Perfect espresso coffee requires meticulous, not to say manic control of the coffee-brewing process.
Technically, coffee guru Kenneth Davids, the author of Home Coffee Roasting: Romance and Revival, has a definition. For Davids, espresso is "coffee brewed from beans, roasted medium to dark brown, the brewing process performed by forcing hot water through a finely-ground and compacted dose of coffee, at a pressure of nine atmospheres".
Etymologically, espresso means a cup of coffee prepared "expressly for you". That includes both fast brewing and a gourmet taste.
Historically and geographically, espresso coffee was born in Italy, in 1903. Luigi Bezzera assembled the first rudimentary espresso machine which pushed water through the compact ground coffee at high pressure. It was not until 1946, 43 years on, that Achiles Gaggia came up with a real espresso machine.
While Italians spread the espresso technique around the world as the art of simplicity, reflecting the region of origin, the genuine recipe originates from many hybrids.
The characteristics of Italian Certified Espresso
For one cup of Italian espresso you need:
- 7 g ± 0.5 ground coffee
- water temperature at exit vent 88°C ± 2°C
- coffee temperature in the cup 67°C ± 3°C
- water pressure 9 atmospheres ± 1
- percolating time 25 seconds ± 2.5
- viscosity at 45°C > 1.5 mPa s
- lipid content > 2 mg/ml
- caffeine < 100 mg/cup
- content of the cup (cream included) 25 ml ± 2.5
You can see that no sugar, syrup or additional flavor is mentioned. Espresso delivered "the American way" is more indulgent of spices, garnishes and many ratios and varieties of milk.
Espresso machines use the steam that results from the brewing process to froth the milk for cappuccino espresso.
Is it worth it?
To answer this question, just think or dream of the black contents of the cup, topped with a dark-golden creme, with the right amount of sweetness, the coffee bursting with flavors as you roll it over your taste buds.