Espresso is a type of Italian coffee that is concentrated. In order to make espresso, coffee beans are powdered and hot water is added under high pressure. This is done using an espresso machine or a macchinetta. Usually, espresso is made using 7 grams of coffee beans. This gives espresso a very strong flavor. Because espresso is so strong, it is usually mixed with other coffee drinks in small amounts.
Espresso
Origin and etymology
Espresso has its roots in Italy, where this type of coffee preparation emerged in Milan around 1900. There, before the introduction of other methods, it was prepared exclusively with steam and served in bars only at the counter.
The term espresso goes back to so-called "coffee locomotives" manufactured between 1840 and 1870. Their name alludes to the analogy of preparing coffee with steam and a steam locomotive. Luigi Bezzera of Milan was able to capitalize on the popularity of the association of coffee with steam-powered express trains when he patented the first machine for caffè espresso in 1901. The word espresso is thus a borrowing from English, where the term express for fast train has been documented since the mid-19th century.
In various linguistic areas, espresso is spelled with an "x", for example in Spain (café expreso), Portugal (café expresso) and Romania (cafea expres).
The espresso bean
→ Main article: Coffee bean
Espresso is usually based on darker roasted blends - often with a slightly higher proportion of Robusta. Due to the dark roasting, the bean largely loses its taste-perceptible acids - much more so than with the lighter filter coffee roasting. This is intentional, as the acid dissipates disproportionately quickly due to the high pressure method of preparation. An espresso drink based on light coffee grounds has noticeable acidity. However, this apparent contradiction to traditional espresso can also be deliberately aimed at: light espresso roasts with fruity notes have been in vogue for some time.
With increasing degree of roasting there is also a shift in the bitterness profile. While "soft" bitter elements initially form in the course of roasting (light to medium degrees of roasting), these are largely reduced again in darker roast samples and increasingly formed "harsh" bitter elements dominate.
Robusta beans are considered less aromatic than Arabica, but bring a fuller body to the espresso drink and thus form the typical heaviness of espresso. In addition, it is significantly easier to create a good crema with a robusta blend than with an espresso made from a pure arabica blend.