modern espresso sacrifices the visual aspect of the foam in favor of a better tasting beverage itself.

Can I use modern beans (light roast) in an automatic coffee machine? Yes, but with caution. Automatic coffee machines are primarily set for darker roasted, more brittle beans. A light bean is harder and the grinder in a cheaper automatic machine might struggle with it (or grind the coffee too coarsely). The result can be a watery and sour coffee. If you want to drink specialty coffee from an automatic machine, we recommend reaching for our medium roasted coffees (Medium roast) or Full city roast blends, which are an ideal compromise.

Is fruity espresso suitable for milk (for a cappuccino)? Absolutely. It is a myth that only bitter coffee belongs in milk. When you combine a fruity, modern espresso with naturally sweet frothed milk, it doesn't create a sour drink, but a taste reminiscent of desserts – for example, cheesecake, strawberry shake, or milk chocolate with fruit. The acidity of the coffee and the alkalinity of the milk balance each other beautifully.

My homemade espresso is too sour. What am I doing wrong? If the coffee is unpleasantly sour (puckers your mouth), it is probably underextracted. The water didn't have enough time to extract the sweetness from the bean. Try two changes:

• Let more water flow through (change the ratio from 1:2 to 1:2,5).
• Set a finer grind.
• Increase the water temperature (if your machine allows it) to 93 – 94 °C.

Espresso is a living organism. Don't be afraid to experiment. If you want to be sure you always have the best beans at home for experimenting, check out our a coffee subscription. Every month we will send you a selection of the best we have currently roasted.