How do coffee extraction methods set espresso standards?

Espresso is simply coffee extracted with an espresso machine, one of many coffee extraction methods alongside pour-over and siphon. At the World Barista Championship, a single espresso must measure 25-35ml including crema, brew at 90.5-96 degrees Celsius, and use 8.5-9.5 atmospheres of pressure, with extraction ideally kept between 20 and 30 seconds.

Judges taste espresso at wbc championship coffee events from a 60-90ml cup with one handle, served with a spoon, napkin, and water. For multiple espressos in the same drink, extraction times must fall within 3.0 seconds of each other. Tasting follows the usual steps: observe crema color, smell the aroma, then taste.

When first encountering espresso, beginners are often overwhelmed by various concepts and standards. This article starts from the definition of espresso, outlines the specific requirements of the World Barista Championship for a standard Espresso in terms of volume, water temperature, pressure, and extraction time, and introduces how to appreciate espresso through observing color, smelling aroma, and tasting, while also reminding of details to pay attention to during extraction. The article also explores the often-asked topic of "perfect espresso" and retains relevant recommendations from the Front Street brand, making it suitable for coffee enthusiasts to systematically get started.

When just starting to explore espresso, many seemingly simple yet hard-to-explain questions always come to mind:

1. What exactly is Espresso?

Simply put, espresso is coffee extracted using an espresso machine. The espresso machine is just one of many coffee extraction methods, on par with pour-over and siphon.

Coffee made with an espresso machine is very strong and is generally called "one shot." When this coffee is drunk directly as a beverage, it is called Espresso. Because of its intense flavor, it is also an excellent base for making various fancy coffee drinks.

In the World Barista Championship (WBC), a cup of espresso needs to meet the following conditions:

A. One espresso has a volume of 1 ounce, including crema, totaling 25-35ml.

B. One espresso is extracted from several grams of coffee (the specific number of grams depends on the coffee beans and grind size).

C. The extraction water temperature is between 90.5-96 degrees Celsius (between 195-205 degrees Fahrenheit).

D. The extraction pressure of the espresso machine is 8.5-9.5 atmospheres.

E. The coffee extraction time is best controlled between 20-30 seconds, but this is not mandatory.

F. For the espresso used in the same beverage, the difference in extraction time must be controlled within 3.0 seconds.

G. Espresso must be served in a coffee cup with a capacity of 60-90ml (2-3 ounces) and one handle.

H. When espresso is served to the judges for tasting, it must be accompanied by a coffee spoon, napkin, and water.

2. How should espresso be tasted?

When drinking it directly as a beverage, you can follow the general steps for tasting coffee:

Observe the color, looking at the color of the crema, whether the color is even, its thickness, extensibility, and so on;

Smell the aroma, sensing caramel notes, nutty notes, chocolate notes, and so on;

Taste it, experiencing the coffee's sweetness, acidity, body, aftertaste, and so on, with special attention to espresso's unique "bittersweet" flavor.

3. What aspects should be paid attention to when extracting espresso? (Taking automatic coffee machine extraction as an example)

A. The time when the first drop of coffee appears—after pressing the extraction button, it takes a few seconds before coffee drips down;

B. The condition of the water flow during extraction, including color, thickness, speed, and changes in these.

4. What should perfect espresso taste like?

Some say that perfect espresso is a gift from God, which shows just how rare perfect extraction is.

Many trainees often struggle with this question: what exactly should perfect espresso taste like?

A senior once told me that the taste of perfect espresso is the taste of the most delicious cup of espresso you have ever had in your life.

In a lifetime, you will encounter countless cups of espresso. Carefully remember the one that tasted most delicious to you, take it as your standard, until you encounter a better cup.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.