Espresso Coffee - What is Espresso Coffee?
Espresso coffee or café espresso is a coffee beverage which is concentrated with a strong, aromatic flavor. It is brewed through the process of taking extremely hot water but never boiling water and actually pushing or forcing it through the coffee under high pressure. The espresso has been previously ground to a consistency which is very fine or actually can resemble a powder.
Espresso coffee first appeared on the coffee scene in Milan, Italy in the early 1900’s. Up until the mid 1940’s espresso was only produced through steam pressure. The spring lever piston machine brought into fruition in the 1950’s changed the way espresso is produced. The machines commercial success made espresso into the popular drink we know today.
Some of the outstanding characteristics of espresso coffee are a thicker consistency than that of drip coffee, a higher amount of dissolved solids per volume than that of drip coffee and a serving that is measured in shots rather than cups. There are three major parts of espresso that is properly brewed: the heart and the body, and the most distinguishing factor something that is known as the crema. Crema is the light brown foam that floats on the surface of a cup of espresso. Crema is made up of protein, sugar and vegetable oil.
A typical cup of coffee is brewed under such a high brewing process all the flavors are extremely concentrated. Because espresso coffee has such an intense flavor and a high concentration of ingredients, especially caffeine, espresso can easily be incorporated to make other coffee based drinks such as a cappuccino, a macchiato, lattes and mochas.
One intriguing question is if espresso coffee actually has more caffeine than other coffee drinks? Consumer confusion is understandable. On a per volume basis espresso contains actually three more times the caffeine content as a regular cup of brewed coffee. But if you were to measure strictly on a per serving basis, one ounce of espresso or one shot of espresso actually has half the caffeine in a six fluid ounce cup of American-style coffee.