Using a dark-roasted espresso (in which most of the sugars have been burned during the roasting process) doesn’t make sense. The reason espresso is made (among others) is to create a beverage that contains the whole sugars found in coffee. However, we find this to be a sin against espresso. Most coffeehouses (including most chains) use a darker roast for their espresso. This espresso is a blend of three different origin coffees that is typical for espresso and each coffee is roasted to a different level before creating the blend. Espresso should never be bitter, and should never be watery.Īt the River Road Coffeehouse, we use our own locally roasted espresso blend from one line coffee. It is important to realize that poorly pulled espresso will not contain whole sugars or much body, essentially no better than strongly brewed drip coffee. This also adds to the richness, or creaminess of the shot. In fact, a good shot should exit the machine as entirely foam. In addition, air is added to the liquid while the shot is pulled. This gives espresso a very rich mouthfeel, much more similar to milk or cream. This metal filter allows the fats in coffee to flow through into the final product. However the body of drip coffee is nothing compared to espresso.Įspresso is filtered using a metal filter (called a basket) that fits into the portafilter (the device that locks into the espresso machine). Some oils do make it into the coffee, giving some coffees (such as Sumatra) a fuller body. Because these fats are removed, coffee has a consistency similar to that of water or juice. Drip coffee is filtered using a paper filter that traps most of the fats (or oils) in the coffee. In addition, the alkalinity of the milk helps neutralize the acidity of the coffee, allowing the aromatics to stick round.Īnother component that sets espresso apart from drip coffee is its mouthfeel, or body. Drinks can be made with skim, though they tend to be a bit more bitter. Therefore, a proper latte or cappuccino should be made with whole milk, which contains a good amount of fat. The fat in the milk helps to preserve the sugars. One way to preserve the sugars in espresso is to add milk. As the foam dissipates, the aromatics fall into the black coffee, and are destroyed by the acidity of the coffee. In addition, the volatile aromatics are contained within the bubbles of the crema, the very fine red-brown foam on top of the espresso. This means that the sugars begin to break down after the shot has sat for only 15 seconds, and the sugars are nearly gone after the shot has sat for one minute. These sugars begin to break down as soon as the temperature of the espresso drops by just a few degrees. The whole sugars in brewed espresso are still very fragile. Once a good shot of espresso is pulled, it must be used quickly. However, a good shot of espresso is not the end-all of a great espresso-based drink. A proper American single espresso shot should be 1.5 oz, and should take between 23 and 28 seconds to pull (an Italian espresso shot will be much smaller). Making (or pulling) espresso is the only way to preserve these sugars and aromatics. During the drip brewing process, nearly all of these sugars and aromatics are destroyed. The whole sugars and volatile aromatics found in coffee are very fragile. However, it requires a skilled barista to extract these sugars from the coffee. These whole sugars (combined with volatile aromatics and oils) are what gives espresso its unique and intense flavor. Espresso has three major flavor components: acids, carbonized sugars, and whole sugars. The result is very different from drip coffee.ĭrip coffee relies on two main components for its flavor: acids and carbonized (or burnt) sugars. Hot water (between 200 and 204☏) is forced through a set amount of very finely ground coffee at nine atmospheres of pressure. Espresso simply replaces gravity with a high pressure pump. Drip coffee is created by allowing gravity to pull hot water through ground coffee. Most of us are familiar with drip coffee, the black stuff that’s been served in the United States for hundreds of years. It is the end result of a very specific brewing process. Below are some of the more common hot drink options:Įspresso is simply coffee. Nearly all the drink names used in a coffeehouse are Italian. Often, the drink names and terms used in a coffeehouse can be confusing.
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