Here's what makes espresso so good

Espresso – the good stuff

Last week I discussed a few of the misconceptions concerning espresso. This week let us briefly look at what espresso actually is and a few of the factors that make for a good drink.

Espresso, as a drink unto itself, is small. It is a one to two (sometimes three) ounce dose of coffee essence best served in a small ceramic, or “demitasse” cup that is typically two to four ounces in size. It’s a drink that requires a specific process and specific equipment to create. It is made by forcing water that is around 195°-200° F under a pressure of around 140 PSI (pounds per square inch) through approximately 7.5 grams (for a single shot) of finely ground and compacted coffee, for 25 to 30 seconds.

As you might guess, all of those variables combine to impact the quality of the drink. You do need a special machine with which to make espresso (stovetop moka pots not withstanding) and once that machine is properly calibrated for temperature and pressure the barista is left to control and adjust the other variables as conditions warrant. Modern automatic machines can also be calibrated to, at the push of a button, dispense the hot water for a specific duration of time, such as 25 seconds.

Some cafés prefer to have as much control over as many variables as are practical. Our shop, for example, employs a semi-automatic machine that allows us to control the duration of water flow. We have plans to take that a step further by switching to an “old school” manual machine where the barista also controls the time and pressure by pulling down on a long piston-like handle that forces the hot water through the compacted coffee grounds. The phrase “pulling a shot” originated with the use of this type of machine.

Good espresso is the result of a partnership of the skills and talents of both the roaster and barista. Roasters blend different coffees to achieve sweet and mellow flavors, distinct aromas, low acidity and rich crema. The barista then does his or her best to release and highlight those qualities into the cup.

Crema is the creamy, reddish brown foam that sits atop the drink like the foamy head in a glass of beer. It is where all of those delicious attributes of the coffee, along with the roaster’s knowledge and barista’s skill reveal themselves. The crema should be thick, creamy, oily and subtly sweet. If you have a shot with little to no crema, where nothing sticks to the sides of your cup as you drink it, then you’ve got a fair indication that the drink is sub-par.

Making consistently excellent espresso time after time is a task that requires much practice and attention to detail. There are, of course, an infinite number of possibilities with espresso. No two coffee shops, no two blends, no two baristas, are likely to produce espressos with the exact same flavor profiles.

In Italy there is actually a national espresso day, and a National Italian Espresso Institute that defines just what an excellent espresso should be, including an aroma that smells “of grilled bread."

Some have said that the perfect espresso may actually be an unattainable goal. The espresso that approaches perfection is referred to as a “God shot,” and those are few and far between. But excellent espresso should be expected of any self-respecting coffee shop. When you’re paying $2-$3 for a one to two ounce drink you should accept nothing less than a high quality beverage.

Italians order it in the morning and, while still standing, quickly gulp it down before rushing off to work, as though filling themselves with fuel for the day. We Americans seem to prefer to savor it for a few minutes and drink while sitting, collecting our thoughts before beginning the day. Either way, it is a drink worth exploring.

Get your fill of espresso

Espresso

Espresso. It is the word and product that most clearly defines specialty coffee in most people’s minds. The business of specialty coffee has pretty well become a part of our cultural fabric by now.

Yet even with both independent and chain coffee shops in virtually every city, coffee recipe books lining book-store shelves and cable television programs dedicated to coffee, the word espresso still sounds a little exotic to many people (I still occasionally hear it pronounced as “expresso”).

Espresso is the foundation for all of those syrupy, sweet lattes and cappuccinos Americans seem to love and that Italians scoff at. Conversely, when served by itself it is also the coffee that southern Europeans love and many Americans think of as “too bitter.”

Many people still seem to be confused and misinformed about espresso. They think of it only as that bitter, ultra-dark roasted little shot of coffee that contains two or three times the caffeine of regular brewed coffee. They may also think of it as that little drink that needs a quarter cup of cream and several tablespoons of sugar added to it before it is palatable.

Before we get into what espresso really is let’s address some of those misconceptions. Espresso is not a style or level of roasting the coffee seeds. It is not necessarily a dark or French roast, although that’s the common conception. The roast levels used for espresso vary according to the roaster, what coffees may be used, and even differences in region. West coast espresso is, generally speaking, often roasted darker than it is on the east coast, where lighter roasts seem to be popular. Of course, Starbucks, a west coast company, is viewed as the paradigm for dark roasted coffee. Since they are a very well-known specialty coffee company it is understandable that the darker roasts that they employ are thought to be ubiquitous by many. Returning to Italy, I understand that many Italian coffee roasters favor a medium roast for their espresso.

The point is that any roast level may be used for espresso. It is not the roast that makes it espresso. Creating espresso does take into consideration the blend of coffees that the roaster chooses combined with the level of roast that he or she decides will best achieve the desired qualities for that particular espresso blend. It is very much a creative process and a matter of taste.

Another misconception concerns the caffeine content of espresso. It is not the hyper-caffeinated drink that many people think it is. A shot of espresso (approximately 1 fluid ounce) contains about the same or even less caffeine than your average cup of joe. Again, speaking in generalities, a shot of espresso contains somewhere between 60 and 100 mg of caffeine, while an 8 oz. cup of brewed coffee might contain somewhere between 90 and 160 mg. But even those numbers are estimates, as there are a number of factors that influence the caffeine content of any particular espresso or brewed coffee.

Unfortunately, perhaps the biggest misconception about espresso is that it is a drink that one of my friends described as “nasty,” a bitter, acidic and far too strong dose of coffee oil. Unfortunately, he was right, about that particular shot. In my last column I praised the espresso I got at Café Soleil in Madison, Wisconsin. It was noteworthy for how good it was. Conversely, other espresso is noteworthy for how bad it is.

When prepared poorly it can be practically undrinkable. But – and this is significant – espresso can and should be a sweet, multidimensional and nuanced drink that stands entirely on its own, without the need for cream or sugar. When done well it is an attractive, rich, aromatic drink, more akin to a fine aperitif. It can be a little sip of heaven.

Next time I’ll discuss some of the things that make for an exceptional espresso.