What is espresso?
Don’t get deceived by its tiny size. Tiny size of what? Well, the coffee drink that’s very concentrated and comes with a bundle of flavor and aroma….and also has crema on top, the crema when blended with the liquid down below gives a rich texture to the overall drink. Wait, wait, wait a sec. If people ask what are we really describing? Then just tell them…..bro, that’s exactly what is an espresso!!!
Though it’s tiny in size, it packs such a punch in terms of flavor and intensity, that once it’s consumed people will remember it. Not over yet.
Espresso is not just the name of the drink. The method of brewing this drink is also called espresso. And the brewing method goes like this (just a brief). Firstly you need an espresso machine. Then turn on the machine so that the water passes or forces itself through finely ground and compacted coffee (at very high pressure), which is in the portafilter. After all of this brewing stuff is done, then guess what? Your espresso, is ready to show!
It comes in shots, you can straight away (we like it with sugar) drink it like a boss. Or it can also be used as a base, to make coffees with different tastes, by adding milk, cream or water to it. Cappuccino, latte, americano, mocha, cortado, affogato, brown sugar shaken espresso etc are all coffees which are built upon it. All of these drinks will be discussed in detail in separate blog posts. But for now, let’s espresso…
‘The X factor’ that makes it so very different
Ever wondered what really makes the difference between espresso and regular brewed coffee? See, both use the same type of coffee beans, same variety, from the same countries of origin. Well…It all comes down to the espresso machine. The ‘immense pressure’ generated by an espresso machine is what makes the ultimate difference!!! Is it? Yes, it is.
Thinking how much pressure are we talking about? Wait a sec, before that let’s know that Earth’s standard atmospheric pressure at sea level where (just think) you’re hanging out with your friends is… 1.013 bar. It’s due to the force exerted on you by the air above, and gravity is what pulls all of you down to the ground. So, if you compare that with how much pressure an espresso machine generates, the answer is gonna be…9 bars, which is approx nine times the force of gravity!!!
Let me remind you…that’s a significant amount of pressure! And thereby, the coffee drink that’s brewed by an espresso machine due to its high pressure, is gonna be super concentrated, which can’t be replicated by any other methods.
What does it taste like?
Let’s make one thing crystal clear. Irrespective of the ‘type of roast’…..espresso’s gonna be highly concentrated, and intense in flavor + aroma, because it’s dependent on it’s 1:2 ratio of finely ground coffee and water.
Note : If the beans are roasted to a temp greater than the standard temp of a traditional dark roast (extra dark), then lemme tell you it’ll be kinda burnt and too bitter.
DARK ROAST :
Now let’s get down to roasts suitable for espresso and star of our show ‘taste’. An espresso can be made with light, medium or dark roasted coffee beans. But the ones that are mostly used for getting a bold, bitter and classic coffeeish taste are none other than the ‘dark roasted beans’. They are roasted for a longer time than light and medium roasts. As a result, they’ll have an oily and shiny exterior, and the espresso made out of these beans is very popular.
It’s dark … .and tastes bitter, smooth, heavy or full bodied, with notes of chocolate, caramel and nuts! If you’re asking about acidity (brightness), it’s very very less, and there’s no sign of origin characteristics like fruity, floral or citrus notes. Without sugar, few coffee purists may like it, but adding sugar will make it bittersweet (we just like it this way). All in all, it’s a flavourful delight (a proper traditional coffee taste) when taken as an espresso!
One thing which can be taken as a pro or as a con is that dark roasts coming from different origins or which are processed differently taste almost the same. So, the positive here is that there’s awesome consistency. Everytime you order, you can expect the all amazing, classic coffee taste. But, if you want to be surprised every time with different notes or origin characteristics, then that’s probably not possible here.
Note: In between the medium and dark roasts, you’ll be happy to meet medium-dark roasts. They offer the best of both worlds, and are also preferred by quite a good number of coffee drinkers for an espresso.
MEDIUM DARK ROAST :
Go one step down on the coffee roasting spectrum, and say hi…..to medium roasts. Here, beans are roasted for a lesser time than medium-dark roasts and are medium brown in color, without having an oily and shiny exterior. A little bit of origin characteristics can be found in the cup, whether it’s fruity, floral, citrusy, or any other origin notes. When compared to a dark roasted espresso, this one’s gonna be not so bitter, but medium bodied, with slight notes of chocolate, caramel and nuts.
You’ll also be finding it to be medium in acidity. Watch out for this type of roast, as it’s an absolute harmony of flavors between the two extremes (i.e light and dark roasts). Adding sugar is a debate, but you know our choice right ? (we add sugar) and it comes out to be really really good, very well balanced as an espresso! Ok, another question, do medium roasts from different origins or which are processed differently…taste different? Of course they do, there’s a certain degree of variation for sure.
But since this is a medium roast, everything is about moderation here. So there will be some degree of familiarity, and there will also be variation (an element of surprise) if you’re tasting different coffees. So, watch out!
LIGHT ROAST :
Next come the light roasted coffee beans at the lower end of the coffee spectrum which are polar opposite to the dark roasted ones in all the categories, be it looks, aroma or flavor. They’re roasted for the least amount of time, resulting in a matte finish, light brown color, and no trace of oil or shine on the exterior. With specialty coffee roasters popping up big time, as well as Starbucks launching their blonde espresso (a trendy name for light roasted espresso), few coffee aficionados are curious to try light roasted coffee beans.
The espresso made outta these light roasted coffee beans when compared to medium or dark roasted ones has the least bitterness, lightest body, and notes of chocolate, nuts or caramel are absent. But, on the other hand, it has the highest origin characteristics in the cup which could be fruity, floral, citrusy, spicy etc. (It’s kind of like tea without milk). This one’s a complete twist in flavor and is also very acidic, (not to forget, we like to add a bit of sugar, irrespective of what your neighborhood third wave roasters think or say).
Everytime you taste a light roast from a different origin, or which is processed differently after harvesting coffee cherries, you’ll be taken aback! All roasts have their own significance as mentioned here. But if you wanna surprise yourself or your kith and kin with a different coffee each time, light roast will do that for you. One thing missing will be the classic coffee taste that we get from dark roasted coffee. So, it’s all about priorities!
Note : The light roast was named ‘Cinnamon roast’ earlier, which meant that light roast had the same color (light brown) and no oiliness on the surface as that of cinnamon. But it didn’t catch up with the consumers, and created a lot of confusion as customers thought that cinnamon roast was coffee having a cinnamon flavor.
Later on, Starbucks popularized a catchy new word for light roast coffee and that was ‘blonde coffee’, (don’t know who exactly started using this word in coffee). And the espresso made out of these light roasted coffee beans came to be known as ‘blonde espresso’. So what does it taste like, and if there are any other questions in your mind with respect to this blonde drink…..well, the answers are ditto as that of light roasted espresso described in the above paragraph.
Crema, is it bitter or is it sweet or anything else?
Crema on top of an espresso is like icing on the cake. It’s what makes espresso look strikingly different from any other filter coffee. It’s the foam that forms on the top. So, how’s it formed? Well…roasting increases CO2 in coffee beans. Next, when you’re making espresso, as the hot water comes into contact with roast and ground coffee (under pressure), CO2 rushes out of it, combines with coffee oils and rises to the top of your drink.
This foamy layer that’s formed on the top, lighter than the liquid down below, is what’s called crema (only formed in espresso). In Italian, crema’s meaning is cream…(and it is creamy for sure).
By itself, crema doesn’t at all taste sweet. Instead it tastes kinda dry, ashy and bitter depending opon your roast level, as it’s made up of just CO2 and coffee oils. Upcoming is a hot topic….lets see which side are you on? Do you taste crema as it is without stirring, or do you stir espresso and thereby blend crema with the liquid, or do you just scoop it off?? Come on, compare what you were doing with our suggestion and decide for yourself.
If you’re inclined to taste fruity, floral, citrusy or other origin characteristics (mostly from light or even light-medium roasts) in your espresso, coupled with high or even medium acidity, then crema may be scooped off. On the other hand, if you don’t mind the crema’s extra bitterness or in fact even like it when mixed with the liquid down below (this happens when espresso is made from medium, medium dark, dark roasts), and if you’re someone who adds sugar, then just like the vast majority of classic coffee drinkers (including us), just stir your drink, bro…that’s it.
There’s a third category as well, not stirring the crema with the liquid and tasting by itself, well… that shouldn’t happen, as crema doesn’t taste good on its own. Either we need to be scooping it off or blending it in.
Next, regarding the texture of espresso…..crema blended with the liquid down below gives a nice, kinda creamy texture, something that’s preferred widely. If not mixed, it sits on the top and then dissipates. One more thing, crema is also a prerequisite for making latte art. All in all, crema plays a key role for multiple things.
Another important question, what increases crema? To answer that, well… There are multiple factors, but 2 of them play a significant role (Roast level and freshness). Higher the roasting level, greater is the crema that’ll be formed, thereby darker roasts have more crema (as CO2 increases with roasting). Now, this roasted coffee has to be ground soon. So, freshness also helps in forming crema. If this coffee becomes old or stale, less crema will be formed.
There are other factors too with respect to more crema and longer lasting crema, like the variety of coffee (arabica or robusta), type of processing etc. But, the 2 mentioned above (roast level and freshness) are the most critical ones.
How do you order espresso? And various options in doing so
When you’re at a coffee shop, then order espresso just by saying that you need a shot of espresso or you can also order it in multiple ways described below. Also know that you should not just drink it in a single sip, or else you’ll look like a bot …because here shot refers to a single ounce of espresso, produced by the espresso machine, which is the same measurement as that of a liquid shot.
And, you can savor it in a way it’s served best, which is in a demitasse cup (aka espresso cups or cute coffee cups). But, before that let’s look at the various ways to order an espresso :
- Solo – Also called ‘single shot’. It’s a regular single ounce espresso shot, on its own.
- Doppio – Also called ‘double shot’. It’s a single espresso shot, but the quantity is doubled. So, that’s 2 ounces of espresso in your cup. Double the amount of ground coffee is taken in a bigger portafilter to brew this.
- Lungo – The name gives it away here too. ‘Lungo’ which means ‘long’ in Italian, is called so as it takes a longer extraction time and hence the coffee used remains the same as that of a normal shot, but here, more quantity of water (sometimes double quantity) is used when compared to that of a normal shot. (1 : 2.5 to 1 : 4+ is the ratio of ground coffee to water).
- Ristretto – It means to be restricted. This is the most concentrated of all espresso drinks, as a lesser quantity of water (sometimes half) when compared to a normal shot is used here, and it has a shorter extraction time. (1 : 1 to 1 : 1.5 is the ratio of ground coffee and water).
Few other forms of espresso
Freddo espresso – Wish to drink espresso during hot weather? But giving it a double thought because hot espresso in hot weather is not quite a match. Just do one thing. Drink and chill with a freddo ! Yeah, it’s hot espresso to which ice cubes are added along with sugar, then blended or mixed or shaken, so ultimately it becomes a cold and crushed coffee drink.
Freddo means cold. Therefore, freddo espresso also refers to cold espresso or iced espresso, and is a super popular Greek island drink.
Americano – If a straight up espresso (a single shot) is too strong for you, then this option can be chosen. An Americano is an espresso shot to which water is added. So, the ratio is generally ⅓ espresso to ⅔ water. However, it differs in preparation at different coffee shops, and also depends on the customers preference.
Till now, all of the drinks mentioned above look like an espresso itself, or when diluted with water, they look like diluted versions of espresso. Next are drinks which use espresso as base and add milk or foam to it.
Uses of espresso, other than just drinking it straight as a shot
When not consumed on its own or just by adding water, espresso acts like the foundation to the superstructure. This is when it doesn’t look like an espresso itself, and blends with milk and/or foam or ice cream to give a completely different flavor.
It’s used to make some of the most wanted coffee drinks such as the Cappuccino, Latte, Macchiato, Flat white, Mocha, Cortado, Affogato, Brown sugar shaken espresso etc. These are all drinks in which milk and/or foam combines with espresso, except for Affogato. That’s the one which blends espresso with ice cream.
Other than this, brewed espresso is used to make espresso powder (instant), which in general is used a lot for cooking and baking, rather than as a coffee drink. When added to chocolate, it’s a steal. If not, there are plenty of other ways too where this one plays a crucial role.
There is another application of espresso beans, and that’s in making chocolate covered espresso beans. These are a great option for getting that coffee flavor you’re so used to, when not in a coffee drinking mode. It’s mentioned as chocolate covered espresso beans, but in reality espresso beans are the same as coffee beans.
Dark roasted coffee beans are used here, which mostly makes espressos. So, that’s why they are called espresso beans. Just put it in your mouth…the choco coating will be melting while simultaneously you can be nibbling the inner espresso beans. It’s a choco coffee crunch in your mouth.
Grind – A key factor
For an espresso, always go with a fine grind. Turkish coffee is finer than that and in fact is the finest of all grinds. So, espresso grind is one step above that. Now, you’ve got 2 options, either buy pre ground coffee from your favorite roaster (it’ll always be fine grind), or you need to grind it yourself. If you’re grinding coffee beans at home, grind using a burr grinder which produces more uniform particles than a blade grinder.
And then, if you choose a coarse grind, then the coffee will be under-extracted, as there’s less contact time between ground coffee and water. The resulting brew’s gonna be diluted or watery. But then, if you opt for the Turkish grind, then your brew’s gonna be over extracted and thereby extra concentrated. That’s why, we say go in for what’s ideal to make espresso, that’s the fine grind.
Caffeine in an espresso
Espresso has the most caffeine content when compared to any other coffee drink or even energy drink, ounce for ounce. Generally, a shot of espresso has around 65 mg of caffeine per fluid ounce. This is way higher than the 12 mg caffeine in an ounce of regular brewed coffee. But, a regular cup of coffee will be 8 ounces, so 12*8 =96 mg per cup.
Somebody will drink a single shot of espresso per day, whereas another guy would drink a cup of regular (filter) coffee. So, here the latter has consumed more caffeine. But, if it’s ounce for ounce, espresso is way ahead in terms of caffeine content.