What makes a great espresso? Italian espresso roasters look for coffees that are naturally sweet and smooth, with neither acidity nor astringency, which causes that mouth-puckering sensation found in many American espressos. Italians often blend robusta beans into their espressos, and also prefer lighter roasts. American roasters, on the other hand, tend to offer darker roasts, blended with all-arabica beans, and seek blends with more acidity and less complexity. Italians typically drink espresso straight, whereas Americans favor lattes and other drinks where espresso must overcome the flavor and body of milk. Universally, a thick crema is a prerequisite for a good espresso, which has to do with both the blend, roast, and extraction technique. At Kaldi's, our roasters blend and taste new espressos often, to make sure Kaldi's is offering customers the best-tasting options out there. Currently, Tyler, Jeff and Andrew are working with a prototype that uses three differently processed South and Central American beans (washed, natural and semi-washed,) along with a Sumatra for complexity. "The idea behind this," explains Andrew, "is to feature different process styles which are complementary. And we liked the leather and brown sugar elements that the Indonesian brings." Three of our baristas are competing in the US Barista competition next month. Mike, David and Alex are all bringing different espressos blended for their particular drinks. Espresso is an obsession here since, ultimately, what makes a great espresso is what our customers enjoy drinking.