What is Café Crème?

Where does Café Crème come from?

Café Crème, or Caffè Crema, comes from Switzerland and is a large coffee prepared using the espresso method.

It is also considered the Swiss equivalent of German filter coffee, but it is not prepared using the filter method. Instead, it is prepared under high pressure.

The term Café Crème comes from the fact that liquid cream is often added to the coffee. In Switzerland, Café Crème is also called Schümli.

How is Café Crème prepared?

To prepare Café Crème, water must be forced under high pressure through the ground coffee to create the characteristic crema. This is why most automatic coffee machines work with 15 bar pressure or capsule machines even with 20 bar.

However, the preparation of Café Crème differs from an espresso: although the same amount of ground coffee is used, four times more water is forced through the coffee for a Café Crème.

Which coffee is best for Café Crème?

The best roasts for Café Crème are light and medium roasts. The grind of the coffee should be finer than for filter coffee, but much coarser than for an espresso.

Like espresso, a blend of Arabica and Robusta beans also works very well for Café Crème, as it creates a nice crema.