Espresso: what is it and how to make it?

Someone considers it too bitter and strong, others say that only this drink allows you to feel the full diversity of coffee bean tastes in the best way.It is the basis of most coffee drinks. Yes, this article will focus on espresso - the favorite drink of millions of people on our planet.

Espresso is a kind of strong drink based on ground coffee beans, which requires the preparation of special equipment - a coffee machine. Its name is translated from Italian as “pressed”, “extruded”, as well as “fast”. Perhaps, in these words lies the secret of getting an espresso - it is prepared under pressure in a short time.

The homeland of the drink is Italy. Here in 1901 the first coffee machine and drink was invented, which is prepared in it. At first, the invention caused bewilderment, but after a very short time it became popular.

Interestingly, espresso, like a coffee machine for making it, was invented by an enterprising entrepreneur who sought to increase the productivity of his enterprise by reducing the interruptions of coffee workers. The new device allowed to prepare a drink in less than a minute. Saving time contributed to its small volume. In Italy, and now espresso drink mostly on the run, behind the counter of small cafes.

The drink is prepared by passing hot water under high pressure through ground and pressed coffee beans. Coffee is prepared under the pressure of 8-9 atmospheres, and the temperature should not exceed 88-92 degrees for 25-30 seconds. Due to this, the grain gives the drink all the benefits and unique flavor. If espresso is prepared longer, then only caffeine, water and tannins will be in the finished coffee. They serve the drink in special small cups, which fill only 2/3 of the volume - 25-30 ml, maximum 40 ml. The American portion of espresso is 100 ml, the European - usually 60-80 ml. The number of grains in the classic Italian and European drink remains the same, that is, the latter turns out less strong.

On the surface must necessarily form a brown foam called Italians "cream". It must necessarily cover the entire beverage. If the foam turns porous and through it shines coffee, they say about the violation of the technology of its preparation. The foam "lives" on the surface of the drink for no more than 10-15 seconds, so the brewed espresso should be served immediately.

The main distinguishing feature of espresso is its increased strength, concentration, due to the small amount of added water. As a result, coffee has a pronounced bitterness. Of course, you can drink such a concentrated drink only in small quantities - it is served in a volume of 25-30 ml. For comparison, a much milder taste American serves in a volume of 160 ml. American, by the way, contains less caffeine.

Espresso has a nutty aftertaste, bitterness, while the American demonstrates fruit and woody flavors. In general, the taste of the latter is weaker, therefore it is strengthened, set off with milk, cream and sugar. If you continue the comparison of these two drinks, it is worth noting that the grains for the American are ground larger, and it is prepared by the method of incessant watering (the classic recipe also involves cooking only in a coffee machine). For espresso, a smaller one is taken, but the drink is prepared only by distilling water vapor.

The composition of the classic espresso includes only coffee beans and water. The first must have an average grinding, water is better to take filtered or bottled.

The calorie content of the drink is only 9 kcal per 100 ml of drink.The basis is carbohydrates (1.7 g), fats account for 0.2 g, proteins make up 0.1 g. The amount of caffeine in this type of coffee is quite high and amounts to 40-90 mg per serving. The exact amount depends on the type of grains used. Arabica espresso contains the least amount of caffeine - from 40 to 50 mg. The higher the content of Robusta, the greater the amount of caffeine contained in the drink.

Sometimes when preparing a drink, a pinch of salt is put into it. It is not felt in the finished coffee, but gives it a piquancy. To emphasize the originality of espresso allows a small amount of "warm" spices. Adding syrups hides the bitterness of the drink, but interrupts its multifaceted taste.

Due to the high caffeine content in espresso, it gives an instant and long-lasting tonic effect, contributes to increased heart rate and increases pressure. This is not to say that it is definitely good or bad. It is necessary to consider who drinks the drink and in what quantities.

For example, you should not drink too strong drink to hypertensive patients and people with impaired cardiac activity. While for people with low blood pressure, an espresso cup, drunk in the morning, can be a simple and natural way to improve your well-being for the whole day. Espresso activates brain activity, increases concentration. Being drunk after a meal, it improves digestion. But the use of the drink on an empty stomach can cause spasms and heartburn.

Coffee drives sleep away because of the adrenaline it contains, which makes it a welcome drink after a hearty meal, when it makes you sleepy. He is great at breakfast and energizes at least until lunch. But drinking espresso before bedtime is not highly recommended - sleep problems, most likely, can not be avoided. Drink a drink is better not later than 16 hours. Recent studies by European scientists suggest that coffee is useful for the female body, since it is a cancer prevention. In men who drink coffee in the morning, according to scientists, libido increases. If you taste espresso in the afternoon, the effect will be exactly the opposite.

Like any drink and product, this type of coffee, even in a healthy person with excessive use, can provoke a deterioration in well-being. Doctors say about the maximum allowable daily intake of caffeine for an adult - 300 mg, this is 4-5 cups of espresso. However, we must not forget that many teas also contain caffeine, which must be considered when calculating the amount of espresso.

True gourmets and barista are sure that real espresso can be made exclusively from natural coffee beans of strong roasting. They should be stored in hermetically sealed containers of ceramic or glass, and grind immediately before cooking. Do not grind coffee to dust.

Important requirements also apply to water quality. It must be fresh, filtered. Filtering water, by the way, not only allows you to get a tasty drink, but also is the key to the smooth and durable operation of the coffee machine.

It is recommended to roast the grains strongly enough, choosing special blends for espresso for these purposes. You can experiment by adding different varieties of grains in certain proportions.So, when mixing Arabica and Robusta, the finished drink gets greater strength, but the content of the latter should not exceed 20%, otherwise the drink will turn out to be not so much strong as a rough taste.

Another important condition for obtaining a tasty drink is the correctly selected size of coffee particles. If you grind grains too coarsely, they will not have time to give the drink all the nutrients and taste. This causes the wateriness of coffee, the inability to form a foam. When grinding the beans in the dust, the coffee turns bitter, it has no characteristic nutty notes and a multifaceted aftertaste.

The classic espresso recipe involves cooking it in a coffee machine. 7 g of coffee is enough for 30-40 ml of water. When it comes to double espresso, you need to take 14-15 g of coffee. Preparing a drink from Arabica implies an increased amount of grains - up to 10 g per cup.

First of all, it is necessary to warm the bowls in which the drink will be prepared by placing them on a tray. Next, you need to clean the horn from the remnants of coffee and also warm it.

In the holder you need to put 7-9 g of coffee, pre-ground, after which the mass is converted into a tablet by pressing. After this procedure, the horn again needs to be cleaned, in addition, you need to apply water to clean the divider.

A holder with a tablet is inserted into the divider, water is turned on and a heated cup is pushed up to the nozzle of its supply. Despite the fact that a lot of actions are expected, the whole process hardly takes 30 seconds.

If the drink is prepared in a geyser coffee maker (the previous method is relevant for the rozhkogo aggregate), then it is enough to pour the required amount of grains and tamp them, pour water and press the button to make the drink.

You can also cook espresso in a coffee maker, while the cooking process is in many ways similar to that in a coffee machine. 7 g of coffee should be poured into the horn and, by means of tempera, be pressed into a tablet. The latter should have the same thickness over the entire surface, should not crumble.

After that, it is necessary to make a test spill of water to eliminate the likelihood of preservation of residual beverage in the unit. Then the holder with the tablet is installed in a special groove and the strait is turned on for 30 seconds. It remains only to pour the finished drink in the mug.

In the absence of a coffee machine at home, you can also prepare espresso in the Turk. At home, they often use not ground coffee, but ready ground coffee, which also affects the taste of the finished drink.

In the Turk you need to pour 2 tablespoons of ground coffee, as well as sugar to taste and a pinch of salt - at the tip of a knife. Turku must be put on fire, turning it down to a minimum. and heat up a little, fry these ingredients.

As soon as the mixture gets hot, 200 ml of water is poured into the Turk. It should not be cold - the optimum temperature is 30-40 degrees, just above room temperature.

After that, the drink is brought to a boil and quickly removed from heat. At the same time, he was thoroughly mixed, and after a few seconds the Turk was again set on fire. This time the drink should be boiled again and removed from the fire again.

Such manipulations are aimed at the formation of foam on the surface of the drink (usually they heat up and remove from the heat espresso in the Turk up to 3-4 times). Although it is fair to say that getting an espresso with foam in a Turk is not easy. It should be understood that this is not an espresso in its pure form, but a peculiar variation.

You can also prepare espresso with milk, usually for this purpose, the amount of components in the cup is doubled, and 160 ml of milk is divided into 3 parts. During coffee preparation, 2 of them are poured into the Turk and the resulting composition is mixed, and the third is whipped into foam and poured onto the finished and poured into a cup of coffee.

In Italy, speaking of the recipe for the perfect coffee, invariably mention the "rule of four M". The first “M” is a mixture (in Italian “Miscela”). For espresso, you need to choose a high-quality blend based on arabica with the addition of Robusta.

The second "M" - Macinazione, that is, grinding. Optimally, if the grain after grinding the consistency resembled sea sand. The third "M" - Macchina, that is, high-quality coffee machine. It should provide pressing to 9 atmospheres and heat the water no higher than 92 degrees. Finally, the fourth component is “Mano,” the hand. Means that you can make a delicious espresso only by doing it repeatedly, being a professional.

On the basis of espresso you can make other coffee drinks. The most famous is doppino, or double, which is all the same espresso, the ingredients of which are doubled. A 120 ml cup is used to serve the drink.

If you add a double portion of espresso with two parts of boiled milk, you get a flat-white coffee. It is characterized by a combination of a characteristic pronounced coffee taste with a delicate milky note.

If you increase only the volume of water, and the amount of other components remain unchanged, you get a less strong American, which is usually served with milk and sugar. An important point: the American is an espresso, diluted with water.

If you reduce the number of grains to 4 g, keeping the volume of water in the range of 25-30 ml, you get lungo. And if you reduce the amount of water (instead of 25 ml, add only 18 ml), you get a very concentrated coffee called ristretto. If you add a little milk, just a little bit - 1 teaspoon, and before that, beat it well, you get macchiato.

By adding more milk, espresso turns into a latte. The ratio of milk and coffee in the latter is 3: 7. Usually, latte is served in transparent tall glasses. First, pour the heated and a little whipped milk, and then it is injected espresso. If whipped cream is used instead of milk, then we are talking about con-panna drink.

If you take equal quantities of espresso, boiled milk and foamed milk with the help of water vapor, you get a cappuccino. Espresso sinks to the bottom of the glass, mixing with boiled milk closer and closer to the top. A frothy milk foam rises above the cup, which prevents the drink from cooling quickly and preserves its flavor.

A good cappuccino drink is considered to have a dense foam. If you pour sugar on it, it will not fail, and it will remain on the surface of the foam. At home, in Italy, it is served without sugar, in a volume of 150 ml and only before lunch.

If you make the foam more dry and dense and slightly change the ratio of milk and coffee, you get a torus. If you add hot chocolate and whipped cream to espresso and milk, you get a mocha. Ideally, all components should be taken in one piece. However, often a portion of milk or chocolate is increased to get a softer taste.

Espresso with alcohol, usually liquor, amaretto, rum, is called correto. And if you include a small amount of citric acid and zest in the classic recipe, you can enjoy the original taste of the novel.

Latte mochiato is more like a cocktail and consists of several layers. The bottom one is milk, next comes espresso, and at the top is a cap of whipped cream.

Fredo has an original taste. This is a cold espresso served with ice cubes. If you add milk here, you get fredo-mochiato.

To keep the temperature of the drink and give its taste to open up to the maximum, as well as its proper flow.For this, small thick-walled ceramic cups are used. They are called demitass. Pre-cups are sometimes heated with hot steam.

In the absence of those, ordinary small cups with thick walls up to 100 ml will do. For convenience and beauty, a cup is placed on a saucer, with a couple of pieces of sugar on the edge.

It is not recommended to pour espresso into porcelain cups with thin walls, the drink in them cools too quickly. As a rule, such dishes are suitable for coffee, which is brewed in a Turk, and then poured into a coffee pot.

For coffee, you can apply bitter chocolate, sugar, milk. In this case, the last two components are never put directly into the cup, but are served separately. Small desserts are harmonious with a drink - candied fruits, candied nuts.

Often, coffee is served with a glass of non-carbonated water. It is believed that it may be necessary in order to "dilute" the saturation of the drink. However, true gourmets rightly note that the meaning of such use negates the whole peculiarity of espresso. Others claim that water helps clean the enamel surface of the teeth after applying the drink. However, this also hardly compares with a full rinse and brushing.

It turns out that the tradition of serving a glass of water to an espresso came from the East. There, they drank water not after coffee, but before, in order to clear the tongue and mouth from extraneous tastes, prepare taste buds for perception of the whole palette of tastes and shades of espresso.

At present, the supply of water to coffee is not mandatory, but in many cafes and restaurants, espresso is served this way.

To learn how to prepare espresso correctly, see the next workshop from Julius Meinl.