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The answer to the simple question, “which is the best espresso coffee?” is not simple at all. In fact it is very complicated and involves all our senses and perceptions. The people asking the question want a definite and simple answer, which will enable them to go out and buy the best in the same way they would go out and buy the best bottle of wine. Coffee, not unlike wine, is subject to intrinsic and extrinsic influences. Unfortunately, many people in the coffee trade have answered the question as if an absolute answer in reality exists and only they are the ones who know it.
Any discussion about quality is necessarily personal. It does not matter whether we are talking about the quality of a painting, a horse, or a car. What can be analyzed are the factors which make up the object, the end use and our evaluation and perception of the factors. There can be a rational discussion of whether something in fact can be better than something else, and eventually a body of self-appointed experts will determine what makes one thing have quality and another less of it.
Some people like highly acidic flavors such as lemon juice, an indication that their palates have a high threshold for acidity. Other people are indifferent to lightly burnt toast and in fact even prefer it. Such a palate would probably tolerate burnt coffee and accept it as normal. Also, our olfactory and gustatory appreciations change during the course of a single day, what may taste good in the morning on an empty stomach may not be satisfying for you in the evening after a full evening meal.
For each individual person there may in fact be a best coffee, and the choice is often based on extrinsic factors such as price, origin, pleasant coffee experiences in the country of origin, and the packaging.
The bottom line is; there is no best espresso coffee. There are several excellent espresso coffees which have more coffee flavors that you may appreciate, and any one of those may be the “best espresso coffee” for you.
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