Espresso is the soul cornerstone of coffee shops worldwide. From Americano to latte to cappuccino, none of them can do without this small cup of rich coffee liquid. This article will take you through the historical threads of Italian coffee, from the birth of the first espresso machine in 1884 to the revolution brought by the lever-style coffee machine in 1948 that introduced crema. It will also provide a detailed analysis of the extraction differences and flavor characteristics of the three espresso types: Espresso, Ristretto, and Lungo. At the same time, Front Street Coffee will use the "Sunflower Warm Sun Blend" as an example to share the complete operational process from distributing grounds and tamping to controlling extraction parameters, helping you gain a deeper understanding of the essence of Italian coffee culture.
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Italian coffee has had an extremely profound impact on the direction of the global coffee market, and espresso is now almost a standard product in every coffee shop. Taking Front Street stores as an example, the menu includes classics such as Americano, latte, cappuccino, and flat white. Many coffee shops also add various ingredients on this basis to develop creative specialty drinks. Today, Front Street will take everyone to appreciate the unique charm of Italian coffee culture.
The word "Espresso" in Italian carries the meaning of "fast." From completion to being handed to the customer, Espresso takes only a few short minutes, and Italians named it after the word "Express" (fast).
The production principle of a cup of espresso is to use the pressure generated by steam to force hot water through a layer of coffee grounds, thereby obtaining a small portion of dark coffee liquid that is rich and aromatic, covered with golden foam on the surface. Although it may not often appear prominently on a coffee shop's menu, it is indispensable in drinks such as Americano, latte, and cappuccino, making it the soul of a coffee shop.
Early coffee was extracted by immersion, which required finely grinding the coffee beans and undergoing a slow extraction process, requiring at least more than ten minutes of waiting. In 1884, the Italian Angelo Moriondo designed the first espresso machine, equipped with two independent brewing boilers, extracting with 1.5 bar pressure and steam. The resulting coffee liquid was more viscous and had a richer taste than drip coffee. After that, coffee machines continued to undergo iterative improvements, and variables such as water temperature and pressure gained more precise control.
In 1948, Milan coffee shop owner Achille Gaggia invented the lever-driven coffee machine, which produced what we now call crema through high pressure. Since then, crema has been regarded as one of the important indicators for measuring espresso quality, and espresso also specifically refers to highly concentrated coffee made by pressurized extraction and rich in crema.
From a theoretical perspective, the fresher the coffee beans, the darker the roast, and the greater and more stable the equipment pressure, the better the coffee crema performance. Italians prefer a mellow and round rich coffee taste, are accustomed to roasting coffee beans very dark, and even blend in Robusta beans, making the espresso crema layer thicker, the aroma more concentrated, and the taste impact stronger. Nowadays, consumers have begun to pursue richer flavor layers, and many fresh-style coffee beans are also used in espresso. For example, the "Sunflower Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans" selected for the espresso served at Front Street stores has fermented wine aroma and berry-like sweet acidity, with rich aromatic layers, a soft mouthfeel, and is very easy to drink.
When a customer orders, "Give me an Espresso," the barista at Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) will begin preparing it, and two minutes later serve a glass of ice water, a small spoon, and a small cup of rich coffee liquid topped with golden-brown foam. Before drinking espresso, taking a sip of water first can both rinse the mouth and help calibrate the sense of taste. Gently stir with a metal spoon to blend the coffee liquid. The first sip allows you to taste the dense Cream (crema) and full roasting aroma. What follows is the warm coffee liquid, where you can feel the interwoven flavors of nuts, chocolate, berries, and wine aroma. Take another sip of water midway and slowly appreciate the clean sweet aftertaste left in the mouth.
In fact, espresso does not only have the one regular form of "Espresso." According to the extraction method and the specific coffee-to-liquid ratio, espresso can be divided into three types: Ristretto (short extraction), Normale (normal), and Lungo (long extraction). All three are concentrated liquids obtained by rapid extraction from an espresso machine.
Ristretto generally refers to extra-concentrated espresso, also called refined extra-concentrated coffee. Compared with the common Espresso, Ristretto is more niche, and the familiar Flat White is made with Ristretto as the base. Ristretto carries the meaning of "restricted," and can be understood as "restricting" the extraction amount to intercept only the front and middle stages of espresso, thereby increasing coffee concentration.
Taking Front Street's Espresso extraction plan as an example, 20 grams of coffee grounds extract 40 grams of coffee liquid, with a coffee-to-liquid ratio of 1:2, taking 30 seconds. To extract Ristretto, however, only 70% of Espresso is taken, that is, 20 grams of coffee grounds extract 28 grams of coffee liquid, and the time is correspondingly shortened. In addition, the grind size can also be made finer to slow the flow rate, making the coffee liquid more concentrated. Each store will make different adjustments according to the coffee beans used and the flavor and mouthfeel the barista wants to present.
Normale is the most common and most popular espresso, namely Espresso in the usual sense. At present, most products on the market are mainly Normale, but it is generally not deliberately emphasized. According to the golden cup standard, Normale's extraction yield is between 18% and 22%, and its concentration range is 8% to 12%.
Lungo, on the other hand, is coffee made with twice as much water as normal. "Lungo" in Italian means "long, extended," and it is also called "stretched espresso," that is, extending the extraction time, thereby reducing coffee concentration and making it milder to drink. After repeated adjustment and tasting, Front Street finally determined Lungo's coffee-to-liquid ratio as 1:5, that is, using 20 grams of coffee grounds, extending the extraction time to 42 seconds, and extracting 100 grams of coffee liquid.
Next, Front Street will use the "Sunflower Warm Sun Blend" routinely served in stores as the extraction object to explain in detail how to make a cup of mellow and aromatic Italian espresso.
Front Street uses the capacity of a double basket, with a coffee dose of about 18 to 20 grams, and takes 20 grams of coffee grounds for service. The extraction ratio is 1:2, that is, 20 grams of coffee grounds extract 40 grams of coffee liquid. The extraction time is related to the flow rate of the coffee grounds, and usually a single extraction is controlled at 20 to 35 seconds, because within 20 seconds the coffee taste tends to be thin, while over 35 seconds it is prone to over-extraction and a burnt bitter taste. Front Street's espresso mostly falls within the range of 28 to 30 seconds.
Before extraction, first wipe the basket dry, start the grinder, grind out the amount for a double dose of coffee grounds, place it on the electronic scale, and increase or decrease it to 20 grams. Then use a distribution tool to level the coffee grounds, and press the tamper vertically downward with force to compact the coffee puck, ensuring more stable extraction.
Next, turn on the extraction switch and let water run for 1 to 2 seconds, wetting the group head while also flushing away attached coffee grounds. Place an electronic scale under the cup that will receive the Espresso and tare it to zero, then place it under the group head during extraction as well.
Gently lock the portafilter onto the group head and turn down the extraction switch. Observe the changes in the extracted liquid. When the electronic scale shows that the coffee liquid has reached 40 grams and the time is about 30 seconds, turn off the extraction switch. Brewing parameters will change subtly according to daily air humidity and the condition of the coffee beans, so it is necessary to adjust the coffee dose, grind setting, and extraction liquid amount accordingly.
The extracted Espresso can be drunk directly. Paired with a glass of water to rinse the mouth, you can taste the dense crema foam and the mellow mouthfeel of the coffee liquid beneath. If you cannot quite accept the strong bitterness, you can also add water or milk according to personal preference to dilute and soften the intense taste.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
