What is Espresso?
Find out everything you need to know about espresso, from what espresso is, how to make espresso, and how to drink it like a pro.
Table of Contents
What is Espresso?
Espresso is one of the most popular coffee drinks in the world. Are you wondering, what is espresso, how to make it and how to drink it? Espresso (pronounced “Eh-spress-o ”) is a concentrated form of strong coffee that is served in small portions. Each shot of espresso is around 30 milliliters or 1 ounce depending on where you live in the world. Espresso is a concentrated form of coffee that is made by using high pressure (usually around 9–10 bars) to force hot water through good quality, finely ground coffee. Espresso has a stronger more intense flavor, with a much thicker texture than normal coffee. This tiny coffee also has a layer of crema on top, which is formed during the brewing process. It’s created when air bubbles mix with the coffee’s oils, producing the perfect shot of espresso.
Espresso Beans
When it comes to choosing coffee beans to brew your espresso, you need to know which beans are best for the type of coffee you want to make. It might surprise you that the espresso label you see on the packets of coffee beans doesn’t actually refer to the beans themselves, but to the way they have been roasted. Most coffee beans sold, are either Robusta or Arabica beans, which are used in all sorts of coffee drinks. However, espresso beans are roasted longer and are much darker than the beans we would use for regular coffees. So when purchasing a bag of coffee beans, always choose one that is labeled espresso beans or says dark roasted, doing this will ensure you always have a perfect-tasting espresso.
How to Store Coffee Beans?
Storing your coffee beans correctly is a must, as they can quickly deteriorate and lose their flavor if exposed to certain elements such as heat, light, and moisture. Once opened coffee should always be stored at room temperature in an opaque airtight container. It’s important not to store coffee beans in a glass container, as the light can actually make the beans expire faster. If coffee is stored properly, the beans can stay relatively fresh for between 8-9 months but can degrade slowly over this time. For the best-tasting coffee, a great rule of thumb is an open bag of coffee beans should be enjoyed within 2 to 4 weeks after the roasting and packaging process. A great way to store your coffee beans is in an Airscape ceramic coffee storage canister. It has an inner lid with a two-way valve which preserves coffee for optimum freshness.
Espresso Caffeine
Considering espresso is served in a tiny cup, it has quite a bit more caffeine ounce for ounce than most other coffee drinks. Each shot of espresso is around 30 milliliters or 1 ounce and an espresso contains about 63 mg of caffeine. Whereas a regular cup of coffee contains between 12 -16 mg of caffeine per 30 milliliters or 1 ounce, that’s quite a big difference between the two. The amount of caffeine in an espresso gives it a stronger more intense flavor and thicker texture that we all love. The FDA recommends drinking no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine a day, which is around 6 espressos.
How to Drink Espresso?
As with most food and drink, there’s an etiquette, and drinking espresso is no different. Although espresso is served as a shot, it’s not meant to be drunk in one big mouthful. It’s supposed to be enjoyed and sipped slowly. Espresso is meant to be appreciated for its unique characteristics of both texture and rich flavor. This can be done in 5 easy steps.
- Step one, of course, is ordering or making your espresso. If you’re ordering remember to pronounce espresso correctly “Eh-spress-o ”.
- If you’re at a posh coffee establishment, you may be given a glass of sparkling water along with your espresso. This is to cleanse your pallet before you begin to drink, so you can pick up the different notes of flavor as you sip your espresso.
- This next step is optional. Which is to skim the crema from the top of your espresso with a teaspoon. The crema layer on top may look beautiful, but it doesn’t actually taste good. In fact, it tastes a little bitter. Crema is a by product of escaping co2 under pressure during the brewing process. Many baristas would recommend this step, but if you like the flavor, you can of course leave it on.
- Now that you’ve skimmed your crema, it’s time to stir your espresso. This is an important step as the thicker parts of the shot tend to sink to the bottom of the cup while the lighter notes stay on top. Stirring evens out the flavor leaving you with the perfect espresso.
- Now all that’s left is to sip slowly and enjoy the rich dark coffee flavor.
How to make espresso?
There are a few different ways to brew yourself the perfect cup of espresso. If you want to find out more, check out our article “How to make an espresso?”. It teaches you how to make the perfect espresso and get the coffee shop experience from your very own kitchen, without all the fancy equipment.
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How to Make Espresso
Ingredients
Instructions
- First, weigh and grind your coffee beans until they're a very fine powder. The average single shot of espresso uses around 6 to 8 grams of coffee.Coffee beans
- Next fill your portafilter and tamp your shot.
- Lastly, attach the portafilter to your coffee machine and pull your shot of espresso.
Have you ever tried espresso with chocolate? Espresso with chocolate is such a simple recipe yet tastes so delicious and is a very popular . Why not give it a go next time you make yourself a shot of espresso, your taste buds will thank you for it.
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