What is The Difference Between Espresso vs Coffee?

All espresso is coffee, but not all coffee is espresso. From the roasting process to the flavor and caffeine content. What is the difference between espresso vs coffee? See in the article below.

What is espresso?

Espresso is actually not a type of coffee as we often think. To be precise, espresso is just a method of preparing coffee. However, today people often use this term to talk about a type of coffee that has a strong flavor and is served in small cups. Coffee brewed in this way will be called espresso coffee.

Espresso is a concentrated coffee drink mixed in a 1:2 ratio between finely ground coffee beans and hot water. It is made using an espresso machine, which forces water through coffee grounds under extreme pressure. A good cup of espresso must have a rich coffee flavor but must not taste burnt or too bitter.

The method of making espresso coffee originates from Italy. In Italian, espresso means express, a way to brew coffee and serve coffee immediately and quickly. Since becoming famous in Italy in the 1930s, espresso has begun to spread to Spain, then England to America and now in Asian and Middle Eastern countries.

The different terms between espresso vs coffee

Once again, we are talking about the difference between regular coffee and coffee prepared using the espresso method. So, if everything is coffee, what is the difference? If we see espresso as a type of coffee, it has some differences compared to regular coffee, in terms of ingredients, brewing method, characteristics of ingredients, and caffeine content… Specifically as follows:

Cre: Roaster Coffees

Brewing Method

Espresso is a concentrated coffee brewed by forcing hot water through finely ground coffee under high pressure. This method results in a small, strong shot of coffee with a layer of crema on top. Besides, the brewing time for espresso is short, typically around 25-30 seconds.

The term “coffee” is often used to refer to drip-brewed coffee, which is made by dripping hot water over coarser coffee grounds. It is a more diluted and less concentrated form of coffee compared to espresso.

Grind Size

Espresso: The coffee beans used for espresso are finely ground to allow for a quick extraction during the short brewing time.

Coffee: Depending on the brewing method (e.g., drip, French press), the grind size for coffee can vary. It is generally coarser than the fine grind used for espresso.

Concentration and Volume

Espresso: Espresso is a concentrated shot of coffee, usually served in small amounts, typically 1 ounce (30 ml).

Coffee: Regular coffee is more diluted and is usually served in larger quantities, ranging from 8 to 16 ounces or more.

Flavor Profile

Espresso: Espresso is known for its intense, bold flavor, often described as strong, rich, and complex. The concentrated nature of espresso brings out the flavors of the coffee beans.

Coffee: Regular coffee tends to have a milder and more varied flavor profile. The longer brewing time allows for a greater extraction of flavors from the coffee grounds.

Caffeine in espresso vs coffee

Because espresso is much more concentrated than regular coffee, it has a richer flavor and higher caffeine content, on average five to seven times that of a cup of brewed coffee of the same volume.

If in regular coffee, the amount of caffeine will be from 80 – 150mg/cup of 250ml. Meanwhile, espresso coffee has about 40 – 75mg of caffeine in a cup of only 30ml. If the same volume is 250ml, the amount of caffeine in espresso will be many times higher than regular coffee.

How to make delicious espresso with a coffee maker

To make espresso, follow these instructions:

Step 1: Prepare coffee powder and coffee maker

In this step, if you already have coffee powder, you can move to step 2.

If you don’t have coffee powder, you can choose coffee beans to grind into powder as we learned in section 3.1.

Prepare the coffee maker. If you don’t have an espresso machine, you can use an Aeropress.

Prepare hot water for espresso at a temperature of 80 – 90 degrees Celsius, or a maximum of 95 degrees

Rinse the portafilter

Step 2: Compress coffee powder

Put the coffee powder into the torpa filter

Use a tamper – called a tamper – to tamp the coffee with moderate force

Drain hot water from the machine so that the water supply is stable and the water temperature is suitable.

Place the torta filter with compressed coffee powder under hot water.

Step 3: Brew espresso

The final step will be to brew the espresso after pressing. Now that you have attached the torpedo filter to the hot water, continue with these steps:

Take the coffee cup and place it under the nozzle of the torpedo.

Press and release the hot water, the water will flow through the compressed coffee powder in the torpa. From the torpedo’s spout, coffee water will flow down into the last coffee cup placed.

The espresso water will be black at first, then brown. Foam rising to the surface will appear at the end of the coffee brewing process.

Note that the time to get espresso water is only about 23 – 28 seconds, so the coffee powder is kept from air for a long time. You should only grind coffee powder when you need to brew it, not before grinding it. If it is already ground, it needs to be carefully stored in bags and packaged so that the coffee powder does not oxidize.

Conclusion

Hope you have a better understanding of espresso vs coffee, how to prepare espresso as well as its difference from regular coffee. If you also love espresso, just take a few minutes to make yourself a cup of espresso at home, you will definitely find it extremely interesting to do it yourself.

Espresso is the leading type of coffee consumed globally. As a beverage supplier and distributor, Nawon cannot stand aside. We provide premium quality coffee drinks from Vietnam. The place with the second largest export output of coffee and coffee drinks globally. If you are a retailer or a food distributor, check out Nawon’s coffee drinks. The sales and consulting team is always ready to support you 24/24 if you need any information about beverages or receive free samples or quotes. Thank you for your interest.