# How to get crema on an espresso without using a pressurised portafilter basket



## Gerardvo3 (Jul 7, 2020)

Hello everyone, I'm a newbie in this forum and I don't know if there's any article about that, but I have a question and a problem about getting crema in my espresso without using a pressurised portafilter basket.


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## Blue_Cafe (Jun 22, 2020)

What machine do you have?


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

The idea is that a pressurised basket pushes the coffee liquid highly pressurised through a tiny hole. This is not crema. It's "fake" crema. Call it "foam" if you want.

With a good machine,* freshly ground beans, freshly roasted beans, a good grinder and an unpressurised basket, *you'll extract the coffee properly. The crema is coffee oils (tastes horrible and bitter!) but it's an indicator of a good quality extraction and fresh coffee.


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## Mrboots2u (May 10, 2013)

Is the coffee fresh, safe you suing a grinder ?

Crema is not the be all and end all , its taste quite horrid and can be a function off type of coffee used and the roast level.


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Mrboots2u said:


> Crema is not the be all and end all , its taste quite horrid and can be a function off type of coffee used and the roast level.


 Indeed it isn't. Try tasting it.

Crema is made up of fats and oils mixed with carbon dioxide which explains why it is foamy. As beans age, the amount of carbon dioxide remaining within the bean declines resulting in less crema.


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## TomHughes (Dec 16, 2019)

Mrboots2u said:


> Is the coffee fresh, safe you suing a grinder ?
> 
> Crema is not the be all and end all , its taste quite horrid and can be a function off type of coffee used and the roast level.


 Definitely rethinking crema. My nicest coffees are some that barely produce crema and are 2-3weeks old


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## Blue_Cafe (Jun 22, 2020)

TomHughes said:


> Definitely rethinking crema. My nicest coffees are some that barely produce crema and are 2-3weeks old


 There is a movement (lol) that thinks freshly roasted coffee needs to age somewhat....

In all of my micro-obsessions i have had, i find Coffee to be the most hypocritical!


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

Blue_Cafe said:


> There is a movement (lol) that thinks freshly roasted coffee needs to age somewhat....
> 
> In all of my micro-obsessions i have had, i find Coffee to be the most hypocritical!


Not sure about ageing, but certainly resting for a week at least helps a lot. (Taste wise)


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## John Yossarian (Feb 2, 2016)

What happens then to the "tiger stripes"? I have always believed that the crema was a sign of a good extraction. Tomorrow I will try to "taste" the crema although with lightly roasted beans the crema generated is not that much.


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

Tiger stripes are created by insoluble particles suspended in the crema.


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## John Yossarian (Feb 2, 2016)

The Systemic Kid said:


> Tiger stripes are created by insoluble particles suspended in the crema.


 I tasted the crema this morning, from a light roasted Peruvian, and it was quite bitter.

It seems these insoluble particles form upon longer roasting as they are not present when a light roast is brewed. At least I have never been able to pull a shot with them, unless at least a mid roasted beans were used.


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