What is Espresso?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Caffè espresso, or just espresso is a concentrated coffee beverage brewed by forcing hot water under pressure through finely ground coffee.

Compared to other coffee brewing methods, espresso often has a thicker consistency, a higher concentration of dissolved solids, and crema (foam) . As a result of the pressurized brewing process, all of the flavours 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, mochas, and americanos.

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.

While espresso has more caffeine per unit volume than most beverages, compared on the basis of usual serving sizes, a 30 mL (1 US fluid ounce) shot of espresso has about half the caffeine of a standard 180 mL (6 US fluid ounces) cup of drip brewed coffee, which varies from 80 to 130 mg,^[1] and hence a 60 mL (2  US fl oz) double shot of espresso has about the same caffeine as a 180 ml (6 US fl oz) cup of drip brewed coffee. In coffee brewing terms, espresso and brewed coffee should have the same extraction (about 20% of the coffee grounds are extracted into the coffee liquid), but espresso has a higher brew strength (concentration, in terms of dissolved coffee solids per unit volume), due to having less water.

 

Brewing process

Espresso is made by forcing hot water under high pressure through a tightly compacted through finely ground coffee^[2]. Generally, one uses an espresso machine to make espresso, although there are stove top espresso makers and hand operated devices such as the AeroPress. 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. Today, however, it is more common for the pressure to be generated by steam or a pump.

This process produces an almost syrupy beverage by extracting and emulsifying the oils in the ground coffee.

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. Acidity diminishes and a rich bitter-sweetness emerges.^[3] A darker or lighter roast will translate into a bitter or acid flavor respectively. Mixtures where there are several roast levels are common.

In Italy, roast levels can vary quite a bit. In Southern Italy, a darker roast is often preferred, but the farther north one goes in the country, the trend moves toward lighter roasts.^[4]

Baristas

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

Popularity

Espresso is the main type of coffee in many parts of the world, though this is a recent phenomenon.

With the rise of various coffee chains in the 1990s, espresso-based drinks rose in popularity in the United States, with the city of Seattle viewed as one of the origins of modern interest. In addition to the Italian style of coffee, coffee chains typically offer many variations by adding syrups, whipped cream, flavour extracts, soy milk, and various spices to their drinks.

Espresso has become increasingly popular in recent years, in regions where coffee has traditionally been prepared in other ways. In Northern Europe, specialty coffee chains have emerged, selling various sorts of espresso from street corners and high streets.

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 kitchen and appliance stores, online vendors, and department stores.

History

The popularity of espresso developed in various ways; a detailed discussion of the spread of espresso is given in (Morris 2007), which is a source of various statements below.

In Italy, the rise of espresso consumption was associated with urbanization, espresso bars providing a place for socialization. Further, coffee prices were controlled by local authorities, provided that the coffee was consumed standing up, encouraging the “stand at a bar” culture.

In the Anglosphere, espresso became popular particularly in the form of cappuccino, due to the tradition of drinking coffee with milk and the exotic appeal of the foam; in the United States this was more often in the form of lattes, particularly with flavored syrups added. The latte is claimed to have been invented in the 1950s by Italian American Lino Meiorin of Caffe Mediterraneum in Berkeley, California, as a long cappuccino, and was then popularized in Seattle,^[5] and then nationally and internationally by Seattle-based Starbucks in the late 1980s and 1990s.

In the United Kingdom, espresso grew in popularity among youth in the 1950s, who felt more welcome in the coffee shops than in public houses (pubs).

In Australia, espresso consumption grew in popularity due to the ban on serving alcohol after 6 pm.

Espresso was initially popular particularly within the Italian diaspora, growing in popularity with tourism to Italy exposing others to espresso, as developed by Eiscafès established by Italians in Germany.

Initially expatriate Italian espresso bars were downmarket venues, serving the working class Italian diaspora – and thus providing appeal to the alternative subculture / counterculture; this can still be seen in the United States in Italian American neighborhood such as Boston’s North End, New York’s Little Italy, and San Francisco’s North Beach. As specialty coffee developed in the 1980s (following earlier developments in the 1970s and even 1960s), an indigenous artisanal coffee culture developed, with espresso instead positioned as an upmarket drink.

Today, coffee culture commentators distinguish large chain, midmarket coffee as “Second Wave Coffee”, and upmarket, artisanal coffee as Third Wave Coffee.

In Northern Europe (particularly Scandinavia) and to a greater extent in most of Central Europe, espresso is associated with European identity, as in New Europe. By contrast, in Hungary, espresso is associated with pre-Communist cafe culture.

In the Middle East Espresso is quite popular and becoming more widely available with the openings of Western coffee shop chains. However, the most common type of coffee remains Turkish coffee which is also served short like espresso. Turkish coffee is almost the same measure of ground coffee as an espresso added to water and brought to a boil. It is quite common that ground Cardamom is added to the blend of coffee for added flavor.

Currently in Britain espresso is uniformly popular across all pre-retirement age groups, but is unevenly popular across class lines, being primarily associated with educated professionals.

Café vs. home

A distinctive feature of espresso as opposed to other coffee is espresso’s association with cafés, due both to the equipment and skill required, and thus espresso has been primarily a social experience.

Initially espresso machines were not available for home use, domestic machines only developing in the 1970s, and remaining expensive, bulky, and requiring skill to operate. In recent years the development of easy-to-use home espresso makers based on coffee pods has increased the quantity of espresso consumed at home, though top-quality espresso continues to require expensive equipment and skill, and remains primarily associated with cafés or the enthusiast community.

In recent years true espresso brewing has become possible virtually anywhere with small handheld machines.