For coffee lovers, Espresso is not just a drink, but more importantly, a cultural feature. So what is Espresso? Follow the article to get answers and discover how to drink an espresso!
This article contains:
- What Is Coffee Espresso?
- How To Drink An Espresso Correctly
- The Right Way To Drink Espresso
- Three Basic Things You Need To Know For How To Drink An Espresso
- How To Choose The Standard Coffee Coffee Machine Like A Specialist
- 5 Notes When Using A Coffee Machine Can Not Be Ignored
- Things To Know When Compressing Espresso Coffee
What Is Coffee Espresso?
Cafe Espresso first appeared in Italy in 1930, this is a drink that is commonly used in Italy, Spain, and some European countries. Espresso originates from the Italian “Espressivo” – it means a drink that is prepared specially. Espresso is the name of a method of brewing coffee, not the name of a specific coffee.
From the point of view of the Italians and Europeans, Espresso coffee is quite simple, they are simply finely ground coffee then mixed with the steam pressure of the coffee machine within half a minute.
Particularly for the Italians, Espresso is not only a beverage, but above all, it is also a very distinctive culture. Espresso has become an indispensable ritual every morning, drinking a hot cup of coffee while chatting with friends and relatives and starting a new day full of excitement.
Espresso coffee cups have 2 basic classes: crema layer and liquid layer.
The crema layer is made up of CO2 foam surrounded by oil and water. Also, crema includes the coffee and emulsified oils found in the beans. This crema class is very bitter and until now there are still two schools of espresso enjoying each other arguing whether to stir this crema when enjoying or not.
Liquid class: This is considered the main ingredient that makes up the characteristic flavor of each cup of Espresso. They are made up of dissolved substances, gases, and insoluble substances.
How To Drink An Espresso Correctly
Choose ingredients for an Espresso coffee cup
The ingredients that make Espresso are still the coffee beans as other types of coffee. However, make sure they are clean coffee, do not mix any other impurities, especially coffee beans are often darker roasted. This is a necessary note because, with the under-pressure brewing method, the natural acids of the coffee beans dissolve faster than the conventional brewing methods.
How to make espresso coffee
Resources
The National Institute of Coffee Espresso of Italy gives the quantitative standards for 1 cup of Espresso as follows:
- The amount of coffee needed: 7 g ± 0.5 g
- Water temperature at discharge: 88 ° C ± 2 ° C
- The coffee temperature in a cup: 67 ° C ± 3 ° C
- Flow-through time: 25 seconds ± 2.5 seconds
- Viscosity at 45 ° C: 1.5 mPa s
- Total fat:> 2 mg / ml
- Caffeine content: 40 mg / cup
- Volume in cup (including crema): 25 ml ± 2,5 ml
Steps to be taken
To make a delicious Espresso coffee with rich Italian flavor, we need to use an Espresso coffee machine. These machines must ensure the water temperature is between 88 and 94 degrees C, pressed with an initial pressure of about 9 bar through pureed coffee powder, guaranteed flow time is about 25 seconds.
Step 1: Prepare materials, tools including:
Coffee maker
Coffee cup
Country
Coffee has roasted
A little sugar if you want
Step 2: Boil water, note that enough water must be poured into the water tank for the pump to be submerged.
Step 3:
Get the appropriate amount of coffee (Mix 1 cup about 7 grams)
Place and push the flattening tool to flatten the surface and squeeze the coffee (Let water not flow through the coffee too quickly)
Lock the machine’s handling valves and place the coffee cup underneath
Turn on the brew button
It will take about 18-20 seconds to filter 1 cup of coffee
Then turn off the adjustment buttons
Step 4: Add sugar and enjoy
The Right Way To Drink Espresso
Once you have a standard Espresso coffee cup, how you enjoy them is also something you should care about. How to drink espresso coffee below will be a very worthy suggestion for you to pay attention to:
Usually, you will think that enjoying a cup of coffee means taking time to sip slowly, but with Espresso this is completely the opposite. Espresso cups when left in the air for a long time will oxidize and lose their flavor.
Here are some tips to enjoy Espresso from Mr. Luca Di Pietro – an expert in the coffee industry and the owner of the Tarallucci e Vino restaurant (New York, USA) and a genuine Italian:
Understand what espresso is
Coffee beans are coffee beans. No matter how much the coffee industry tries to advertise, there is nothing like an espresso roast coffee bean. The brewing method creates different types of coffee, such as French press, or espresso.
The espresso machine uses a pressure of 9.2 kg / cm2 to squeeze coffee, instead of using gravity like a coffee filter. A traditional espresso uses 7 grams of coffee and is processed in no more than 25 seconds.
Mr. Di Pietro said the correct espresso does not have a bitter taste and does not cause the heart to beat fast. “One of the big problems in new cafes is that they make espresso with 18-20 grams of coffee,” he said. That means the amount of caffeine will be 2-3 times higher than traditional espresso. In such a small amount of solution, the rate of caffeine will be very high, causing the coffee to be bitter “.
Be demanding
Coffee often spoils very quickly if not handled properly. Coffee needs to taste good and should be good 365 days a year.
Contrary to the Vietnamese way of enjoying coffee, espresso is only delicious when you enjoy all your coffee in a few sips, less than 1 minute to empty your cup. Someone gave me a way to fully feel the charm of the espresso: when the coffee is just brewed, grab a small spoon, scoop up the precious smooth crema and enjoy first. , to see the coffee’s natural fat leopard. Next is to enjoy the cup of espresso in just 2, 3 sips. Espresso, if left in the air for a long time, only need more than 1 minute, the coffee will lose its flavor and flavor due to oxidation and cold air. The aroma of espresso is delicate, not too strong, and too inclined towards the smell of rotting wood like robusta, which will have the sweetness of the plants – a very characteristic aroma of arabica. When you have enjoyed all the espresso, the sweet aftertaste will last a long time in the mouth and throat.
Mix quickly and drink quickly
Di Pietro says espresso means speed. This type of coffee needs to be brewed quickly when requested by the customer. You should also indulge in your coffee immediately, with “cream” (crema) on the surface. This is the creamy cream secreted from the oil in the coffee bean, acting as a membrane to keep the fragrance.
This scum disappears pretty quickly. Never drink espresso without the crema layer on top, as they have either been brewed for too long or have been decaffeinated.
Order coffee at the counter
The crema layer disappears very quickly, so connoisseurs will order and drink from the counter. If you sit down at the table and order an espresso, by the time the drink comes out (especially during busy times), the film is gone. Calling it the counter is also an opportunity for you to chat with the bartender and enjoy the traditions associated with this drink.
You can drink espresso any time of the day
However, if you order a cappuccino after 11 am, you will get strange glances. Drinking cappuccino after or during dinner is considered paradoxical because the coffee milk is usually for the morning.
Don’t add milk
If you add milk, you will have an espresso machiatto drink before 11 o’clock. We recommend adding more wine to make the Caffe corretto the evening drink.
Surely now you have a better understanding of what Espresso is and the right way to drink Espresso. If you are still maintaining the habit of drinking Espresso slowly, then try changing now. Surely you will have a very interesting new experience.
Three Basic Things You Need To Know For How To Drink An Espresso
You have bought a satisfactory automatic coffee machine that can make delicious hot espresso in less than 25 seconds. The machine is great but please note, how smart it is, it still depends on your usage.
Durable in people, careful during use will help the coffee machine to function well, less damage as well as make better espresso. Here are 3 key factors to know.
Water source
Water accounts for 92% of the coffee cup’s composition, is the most important factor affecting the quality of good espresso or not. Water used with automatic machines must be purified as soft water. Do not use mineral water such as Lavie, Vinh Hao, Evian … because the mineral composition will quickly deposit calcium deposits in the water circuit system and the press, affecting the taste and costs of cleaning the machine.
Coffee beans, how to choose to buy and preserve
Of course, outside of the country, coffee is also an important ingredient of espresso. For automatic coffee machines with a grain mill attached, the coffee beans must be pure, not seasoned with oil butter. The butter will jam the jar, causing damage. Choose to buy coffee from reputable brands that have been carefully screened. If there are small rocks mixed in a bag of coffee beans, when put into the bowl, it will make batches, break the mortar, and costly to replace and repair.
Besides, it is necessary to pay attention to the stage of preserving coffee beans after opening the bags. Coffee is exposed to light, the air will quickly deteriorate, lose flavor and taste. Do not buy a bag of coffee too large (should aim for 2-3 weeks), pay attention to choose a bag with a 1-way valve to push CO2 and prevent O2 from entering the bag.
Align the coffee quantity and the fineness of the coffee powder to make delicious espresso
Smoothly
Did you know, each coffee bean is finished with different types of beans (variety, soil …), different roasting times. So for each type of coffee beans will have different optimal fineness. Coffee, when properly ground, will extract all of its delicious flavors, so fineness adjustment is extremely important.
There is always a finisher on the coffee machine’s bean hopper. Make the most of this feature to make delicious espresso.
Density
Along with the fineness, the coffee maker also allows the user to adjust the density, ie the amount of coffee powder used to make an espresso shot. Don’t forget to adjust the density before each blend to suit your taste.
Clean the coffee machine periodically
Clean the presser bowl
The juicer is the heart of the coffee maker, where the coffee extraction is carried out. After each cup of coffee is brewed, leftover pulp remains in the presser. In the past, the cleaning of the jar was always a problem because it was not removable, the coffee grounds for a long time seriously affected the quality and flavor of the finished espresso.
If you own a Saeco or Gaggia coffee machine, congratulations on the detachable jar. Not only that, the disassembly process is extremely simple, anyone can do it by hand. Remove the jar and wash it under running water, dry it, then install it in the machine. You should remove the jar from the toilet every day if possible. The clean, odorless juicer will help you make a healthy espresso machine that makes delicious espresso.
Clean the water circuit inside the machine
For automatic machines, at the beginning of the day at startup and at the end of the day when the Stand by button is turned off, the machine will automatically start the internal water circuit cleaning program. However, after a long time of use, the pipes or presses will be packed with calcium deposits. At this time, the machine needs more intensive cleaning with specialized cleaning agents. Rest assured that the machine will automatically show a request to do this (about 3-6 months depending on the hardness of the water you use).
Clean the batter
This article focuses on the factors that influence the way of making good espresso. If it is an automatic espresso machine, it only has a steam hose, before and after each stroke you should blow off the heat to clean the inner path. If it is an automatic cappuccino machine (with or without the milk drawer included), the cleaning will be much more complicated.
How To Choose The Standard Coffee Coffee Machine Like A Specialist
Thus, a perfect espresso is the harmony of a professional barista and a standard bartender. Through many in-depth studies, we believe that the main factors of coffee machines affect the quality of drinks that when shopping, customers should pay special attention, including the capacity of the machine, quantity group head, ability to keep a constant temperature, boiler size, and whipping nozzle.
Choose a reputable brand
When choosing to buy an espresso machine, you should also be mindful of its brand. You should only choose the famous and reputable models in the market, Jura, Rancilio … Especially, the components are easy to replace in the country in case of warranty and repair.
Suitable espresso coffee machine design
If you are in business or selling coffee drinks, you need to pay attention to this issue.
In case, the size of your store or shop is small and narrow, you should choose a compact whole grain coffee machine with a sophisticated and beautiful design to minimize the space and make your store more spacious.
In case your shop and store are spacious, the design is not so important, but you should still choose a compact whole grain coffee machine for a more spacious store layout!
Suitable machine capacity
Working capacity also greatly affects durability. Office machines only allow to serve less than 50 glasses and if you make it serve 50 glasses/day for 3 consecutive months then after 3 months it will fail. In contrast, a professional coffee machine can serve you continuously 200-300 cups per day for the whole year and for many years to come still working normally (under good maintenance conditions).
With different manufacturers, the capacity of the generators is also different, the 02 group machines usually have a capacity from 3000 – 4000W, the 01 group machine is only 1200 – 1600W.
The stable temperature
The ability to change the temperature of the group head is also a point to consider. For example, dark roasted coffee can taste better with low heat, or brown roasted coffee can taste better with high heat.
A good Espresso machine needs to converge most of the above factors to help you make a delicious espresso and many other drinks, the first taste and quality are the same as the next cup. That is why this blending method goes all over the world, and most of today, in shops or offices, there are Espresso machines for consumers.
Choose the right price
The selection of the machine manufacturer, as well as the quality of the machine, will determine the price of the whole grain coffee machines. Besides, depending on the purpose and users, the amount you have to spend initially will be more or less. Buying a whole grain coffee grinder at the right price will help you spend reasonably and avoid unnecessary waste.
The machines for offices, families with good brands usually cost 5 million, industrial machines for big cafes will be more varied, from a few tens to a few hundred million also.
Sometimes you also need someone knowledgeable about the different types of coffee machines on the market to set an accurate price. At the same time, considering the economic conditions will also help you quickly choose the right machine.
5 Notes When Using A Coffee Machine Can Not Be Ignored
Coffee machines are quite popular in the market today because of their convenience and perfect quality for delicious coffee cups. However, not everyone knows how to properly make coffee by machine. Here are 5 notes you need to memorize when using a coffee maker.
On the market today there are many types of coffee makers with different price segments of the same quality, the most important thing is that you need to know how to use them to create quality products. Quality here includes aroma, color, and flavor factors. To do this, you need to pay attention to the following.
Things to note when making coffee with a machine
To be able to make coffee like a professional Barista, just practicing your skills is not enough, you also need to have a deep enough knowledge, a lot of experience with coffee types, types of brewers, and grinders. different. But if reading a dozen books about espresso, or spending years doing coffee around the world confuses you, perhaps this article will be able to help. Avoiding common mistakes in espresso extraction will help you get around the product, consistent quality of brews, and satisfy customers and shop owners.
The most important thing in espresso extraction is the flow: “A good flow will start after you press 2-4 seconds, finish at 20-25, start with a small stream, and then grow. “. Keep this in mind as all of your adjustments to the brewing process and everything I will share below are towards the above result.
Note 1
The volume of coffee in the filter must not exceed the allowed volume, usually 18g for the double filter and 9-10g for the single filter. Each filter has a maximum coffee volume, if you take more, it will lead to uneven extraction because water is difficult to get into the center of the dough. You should use an electronic scale to weigh the desired amount of coffee in the filter and then memorize the height of the dough to easily quantify for the next time.
Note 2
The extraction rate should be 1-2 to 2.5. Understand that with 18g coffee powder, extract 36g to 45g of coffee solution. If you take more than the above, it can easily make the cup of coffee fade and have an undesirable taste. You can also draw the extraction ratio down to 1-1.5 for a more dramatic, rich cup of coffee. The amount of coffee service obtained is very little, but this is a little trick to please fastidious customers.
Note 3
When the extraction is too fast or too slow, please adjust the grind size until you get the right flow rate, do not adjust the compressive force. The compressive force is not so important, and the slightest compression is easier than the strong compression. So use a slight amount of pressure that feels comfortable in your hand and then use it every time.
Note 4
Do not knock, hit or apply strong force to the filter. There is a very harmful habit that the bartenders often pass each other which is using compression to type in the filter. At first glance, it may seem that after typing, on the surface of the coffee it looks more even, but you are ruining the texture of the coffee block. The knocking force causes the coffee block to crack in the middle and pushes the fine dough to one side, making the extract bad. Not to mention that typing often scratches the filter, extremely unsightly. If after taking your coffee, your coffee block is too messy, you can use the palm of your hand to pat the top and bottom of the filter to evenly spread the coffee.
Note 5
Rinse the water before making coffee. The flushing is not just about cleaning the coffee throat, it also releases excess pressure that builds up in the throat to help stabilize the steam during the brewing process.
Note 6
Make sure your coffee powder is still good. Coffee powder left in the coffee grinder for a long time will be damp, flavorless, change the taste, resulting in unstable flow and poor quality. So the experience when you grind coffee is to grind a little less, then replenish it with a little grind until you have enough coffee in the filter. You also need to pay attention to the coffee beans in the hopper. Coffee stored in a closed hopper is still hygroscopic and degraded by light. So pour into the funnel enough coffee to use during the day, if at the end of the day there is excess, then pour it back into the bag or storage box for next day use.
Note 7
Ask your coffee supplier to align you from scratch and check periodically. Many influencing factors will probably be beyond your control such as blender quality, mixer, temperature, pressure, water quality … Let your coffee supplier come up with the right solution and so you get the quality you want from the start. Once you have standard quality and process from the outset for reference it is a lot easier to adjust the arising in the preparation process.
Things To Know When Compressing Espresso Coffee
The main purpose of tamping is to flatten the surface of the coffee and create a “cake block” of flour grains that are tightly bound together in a basket (also known as a filter). It’s like we take out all the extra space between the flour particles and make them fit.
Why must we do that? Imagine that, when the water from the kettle is pushed out of the group-head to spray into the basket in case the coffee is not compressed, they will not “lie still” in one place, but the phenomenon will occur. messed up. But when that phenomenon happened, it was impossible to extract coffee.
If you do not want the coffee too bitter or too light, a little attention should be paid to compressing the coffee. All compression must follow the correct technique. The compression is too tight or too light affects the extraction of the espresso, which largely produces channeling.
Grooming – Wipe off excess coffee from the basket
When the coffee is ground from a blender, that amount of flour can be too much and it does not spread out in a basket, but rather piles up like a mountain top. Therefore, baristas will often use the lid of the powder hopper to remove some of the excess flour or use their fingers to move around the basket quickly.
Tamping action – Compress the espresso, flatten and remove excess space in the basket
The tamping operation aims to flatten the coffee surface and remove excess space between the flour grains. This action is intended to create a solid mass of coffee powder. This helps the coffee powder can withstand the high pressure of the machine and extract more evenly.
But it’s not like pressing the tamper down the harder the better. To create a “coffee cake block” with a solid texture, depends on many other factors such as compressive force, whether the grain size is uniform, and the freshness of the whole coffee.
The Professional Barista’s Handbook mentions: “Standard compressive force is in the range of 9-13 kg (20-30 lbs). When compressing espresso, you must stand upright, people perpendicular to the edge of the table and always keep your hands, elbows straight and not tilted.
But according to the barista’s long practical experience, the ideal compression force falls to 20 kg. So the question posed by many people is “how do I know if I have enough weight or not?”. Then the only way is to exercise on a scale until you get used to the feeling of compression.
Tapping operation – Type tamper into a basket
Many baristas have a habit of tapping tamper with the handle to remove the dough particles on the basket wall. This is not a mistake, but if you hit too hard it will damage the mixing arm and leave the coffee powder close to the basket. Will eventually lead to channeling. So if there is a knock, pay attention to the force.
A few things to note about tamper (coffee press hand)
Pressed hand material: the tamper to compress the espresso should be made of stainless steel (some types of plastic), hold firmly, have a moderate weight, the surface is smooth, not chipped or cracked.
Compression arm surface: The compression arm surface has many different shapes such as flat, convex, or spiral. Each has its advantages. But a flat tamper compressor is always the ideal choice.
Tamper Diameter: Make sure you buy a tamper that fits the basket snugly. If you buy one hand compressing espresso with 56mm diameter and use it for a handle with a basket diameter of 58mm, it cannot be compressed into a basket.
Conclusion
In the end, this is just a, b, c… about Espresso coffee, very simple and comprehensive. Sometimes Espresso made “right” is not sure to be delicious, it depends on the characteristics of each coffee variety such as flavor, taste, roast, … And even, whether the coffee is delicious or not depends on the taste. experience of coffee users, popularly called “Gu” – A concept that always changes with each period is the good answer for how to drink an espresso. The theory is fundamental, but when applied in practice is not always true, so do not be too stereotyped because perfection does not always exist.
