A good espresso comes with a lovely crema. What is crema? Basically, it’s that thick foamy loveliness that sits atop the espresso. It is said to trap the aroma and the flavours on the palate.

A traditional crema coffee is a finer espresso - one brewed for a shorter period of time at a higher pressure. It will also result in less caffeine and less of the bitter taste that comes from the oils.

“Crema, the dense, reddish-brown foam that tops an espresso, is composed mainly of tiny carbon dioxide and water vapor bubbles surrounded by surfactant films. The crema also includes emulsified oils containing key aromatic compounds and dark fragments of the coffee bean cell structure.” quote