Espresso coffee - what is it? How to make espresso at home

It is difficult to imagine a morning without a cup of aromatic coffee. This popular drink invigorates and energizes all day. Now more and more people prefer a drink called espresso, which differs among others with a rich taste and an unsurpassed, exciting aroma.

Espresso coffee - what is it

In the middle of the last century, a new type of coffee was invented in Italy. Espresso in Italian means “squeezed out” or “pressed”. It is prepared using a special device - a coffee machine.

Scientists from the Italian National Institute of Espresso are confident that in order to get a real drink, it is necessary to fulfill a number of conditions:

• use only natural grains of good grade and strong roasting;
• store them in a sealed glass or ceramic container;
• before cooking the grain must be finely ground without turning them into dust;
• use filtered water;
• at the beginning of the preparation of the drink, ordinary water is passed through it to warm the machine;
• the ideal temperature for brewing espresso coffee is 90 degrees;
• the drink can only be poured into a well-heated cup called demitasse;
• all parts of the coffee machine must be kept perfectly clean to prevent unpleasant odors during subsequent espresso preparations;
• Drinking a coffee drink is recommended immediately after preparation.

If brown-red foam formed on top of the drink, then the espresso was prepared correctly. They drink coffee in small sips to fully enjoy its taste.

And despite all the strictness of the rules, you can use a world-famous coffee tablet manufacturer to make a good espresso.

Composition and calorie content

100 ml of espresso contains 9 kcal.

The chemical composition of the drink:

• protein - 0.1 g;
• fats - 0.2 g;
• carbohydrates - 1.7 g.

To get rid of calories after drinking espresso, you need to spend 1 minute on running, jumping rope, strength or training for the press. Or 9 minutes to sleep.

Espresso Coffee Drinks

The main types of drinks made on the basis of espresso include:

1. Doppino (double). This is an espresso whose amount of ingredients is doubled. The drink is served in a 120 ml mug.
2. Lungo. In this drink, only the volume of water increases by 2 times, and all other components remain unchanged.
3. Macchiato. Half a small spoonful of milk is whipped into the foam and added to the main ingredients.
4. Latte. Pour milk in a ratio of 3: 7.
5. Corretto. An alcoholic drink (usually liquor) is added to the espresso.
6. Ristretto. The strongest coffee, instead of 25 ml is added 18 ml of water.
7. Romance. The classic recipe includes zest or lemon juice.
8. Con panna Whipped cream is added to the finished drink.
9. Fredo Serve espresso cold with sugar and an ice cube.
10. Latte macchiato. Served in the form of a drink consisting of 3 layers: the first is milk, the second is espresso, the third is milk whipped in foam.
11. Macchiato Fredo. Milk is added to the ingredients of the fredo.

An espresso specialist is called a barista.

How to cook at home

Connoisseurs of invigorating drinks have often wondered how to make espresso at home. It's simple enough, the main thing is to choose how the drink will be prepared: in an espresso coffee machine, a turk or in a coffee maker.

Before starting the cooking process, you need to prepare:

• Choose coffee beans of excellent quality. For this, well-roasted arabica and robusta grains are suitable.
• The grains are ground in a coffee grinder. Proper grinding is the key to a real and tasty drink. Ideal are grains crushed to a state of sand. If the pieces are larger, the coffee will be too thin and tasteless. If the grains are crushed into flour, then the espresso will be bitter.

Turkish recipe

1. 2 small spoons of ground coffee beans are poured into a turk, salt on the tip of a knife and sugar to taste.
2. Put the mixture on a small fire and stir constantly to prevent loose ingredients from burning.
3. When the mixture starts to heat, you need to add 200 ml of water with a temperature of 30 - 40 degrees.
4. The espresso is brought to a boil, removed and mixed.
5. A second time put on fire and warmed to a boil. The more warm the drink, the more resistant the foam becomes.
6. Then give coffee to settle and pour into circles.

To achieve foam in the Turk, you need to try very hard.

With milk

To soften the taste of double espresso, you can add milk. Such a drink is most often prepared in the morning.

To do this, take doppino and pour into a glass cup. Then 160 ml of milk is divided into 3 parts. Now 2 parts are gradually mixed in coffee, and the remaining part is heated to 60 degrees and whipped. Foamed milk is poured into espresso.

Espresso in a coffee machine

Real espresso is made using a coffee machine.

To brew it is necessary to follow a certain algorithm:

1. The cups into which the drink will be poured are placed on a tray and warmed.
2. The horn is cleaned of coffee residues and heated.
3. 7 to 9 g of ground coffee are placed in the holder.
4. Then the ground grains are pressed into a tablet of the required size and density.
5. Then you need to again clean the rim of the horn from the remains of coffee and turn on the water supply to clean the divider.
6. A holder with a tablet is inserted into the divider, water is turned on and a heated cup is substituted.
7. Cooking time does not exceed 30 seconds.

One cup will be filled in 2/3 of the volume (25 - 30 ml).

Cooking in a coffee maker.

The technology for making espresso in a coffee machine is very similar to the similar process that occurs in a coffee machine.

1. 7 g of ground beans are poured into the coffee horn.
2. With the help of tempera tamping coffee "sand". The tablet should be dense and uniform.
3. Before starting the preparation, make a trial strait in order to get rid of coffee residues from previous preparations.
4. A holder with a tablet is inserted into a special groove and the strait is turned on for 30 seconds.
5. Then pour hot coffee into mugs.

Espresso made in a coffee maker will have a golden brown froth.

The main differences between Americano and espresso coffee

The main differences between Americano and espresso:

1. The volume of espresso is only 25 - 30 ml, and American - at least 150 ml.
2. Espresso is preferred by gourmets and connoisseurs of the bitter taste of natural coffee. Americano will appeal to those who do not like bitterness.
3. Espresso is prepared only by distillation of water vapor, and Americano - by the method of continuous strait.
4. For the preparation of Americano grains are crushed larger than for espresso.
5. Foam is a mandatory characteristic of properly prepared espresso, but in America it may not be.

Espresso is a drink for connoisseurs who can appreciate the unsurpassed aroma and nutty flavor of real, high-quality coffee.