ESPRESSO COFFEE
Espresso is a style of coffee that comes from a unique process, not a particular
type of coffee bean. Hot water, under pressure, is passed through tightly packed,
finely ground coffee. The resulting liquid is rich, dark, and extremely flavorful the
concentrated essence of the coffee bean.
Espresso is served in small 1-2 oz coffee cups. The perfect espresso shot is
topped by beautiful, thick, golden foam known as crema, a product of the
natural oils in the coffee bean, and the source of its rich flavor and aroma.
It is important to note that your coffee beans must be both well roasted and
correctly ground. If you cannot buy ground espresso use a coffee grinder to
grind the beans. The coffee must not be ground too fine. It must be slightly
granulated with a consistency somewhat between flour and sugar. Too fine a
ground results in bitter over-extracted espresso and creates a risk of blocking
the brewing head and the filter; too coarse and the espresso will be weak and
under-extracted.
In addition to the coffee you use, the three factors that determine perfect
espresso results are water, temperature and pressure.
There are a number of misconceptions surrounding espresso. The first is that
espresso should be bitter and burnt tasting. In fact, the ideal espresso shot
should be aromatic, bittersweet (not bitter) and assertive, with a lingering
aftertaste.
The second myth is that drinking espresso will keep you awake all night. Actually,
despite its strong flavor, espresso contains less caffeine than regular coffee:
typically 60-80 mg per shot compared to 80~100 mg per cup due to the longer
and darker roasting of the coffee bean.
And finally, many people think that espresso takes too long to prepare. The truth
is, as the name implies, espresso is intended to be served quickly, without
elaborate preparation.
THE SPECIAL " E.S.E. " POD FILTER
The E.S.E. system was designed for making Italian-style " espresso ristreto"
(squeezed). The amount of coffee is 35 ml and the water should take 20 seconds
to run through.
" ESE ", which stands for " Easy Serving Espresso", is a selected measure of coffee
ground and pressed between two filter papers making it ready for use. This
system makes it easy for you to prepare your espresso because you avoid the
measurement and tamping down operations and it also makes it easier for you
to clean the appliance.
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