Espresso 101

Make a good morning great with homemade espresso.

Koffee Kult Demitasse

Did you know that the main difference between coffee and espresso is how the coffee bean is ground? That’s right, you can make a perfect cup of espresso from COFFEE BEANS! Did you know this? Koffee Kult Dark Roast coffee makes an incredible cup of coffee, but it also makes an amazing espresso shot! Espresso is not a kind of coffee bean, it’s about how the coffee bean is ground and then brewed.

But espresso has more caffeine right? Well it depends. You see espresso is first ground finely into “espresso” ground. This means that the coffee beans have a much larger surface area to be exposed to water. These grounds can also be compacted tightly before brewing, or the crema will not develop. The finer the coffee grounds are, the longer it will take for the espresso to come out, creating a rich, smooth espresso shot. So much coffee comes into contact with very hot water, the end product has more caffeine.

You are probably wondering how you can make your own espresso at home right? Well, there are a few options. You can choose a moka pot stove top espresso maker or an at home espresso machine. Let’s quickly talk about each.

But before we go there, it’s important that you can grind your coffee beans to the right size to make espresso at home. For this you will want to invest in a coffee grinder, preferably a Burr Coffee grinder to ensure you have a consistent grind for your espresso. Nothing will ruin your espresso quicker than having uneven coffee grinds.

The moka pot stove top espresso maker is easy to use. The bottom chamber contains water, the middle chamber is a filter-basket that holds the espresso, and the top chamber collects the espresso. Moka pots use steam and pressure to make espresso. The steam creates pressure which forces water through a tube into the basket with the ground coffee, which then funnels into the top chamber and creates espresso. Moka pots create the crema that gives espresso its desirable character and look.

The common espresso machine that you would use in your home uses pressure using steam or a motor driven pump. These machines use pressure to force the water through the ground coffee. So it’s important to recognize that you need pressure and temperature to create a good cup of espresso. Don’t try to steam your milk right before pulling an espresso shot, you will need to give a minute or two between these actions to ensure you have enough steam to create a good cup of espresso. You can avoid this slightly by buying a machine with heat exchange system so you can pull a shot of espresso and steam milk at the same time.

So what do you do with your espresso after you spend all this time creating the perfect ounce of coffee? Well a purest would say drink it slowly, it shouldn’t need sugar or cream. But let’s be honest, we all love variety! So add it to coffee for a red eye, add steamed milk, steamed milk and chocolate or steamed milk and vanilla extract for a fun and flavorful latte!