Espresso Rico - Toby's Estate
Welcome to the Espresso Idiot's review of Toby's Espresso Rico. This is one of the espresso blends featured at Toby's from time to time, and is usually available from the espresso wall at Toby's premises that sell roasted blended espresso beans to take home. This review concerns Tobys Espresso Rico made in house. At $2.00 per shot, this compares favourably with other espresso houses on the Sydney espresso scene.
"Espresso Rico again proves that the considerable reputation of Toby's Estate is well deserved. This is another fine example of a challenging and interesting espresso that is able to be sampled and also purchased and taken home. I cannot stress enough how much I like this place!"
Espresso Idiot, 23 October 2006.
Summary Information
Overall Score: Another superb gourmet espresso blend from Toby's. Honestly this place consistantly produces class espresso in house. A must for the espresso aficionado. 8 out of 10.
Presentation: Very good, well sized vessel, no spray or spillage on the cup. Beans freshyl ground and espresso delivered promptly to the table. Very well made. 8 out of 10.
Bean Type: 100% arabica. Well selected, blended, and roasted. 8 out of 10.
Crema: An even slightly frothy, but very thick crema covering the shot. Very appealing to the eye, and tasty. 8 out of 10.
Aroma: Strong aroma promising a tasty espresso. Pungent aromatic full bodied smell. Nice. 8 out of 10.
Taste: Very mellow medium bodied espresso. Acidic taste to begin with, a very smooth aftertaste building and rounding this one out. 8 out of 10.
Review
Toby's Estate has produced yet another superb example of an inhouse espresso blend that provides a little something for everyone. Versatile enough to be blended with milk, yet cheeky enough, and interesting enough, to delight the palate for those that wish to sample the shot as nature intended - straight.
This outfit prides themselves on the art of espresso and it shows with the skills of the barista staff that operate, at least from the City Road HQ. As you would expect the beans were freshly ground for my shot, and I watched it being prepared. The size of the vessel was correct, the machine appeared to be calibrated correctly for the duration of the shot, and there was no spillage or delay in delivering the shot to me.
This blend has a thick and evenly dispersed crema over the shot. It is well coloured, and is most accurately described as having a caramel fudge colour. The bubbles were clearly visible, and there was a rich sheen on top of the crema. This would maintain itself when blending with properly textured milk if you were incline to have this espresso as a flat white or even latte. The crema is one of the better apsects of espresso rico.
Off the shot the armoa is full. It has a pungent and strong smell that fills the nose and indicates the flavours that are to follow. It is a wake you up coffee, an espresso that would be very enjoyable first smelled in the morning to set you up for the day. If anything the aromatic nature of this espresso indicates a full bodied shot, however once tasted it seems that the armos is punching above its weight class. This is a medium bodied espresso that has a full bodied aroma. Magic.
The taste of the shot itself is medium bodied from start to finish. It is very mellow on the palate, giving a slightly and favourably acidic taste across the tip of the tongue to begin with, and then the full flavour hit comes on to the sides of the tongue as the shot is held in the mouth. There are earthy tones to the taste, and the aftertaste comes on once the flavours are absorbed. The smooth transition from taste to aftertaste is almost imperceptable, indicating a well selected. roasted, and blended espresso. Well done again Toby's!
This espresso is well worth sampling the next time you are in Toby's and are looking for an espresso to take you into the transition from medium to full bodied. With this you get the aroma of a more full bodied espresso, but the taste that compares more with a medium bodied espresso. The best thing with espresso like this is that if you are inclined you can also take it home with you and enjoy it from your own machine. Reccomended, and if you are keen to try espresso in Sydney, Toby's is a must.