PODcast #41 : Espresso Pods News

Welcome to The PODcast, PodMerchant's newsletter of espresso pod tips, news, education, and deals. Back issues of The PODcast are available online. This newsletter is published in HTML with images and styled text. If you are reading the "text only" version, you are missing much of the content.

Espresso Elucidations

The Strong Cup

In this first of a three part series, I want to talk about the qualities of what I call "The Strong Cup." It's with fair frequency that I get a call from a customer asking my recommendation for a "strong cup of espresso."

To address this request, first let's talk about the actual brewed strength of the coffee. The following will sound familiar to long time readers of this newsletter. First: Don't try to pull two shots out of a single pod. By diluting the coffee in half, you are certainly not on track for a strong cup. And as explained in PODcast Issue #36 and Issue #39, over extraction puts bad flavors in your cup. So point #1 — One pod = one ounce of espresso.

Now that that's out of the way, let's quickly touch on the roast strength. I believe that some of the people asking for the "strong" cup are really seeking a dark roast. In that case, I point people towards Miscela d'Oro, illy Scuro, followed by the various Neapolitan roasters — Gioia, Mako, Borbone, Izzo, and PodMerchant House.

But here, in my opinion, is what makes a coffee "strong" or not. It's the amount of Robusta coffee in the blend — as opposed to Arabica. Robusta is, well, robust — i.e., strong. Compared to Arabica, Robusta coffee is higher in body (mouth feel), caffeine, and acid. It is more bitter and sometimes astringent. Historically, Robusta has been a cheap coffee. But in the espresso world, roasters seek out quality Robusta to balance the Arabica in blends and to boost the crema. An espresso high in Robusta will have a very noticeable body (meaning you will know you aren't just drinking flavored water). The oils in the Robusta can create a body that varies from velvety to almost furry or grainy. Admittedly, the flavor is NOT sparkling and bell like. It is more like mud (but a delicious mud) with complex flavors of leather and chocolate.

And caffeine. Robusta contains about twice the caffeine of Arabica beans (see PODcast #8). So a blend significantly strong in Robusta will have significantly more caffeine. Coffees heavy in Robusta can be a bit on the bitter side. This can be mitigated by eating sweet foods with it — dunking your biscotti, for instance. Or just a tiny bit of turbinado sugar.

If you prefer cappuccinos and lattes to straight espresso, then blends heavy in Robusta are a natural. They hold up well under dilution with milk where the subtle delicacies of Arabica are generally lost.

So you say you're game to try some strong espresso? The biggest players on PodMerchant's shelf are Izzo Vivi, Lucaffe Mamma Lucia and our own PodMerchant Stout. Try some to start off your day.

Interested in the Strong Cup? Right this way to our listing of Strong Cup espresso pods.

Next month, "The Delicate Cup".

Espresso Tips

For your maximized espresso enjoyment, we present this issue's tip:

Tip No. 18:

It's been a long time since I had a good tip to share with readers. Are you getting watery espresso? How long has the machine been warming up? If you attempt to pull a shot well before the water has reached proper temperature, it simply doesn't have the ability to dissolve the ground coffee. The grounds won't swell up and impede the flow of water, so the water will pretty much shoot straight through, making a disgusting, watery excuse for espresso. I'm not saying you need to wait a long time, but do be sure to let it get up to operating temperature first. Oh, and this can happen too if you are pulling several shots and you outpace the machine's ability to heat the water.

Funny Coffee News

Caffeine Collision Cements Couple in Courtship

Ah, the romance of coffee... An accident between two first-time Starbuckers resulted in a romance and a wedding — at Starbucks! Learn more about the courtship of caffeine... the amour of espresso... the latte of love!

PodMerchant News

Our PodMerchant House line has done so well that we've expanded it to include a 100% Arabica pod, and a blend high in quality Robusta. We call this one PodMerchant "Stout". It makes a very strong, highly caffeinated shot to start your engine in the morning. Here's a photo of a Guinness Stout with it's famous head, and our PodMerchant Stout demonstrating the inspiration for the name.

Stout is indeed one strong cup of espresso. Be sure to read this month's Espresso Elucidation above for more on strong espresso. Note also the beautiful glass espresso cup. These are from Lucaffe and we will have them in stock before the next PODcast.

As mentioned last issue, at our online store we have implemented the ability for users to post reviews on products. We hope that you'll take advantage of this to tell us, and your fellow customers, what you think about various pods. We seek thoughtful and informative reviews either positive or negative (i.e., if you like (or don't like) a pod, please share what it is about it that makes you feel that way). We think these reviews will improve the usefulness of the site and assist customers in finding the best coffees for their taste. To write a review, go to the product detail page for the product.

Our shipment from Italy should arrive before the next PODcast. Look for expansion of our selection from Lucaffe with Mamma Lucia pods and a limited stock of Jamaica Blue Mountain. Also, fabulous new glassware cups from Lucaffe.

PodMerchant Featured Product

PodMerchant Stout is our new espresso for those who want a jolt in their cup. Velvety body — lots of crema — lots of caffeine. Good as a morning wake-me-up, or for maximized coffee flavor in a cappuccino or latte.

PodMerchant Coupons

PODcast subscribers get a 10% discount coupon with each issue. Just enter the code below on the Shipping Selection screen during checkout.

• Only one coupon per subscriber per issue.
• Coupon expires when the next issue is published, or at the end of the next month following publication of the issue, whichever comes first.
• Coupons are only valid for PODcast subscribers — we check use of coupons against the subscriber list.
• For more information, please see our PODcast Coupon FAQ.

For 10% off your next order — Enter code: XXXXXXX (note, that is "P-C-Zero") and please press the "Redeem Coupon" button or the coupon will not be entered.

That's all for this issue of the PODcast.


Kevin Garrett, The PodMerchant.