White Espresso?

#1: Post by **gsoll** » February 24th, 2006, 11:19 am

A number of years ago, I purchased white espresso from a roaster in Seattle's Pike's Place Market (and by a number of years, I mean over ten). I remember it being pretty good, but dont really remember much about it other than it was so unique. I recently have been trying to locate a source again, and have learned a couple of things. But, I have not been able to actually locate white espresso beans/grounds for sale anywhere. Do any of you have any bright ideas as to where I should look? Have any of you seen this? heard of it? know where I could get it? think I am crazy?

#2: Post by **another_jim** » February 24th, 2006, 5:40 pm

The term "white coffee" usually means a coffee roasted very light (375F rather than the usual 425 to 450F), and long enough to roast out the excessive green-bitter and sour flavors one would normally get from such a roast. Coffees roasted to this level and brewed regularly taste more like tea than like normal coffee.

I've never seen coffee roasted like this done as espresso. Does the description click with you; or was your white espresso something else entirely?

February 27th, 2006, 9:20 am

That description actually sounds right. I am only a beginner level coffee geek (i just know what I like at this point), so you will have to forgive. Your guesses sound correct to me, only the bean were ground into espresso-fine grains and I took them home and ran them through "my-first-espresso maker (TM)." (Ok, not really, but something pretty close to that.) So, with the item described...any ideas other than home roasting as to where I can get my hands on some?

#4: Post by **King Seven** » February 27th, 2006, 12:19 pm

How are they in a grinder? I'd be worried they weren't brittle enough (as anyone who has tried to find a way to grind green coffee will surely have encountered)

March 1st, 2006, 11:35 pm

If one stops a regular speed roast just as the first crack gets rolling, the beans are dry and brittle enough to grind fairly well -- I've done this to try Beduin style coffee, which is roasted to this level, then prepared in an Ibrik. Wet process coffees are kind of green and sour at this roast, but Yemens and Harars are really quite delcious like this, tasting more like a berry tea rather than coffee.

"White coffee" is either roasted very slowly or twice roasted. I'm guessing that will dry out the beans far enough to make them easily grindable. I've never tried this myself, since I'm not sure I could get the proper balance between green and baked without a lot of mouthpuckering experiments.