Espresso

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This article is about the coffee preparation method and the resulting beverage. For other uses, see Espresso (disambiguation).
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Espresso brewing, with a dark reddish-brown foam, called crema or schiuma.

Caffè espresso, espresso, [1] is a concentrated coffee beverage brewed by forcing hot water under pressure through finely ground coffee.

The first espresso machines were introduced at the beginning of the 20th Century, with the first patent being filed by Luigi Bezzera of Milan, Italy, in 1901. Up until the mid-1940s, when the piston lever espresso machine was introduced, it was produced solely with steam pressure.

Characteristics of properly made espresso, which distinguish it from drip and other brewing processes, include a thicker consistency than drip coffee, a higher amount of dissolved solids than drip coffee per relative volume, and crema, a reddish-brown foam that floats on the surface and is composed of vegetable oils, proteins and sugars.

As a result of the pressurized brewing process, all of the flavors and chemicals in a typical cup of coffee are very concentrated. For this reason, espresso is the base for other drinks, such as lattes, cappuccino, macchiato and mochas.

While there can be significant variation, on a per-volume basis, espresso contains approximately two to three times the caffeine content of regular drip brewed coffee. Compared on the basis of usual serving sizes, a 30 mL (1 fluid ounce) shot of espresso has about half the caffeine of a standard 180 mL (6 fluid ounce) cup of drip brewed coffee, which varies from 80 to 130 mg.[2]

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[edit] Brewing process

A modern espresso machine.
A manual espresso machine

Preparation of espresso requires an espresso machine. The act of producing a shot of espresso is often termed "pulling" a shot, originating from lever espresso machines which require pulling down a handle attached to a spring-loaded piston, forcing hot water through the coffee at high pressure.

This process produces an almost syrupy beverage by extracting and emulsifying the oils in the ground coffee (7 grams of coffee are required). Some prefer espresso shots poured directly into a pre-heated demitasse or shot glass, to maintain the higher temperature of the espresso and preserve all of its crema.

Espresso can also be made with a stovetop espresso machine.

Espresso being made in a stovetop moka pot

[edit] Espresso roast

Espresso is not a specific bean or roast level; it is a method of making coffee. Any bean or roasting level can be used to produce authentic espresso.

In the birth country of espresso, roast levels can vary quite a bit. In Southern Italy, a darker roast is often preferred, but the further north one goes in the country, the trend moves towards lighter roasts[3].

[edit] Baristas

Main article: Barista

An expert operator of an espresso machine is a barista, the Italian word for a bartender.

[edit] Popularity

Espresso is the main type of coffee in most of southern Europe, notably Italy, France, Portugal, and Spain. It is also popular throughout much of the rest of Europe and in Argentina, Brazil, and Cuba, and many parts of North America. In Australia and New Zealand, espresso accounts for nearly all of the commercial cafe, coffeehouse and restaurant coffee business.

In the United States, Tampa's and Miami's influx of Cuban refugees brought their love of espresso with them although espresso consumption was limited largely to the Cuban community; see cafe con leche. With the rise of coffee chains such as Starbucks, Seattle's Best Coffee, Dunn Bros Coffee, Biggby Coffee, Caribou Coffee, and others, espresso-based drinks rose in popularity in the 1990s in the United States, with the city of Seattle being generally viewed as the fount of the modern interest. In addition to the Italian style of coffee, these chains typically offer variations and innovations by adding syrups, whipped cream, flavour extracts, soy milk, and different spices to their drinks. Cities like San Francisco, New York, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Chicago have long traditions of espresso drinking, with the North Beach area in San Francisco being perhaps the most well known.

Espresso has become increasingly popular in recent years, in regions where coffee has traditionally been prepared in other ways. In northern Europe (Iceland, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark), specialty coffee chains have emerged, selling various sorts of espresso from street corners and high streets. Europeans have embraced espresso as one of their favorite drinks. Many companies now have espresso machines, to be used free of charge by their employees.

Home espresso machines have increased in popularity with the general rise of interest in espresso. Today, a wide range of home espresso equipment can be found in specialist kitchen and appliance stores, online vendors, and department stores.

[edit] Etymology and usage of the term

Sister project Look up espresso in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

The origin of the term "espresso" is the subject of considerable debate.[citation needed] Although some Anglo-American dictionaries simply refer to "pressed-out" (rooted in the Latin origin of the word), "espresso,” much like the English word "express," conveys the sense of "just for you" and "quickly," both of which can be related to the method of espresso preparation.

"The words express, expres and espresso each have several meanings in English, French and Italian. The first meaning is to do with the idea of 'expressing' or squeezing the flavour from the coffee using the pressure of the steam. The second meaning is to do with speed, as in a train. Finally there is the notion of doing something 'expressly' for a person... The first Bezzera and Pavoni espresso machines in 1906 took forty-five seconds to make a cup of coffee, one at a time, expressly for you." (Bersten (cited below) p. 99)

Expresso is the form used in France, Spain (expreso), and Portugal. In the United States and Canada, both espresso and expresso are used, and both are valid English words.[1]

[edit] Variations

  • Affogato (It. "drowned"): Espresso served over gelato. Traditionally vanilla is used, but some coffeehouses or customers use any flavor.
  • Americano (It. "American"): Espresso and hot water, classically using equal parts each, with the water added to the espresso. Americano was created by American G.I.s during World War I who added hot water to dilute the strong taste of the traditional espresso.[4] Similar to a long black.
  • Black eye: A cup of drip coffee with two shots of espresso in it. (alternately a red-eye or Canadiano)
  • Bombón (Sp. "confection"): Espresso served with condensed milk. Served in Canary Islands and Mainland Spain.
  • Breve (It. "short"): Espresso with half-and-half.
  • Carajillo: (Sp. "Little kid"): Espresso with a shot of brandy, breakfast favorite in Spain for construction workers during winter.
  • Cappuccino: Traditionally, one-third espresso, one-third steamed milk, and one-third microfoam. Often in the United States, the cappuccino is made as a cafè latte with much more foam, which is less espresso than the traditional definition would require. Sometimes topped (upon request) with a light dusting of cocoa powder.
  • Corretto (It. "corrected"): coffee with a shot of liquor, usually grappa or brandy. "Corretto" is also the common Italian word for "spiked (with liquor)".
  • Con hielo (Sp. "with ice"): Espresso with sugar immediately poured over two ice cubes, preferred in Madrid during Summer.
  • Cortado (Sp./Port. "cut"): Espresso "cut" with a small amount of warm milk.
  • Cubano (Sp. "Cuban"): Sugar is added to the collection container before brewing for a sweet flavor, different than that if the sugar is added after brewing. Sugar can also be whipped into a small amount of espresso after brewing and then mixed with the rest of the shot. Sometimes called "Cafe tinto".
  • Doppio: (It. "Double") Double (2 fluid ounces) shot of espresso.
  • Espresso con Panna (It. "espresso with cream"): Espresso with whipped cream on top.
  • Flat white: a coffee drink made of one-third espresso and two thirds steamed milk with little or no foam. (Very similar to "latte", see entry for lattes below)
  • Guillermo: Originally one or two shots of hot espresso, poured over slices of lime. Can also be served on ice, sometimes with a touch of milk.
  • Iced coffee: Generally refers to coffee brewed beforehand, chilled, and served over ice. In Australia, Iced Coffee generally refers to Espresso chilled over ice and then mixed with milk and ice Cream, with some chains using Gelato in place of Ice Cream. In Italy, the Iced Coffee (Caffe Freddo) is pre-sweetened and served ice-cold, but never with ice. In the United States, instead, Iced Coffee is brewed on the spot and poured over ice. In Japan iced coffee is generally served only in summer.
  • Latte (It. "milk"): This term is an abbreviation of "caffellatte" (or "caffè e latte"), coffee and milk. An espresso based drink with a volume of steamed milk, served with either a thin layer of foam or none at all, depending on the shop or customer's preference.[citation needed]
  • Latte macchiato (It. "stained milk"): Essentially an inverted cafè latte, with the espresso poured on top of the milk. The latte macchiato is to be differentiated from the caffè macchiato (described below). In Spain, known as "Manchada" Spanish for stained (milk).
  • Long Black: Similar to an Americano, but with the order reversed - espresso added to hot water.
  • Lungo (It. "long"): More water (about 1.5x volume) is let through the ground coffee, yielding a weaker taste (40 mL). Also known as an allongé in French.
  • Caffè Macchiato (It. "stained"): A small amount of milk or, sometimes, its foam is spooned onto the espresso. In Italy it further differentiates between caffè macchiato caldo (warm) and caffè macchiato freddo (cold), depending on the temperature of the milk being added; the cold version is gaining in popularity as some people are not able to stand the rather hot temperature of caffè macchiato caldo and therefore have to wait one or two minutes before being able to consume this version of the drink. The caffè macchiato is to be differentiated from the latte macchiato (described above). In France, known as a "Noisette".
  • Mocha: Normally, a latte blended with chocolate. This is not to be confused with the region of Yemen or the coffee associated with that region (which is often seen as 1/2 of the blend "mocha java").
  • Red eye: A cup of drip coffee with one shot of espresso in it.
  • Ristretto (It. "restricted") or Espresso Corto (It. "short"): with less water, yielding a stronger taste (10–20 mL). Café serré or Café court in French.
  • Solo (It. "single") Single (1 fluid ounce) shot of espresso.
  • Wiener Melange (German: "Viennese blend") coffee with milk and is similar to a Cappuccino but usually made with milder coffee (e.g. mocha), preferably caramelised.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Dictionary.com entry of expresso; Merriam Webster
  2. ^ How much caffeine is in your daily habit? - MayoClinic.com
  3. ^ The Book of Coffee, Francesco Illy, Ricardo Illy, 1992
  4. ^ From Bean to Brew, National Coffee Board. Accessed January 13, 2009.

[edit] Further reading

[edit] External links

Sister project Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Espresso
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