Espresso 101: Learn the basics of espresso
Jan 07, 2022
What is Espresso?
Espresso is a type of coffee brewing method. Espresso is not specific coffee beans or roast type. What distinguishes espresso from other types of brewing methods is the pressure. To brew espresso, hot water is pushed through compact finely ground coffee under high pressure. Normally between 6 to 9 bar. Because the coffee is brewed at such a high temperature, all natural aromas and gases are extracted from the coffee quickly and efficiently. The result is a concentrated small coffee drink with a very complex flavor with an aromatic top state which is also called crema.
Espresso has a higher dose of caffeine per ml compared to brewed coffee. A 15cl cup of regular brewed coffee contains approx. 70mg of caffeine, while a double espresso of 36mg contains about 150mg of caffeine.
So what is crema?
Crema is the top foam layer on espresso and is an essential and unique feature of espresso brewing. Crema is formed because there is carbon dioxide in the coffee which is released by the high brewing pressure. The carbon dioxide gas itself is formed during the roasting process. Even if espresso is brewed correctly, the amount of crema can differ due to various factors such as roast profile and bean type. In general, Arabica beans tend to have less crema compared to Robusta coffee beans. Even light roasted beans give less crema than medium and dark roasted beans. The color of the crema also shows how strong your espresso is in terms of caffeine. So the darker the color, the higher the caffeine content your espresso will have.
How do I drink espresso?
Espresso is usually characterized by a bitter or sour aftertaste. But depending on the choice of beans, you can produce fantastic espresso that has neither a bitter nor sour aftertaste with complex flavors such as fruit, sweetness, chocolate and nuts. Compared to regular brewed coffee, espresso is perceived as much stronger precisely because the coffee drink is much smaller but is more concentrated. Because espresso is, in a nutshell, a compressed version of brewed coffee. For someone who is not used to drinking pure espresso, the taste experience can be overwhelming. Being able to enjoy the complex flavors that espresso offers takes time but is very rewarding once you have developed and refined your taste buds.
Espresso can be combined with hot water, which is called americano and is the drink most similar to brewed coffee. By adding skimmed milk with espresso, you get a variety of coffee drink variations such as latte, cappuccino, macchiato and so on. There are lots of different recipes from cold and sweet coffee drinks to small drinks such as Cortado.
How do I brew espresso?
Espresso is brewed by a espresso machine which can push through a compact finely ground coffee with 9 bar pressure. To get a well-balanced espresso there are a few important parts. In general, it is usually said that you should have a ratio of 1:2 between ground coffee and the volume of espresso. So if you grind 18g of coffee, you should aim for about 36g of espresso and the time to produce that amount of espresso should take between 25 to 30 seconds. Then you can always refine the recipe by increasing or decreasing certain parameters. There is no fixed recipe or rule, but this is a start to get started and get a good result.
