Espresso

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Espresso brewing, with a dark reddish-brown foam, called crema.

Espresso (Italian)[1] is a concentrated coffee beverage brewed by forcing very hot, but not boiling, water under high pressure through coffee that has been ground to a consistency between extremely fine and powder. It was invented and has undergone development in Milan, Italy since the beginning of the 20th century, but up until the mid 1940s it was a beverage produced solely with steam pressure. The invention of the spring piston lever machine and its subsequent commercial success changed espresso into the beverage we know of today, produced with between 9 and 10 atmospheres, or Bar of pressure.

The qualitative definition of espresso includes a thicker consistency than drip coffee, a higher amount of dissolved solids than drip coffee per relative volume, and a serving size that is usually measured in shots, which is about 1 - 2 ounces in size. Espresso is chemically complex and volatile, with many of its chemical components degrading from oxidation or loss of temperature. Properly brewed espresso has three major parts: the heart, body and, the most distinguishing factor, the presence of crema, which is a reddish-brown foam which floats on the surface of the espresso. It is composed of vegetable oils, proteins and sugars. Crema has elements of both emulsion and foam colloid.

As a result of the high-pressure brewing process, all of the flavors and chemicals in a typical cup of coffee are concentrated. Some people prefer a single or double shot of espresso instead of one or two cups of coffee to get a quick shot of caffeine. Because of its intense and highly concentrated ingredients (including caffeine) espresso lends itself to mixing into other coffee based drinks, such as lattes, cappuccini, macchiati and mochas, without being overly diluted in the resulting drink.

Brewing process

A professional operator of an espresso machine is a barista (Italian for a bartender), and the act of producing a shot of espresso is termed "pulling" a shot. The term derives from lever espresso machines which requires pulling down a handle attached to a spring-loaded piston, which forces hot water through the coffee at the requisite pressure. To pull a shot of espresso, a metal filter-basket is filled with either 7-10 grams of ground coffee for a single shot or 12-18 grams for a double shot. The espresso is then tamped, lightly or heavily into a firm puck of coffee. The portafilter (or group handle) holds the filter-basket and is locked under the grouphead's diffusion block. When the brew process begins, pressurized water at 90±5 °C (200±9 °F) and approximately 900 kPa (130 PSI) is forced into the grouphead and through the ground coffee in the portafilter. Water cooler than the ideal zone causes sourness; hotter than the ideal zone causes bitterness. High-quality espresso machines control the temperature of the brew water within a few degrees of the ideal. The serving temperature of espresso is significantly lower, typically around 60-70 °C, owing to the small serving size and the cooling effects of the cup and the pouring process.

This process produces a rich, almost syrupy beverage by extracting and emulsifying the oils in the ground coffee. An ideal shot of espresso should take between 17 and 26 seconds to arrive on a professional-grade machine (optimum at 22 seconds), timed from when the machine's pump is first turned on (unless the machine has a "preinfusion" stage, which may add about 7 seconds to the process). Varying the fineness of the grind, the amount of pressure used to tamp the grinds, or the pump pressure itself can be used to bring the extraction time into this ideal zone. Most prefer to pull espresso shots directly right into a pre-heated demitasse or shot glass, to maintain the ideal temperature of the espresso and preserve all of its crema.

Freshly brewed espresso must be served or mixed into other coffee beverages immediately, or it will begin to degrade due to cooling and oxidation. Temperature and time of consumption are important variables that must be observed to enjoy an ideal espresso; it should be consumed within 2 minutes from when it is served.

A recent North American brewing trend came with the introduction of the bottomless portafilter, that is, a portafilter without the bottom half, exposing the basket and causing the espresso to bypass contact with the portafilter during extraction. The bottomless portafilter serves as a tool to analyze evenness of grind distribution and tamping, as more volume of espresso will flow from low-density areas of the coffee puck. Some prefer the taste, citing the portafilter's capacity to preserve crema.

Coffee roast

A frequent misconception about espresso is that it is a specific bean or roast level. Any bean or roasting level can be used to produce authentic espresso. While some major North American chains push dark roasts as their espresso roasts, some of the winning blends used in the World Barista Championship have been what is classified as a medium or "City" or "Full City" roast, with little or no visible surface oil on the beans.

The popularity of different levels of roast in espresso varies greatly. Espresso is typically a blend of beans roasted anywhere from very light to very dark. In Southern Italy, a darker roast is preferred but in Northern Italy, a more medium roast is the most popular type. Companies such as Starbucks and Peets have popularized darker roasts in North America and around the world, but the current trend in espresso coffee is matching the roast level to the bean type; this means that the most popular roast style is moving away from being associated with roast color, and more associated with what will produce the best flavor extraction in the cup for each region and type of bean.

Baristas

Barista is a term originating in Italy; it literally translates to "bar man" or "bar person". In Italy, it is the person who professionally prepares espresso based drinks, as well as other non-coffee based beverages including those with alcohol, in cafes or "bars".

In North America and other parts of the world, the title Barista has been in long use, especially in Italian-style cafes and coffeehouses, but the use of the term gained mainstream popularly when Starbucks started to call their counter staff by this title, prior to and around the time they began their expansion outside of Seattle. In the late 1990s and beyond, the term barista became synonymous with the person in a cafe who specialized in preparing espresso-based beverages for customers. Along with this came the term "home barista" to distinguish the home espresso enthusiast who took care to practice this craft to a level that sometimes matched, and sometimes surpassed, the levels exhibited in many cafes.

In Italy and other parts of Europe, the barista is frequently considered a career position, often with skills and training passed down generation to generation. In other parts of the world, the job of the barista has been frequently seen as an employment choice for young people, one to get them started in employment, but frequently it is not seen as a career choice.

There is a current movement both outside of Europe and even within parts of the continent to build pride and professionalism among baristas, encouraging them to consider their work as a serious craft, worthy of the respect granted to other food preparation artisans. In some ways this trend is meant to follow the traditions in places like Italy, France, and Portugal where the barista is considered a respectable career decision. In other ways, this trend is part of what is seen as the "Third Wave" in coffee, where transparency in information sharing is paramount, and open discussion of ideas, concepts, opinions, and education are shared, even amongst competing businesses in the world of coffee and espresso. (Background: Third Wave Article) The trend is part of the bigger process in specialty coffee to promote coffee as a culinary drink, not as something "regular" or average.

The barista movement includes the creation of the Barista Guild of America, and the development of Barista Championships, competitions that build from regional events in a wide variety of countries (including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Great Britain, Norway, Sweden and many more) and culminate in the annual World Barista Championship. In response to the shortage of Baristas companies are starting to create machines that an untrained person can create a drink by merely pushing a button. One example of this is the Aroma 3500 machine from HLF Design in Italy.

Popularity

A drive-through espresso bar near Silicon Valley

Espresso is the most popular type of coffee in Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, France and southern Europe, notably Italy, Portugal and Spain, and is also popular throughout Europe and North America. In Australia and New Zealand, espresso accounts for nearly 100%[citation needed] of the commercial cafe, coffeehouse and restaurant coffee business.

With the rise of coffee chains such as Starbucks, Seattle's Best Coffee, and others, espresso-based drinks rose in popularity in the 1990s in the United States. The influence of Starbucks has caused a wide divergence from the Italian style of coffee, by adding syrups, whipped cream, flavour extracts, soy milk and different spices to their drinks. Long and complicated drink orders became the punchline of many jokes aimed at making fun of how finicky and obsessive coffee drinkers can be.

Home espresso machines have also increased in popularity with the general rise of interest in espresso, and with the Internet and its use as a tool to spread information about this beverage around the world. Today, a wide range of high-quality home espresso equipment can be found in specialty kitchen and appliance stores, online vendors, and department stores. The Internet has facilitated the spread of information about a wide range of espresso-based drinks and can dispel (or promote) many myths on how to properly brew espresso.

Etymology and usage of the term

The origin of the term "espresso" is the subject of considerable debate. Although some Anglo-American dictionaries simply refer to "pressed-out", rooting in the Latin origin of the word, "espresso", as the English word "express", also carries the meanings of "just for you" and "quickly", both of which can be related to the espresso preparation. The Italian spelling of the word is not "expresso", though that form is accepted by some English-language dictionaries (e.g. Merriam Webster).

In an Italian bar, as in much of Europe, ordering "a coffee" ([un caffè] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) in Italian), means just ordering an espresso. In France, the term [café] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) is normally used as well, but the French café is slightly larger and the coffee is usually dark roasted.

Variations

  • Affogato (drowned): Served over ice cream. Traditionally vanilla ice cream, but some coffehouses or customers prefer chocolate ice cream (this variation is sometimes called an 'affogato mocha').
  • Americano (American): espresso and hot water, classically using equal parts each, but many individuals prefer a greater volume of water. Rarely, if ever, ordered by Italians.
  • Black eye: a cup of American coffee with two shots of espresso in it. Also known as a slingblade, an autobahn, or a hammerhead.
  • Cafè Bonbon (Spanish): a shot of espresso served in a small glass filled with condensed milk. The shot and the milk remain separate unless stirred, as in a black and tan.
  • Breve: espresso in steamed milk and half and half.
  • Caffè macchiato (marked): in traditional usage, a small amount of foam is spooned onto the espresso; at Starbucks and those coffeehouses which follow their lead, the order is reversed for some macchiatos, such as the caramel macchiato, with espresso added to a large volume of foam on top of steamed milk.
  • Café noisette: espresso cut with warm milk, similar to a cortado. The combination of dark French roasted coffee and milk gives a nutty taste, hence the name.
  • Café Tobio: two shots of espresso with an equal amount of American Coffee.
  • Cappuccino: traditionally, one-third espresso, one-third steamed milk, and one-third microfoam.
  • Corretto (corrected): some sort of liquor added.
  • Cortado: espresso "cut" (from the Spanish and Portuguese cortar) with a small amount of warm milk to reduce the acidity.
  • Cubano (Cuban): sugar is added to the espresso grounds during brewing for a sweet taste. Sugar can also be whipped into a small amount of espresso after brewing and then mixed with the rest of the shot.
  • Doppio (double or doubleshot): two shots of espresso in one cup.
  • Espresso con Panna (with cream): with whipped cream on top.
  • Flat White: a coffee drink very popular in both Australia and New Zealand, made of one-third espresso and two-thirds steamed milk.
  • John Wayne: two portions of any flavor syrup, though commonly caramel or vanilla, two portions of half & half, and two shots of espresso. The ingredients are added slowly in this order, so that the end result is layered with three distinct flavors and temperatures, and is customarily drank all at once. The drink is slowly becoming popular in the state of Texas, and is also referred to as an 'Undertow'.
  • Latte: this term is an abbreviation of "caffè latte", coffee with milk, an espresso based drink with a volume of steamed milk, from 6-12 oz. (180-360 ml) total volume, served with either a thin layer of foam or none at all, depending on the shop or customer's preference.
  • Long Black: espresso and hot water in equal parts.
  • Lungo (long): more water (about double) is let through the ground coffee, yielding a weaker taste (40 ml).
  • Mocha: normally, a latte blended with chocolate.
  • Red Eye: a cup of American coffee with a shot of espresso in it. Also known as Shot in the Dark, Eye Opener or Depth Charge.
  • Ristretto (shortened): with less water, yielding a stronger taste (10-20 ml). Café serré in French.

References

  1. ^ More formally also caffè espresso, in Italian.

Further reading

  • Bersten, Ian (1993). Coffee Floats Tea Sinks: Through History and Technology to a Complete Understanding. Helian Books. ISBN 0646091808. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • Fumagalli, Ambrogio (1995). Coffee Makers. Chronicle Books. ISBN 0811810828. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

See also

External links

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