Thursday, January 29, 2009

What would Michigan style espresso look like?

That is an interesting question. What flavor profiles do you associate with other regions of the US? I have heard the NW has its distinct profile that is brighter than most of what I really get into. I usually imagine the flavor profiles of espresso like an equalizer on my stereo. The bass tones of the deep body and the bright treble of the acidity create a picture with curves like the equalizer knobs.

For instance, the espresso I currently use in my shop is CBI's Panache Espresso Marrakesh. It looks like this:



When traveling in the mid west I discovered a flavor profile that was new to me. I had intense midtones that offered sweetness to the milk drinks, but were a bit too sweet for my ideal straight shot. This is what that looked like:


Some times that profile has a brightness playing on the high end (the blue line). I don't know if that profile is indicative of the midwest (I had it in two shops in Nebraska) or if it is a style borrowed from somewhere else.
As I thought about a flavor profile that would capture the terroir of Michigan, I thought that it would have to have the brightness of a cold winter morning, the growl of industrial machinery and the sweetness of Motown. As I visualized the shape that would make it seemed ironically appropriate:

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