Poor or thin espresso crema
The espresso shot has little to no crema layer, or crema that disappears very quickly.
Applies to: Espresso machine, Espresso
Why an espresso has little crema
CoffeeHQ explanation
Crema is foam. Roasted coffee holds carbon dioxide, and under the pressure of an espresso machine that gas dissolves into the water as it passes through the puck. When the liquid leaves the basket and returns to normal pressure, the gas comes out of solution as tiny bubbles, and coffee oils and other compounds stabilise them into the tan layer on top.
So crema depends on gas, pressure and resistance. Stale coffee has lost its gas and makes little. A shot that runs too fast has not built pressure and makes thin, pale crema that fades. Very light roasts, which form and retain less gas, and some decaffeinated coffees give less than a darker roast would. Robusta gives more than arabica. None of this tracks quality: crema shows that there was gas, from coffee that is fresh, dark or part robusta, or from bicarbonate in the water, and that the shot met resistance. A thick layer of it can sit on a poor espresso.
Causes, most likely first
There are 3 likely causes, listed with the most probable first. Work down the list and change one thing at a time, so that when the problem goes away you know which change fixed it.
Cause 1 of 3 · Reported, not independently verified
Stale or old beans
- What to change
- Use beans within a few weeks of roast date; very fresh or very old beans both commonly produce weaker crema.
Cause 2 of 3 · Reported, not independently verified
Grind too coarse or channelling reducing pressure
- What to change
- Check grind size and distribution; channelling reduces effective extraction pressure.
Cause 3 of 3 · Reported, not independently verified
Very light or very washed beans naturally producing less crema
- What to change
- Some beans and roast levels naturally produce less crema than others — this is not always a fault to fix.
If none of these fixes it
Check the cleaning and descaling guide. Equipment that needs maintenance can cause several of these symptoms at once, and no change of recipe will correct it.
Work through it for your setup
The causes above are general. These go to the part of a diagnostic that takes this symptom one check and one change at a time.
- Make my coffee better: Espresso machineEvery reading for this brewer: the check, and the one thing to change first
- Flat, papery, little aroma, and little or no bloomThe possibilities, the quickest check and one thing to change first
- It foams hard, brews unevenly or tastes sharp, and the bag was roasted very recentlyThe possibilities, the quickest check and one thing to change first
How it shows up on different brewers
Tendency, not a guarantee
- Standard, single-wall basket
- Thin crema with a fast shot means too little resistance. Grind finer until the shot runs at a normal pace.
- Pressurised, dual-wall basket
- These make foam mechanically whatever the coffee, so a lack of it suggests a blocked exit hole. Clean the basket.
- Moka pot
- A moka pot does not reach espresso pressure and is not expected to produce true crema.
Easily confused with
- A shot that runs too fast — The two usually arrive together and share a fix. If the timing is right and crema is still thin, the coffee's age or roast is the more likely cause.
- Stale coffee — If the shot also tastes flat and the timing has drifted faster over the life of the bag, age is the cause and no adjustment will bring the crema back.
What not to change at the same time
Do not open a new bag and change the grind at the same time. Check the timing of the shot with the coffee you have before deciding the coffee is at fault.
How to tell it is fixed
A fresh coffee at a normal shot time should give an even, hazelnut-coloured layer that lasts a minute or two. Judge the espresso by its taste; the crema is only a clue.
Related issues
Learn the technique
Step-by-step guides to the skills this problem comes from.