Coffee and espresso really what are they? Don’t be confused basically they don’t have a major difference. People think coffee and espresso are completely two different things.
Even coffee and espresso are produced from the same bean. But the difference is a way of bean roast and bean brewing process. Let’s discover some major key difference between espresso and coffee.
Table of Contents
The big difference between espresso and coffee:
Roast:
Espresso beans are roasting for a long time until they turn into the dark. Where drip coffee bean to get the perfect flavor profile of aroma.
To get traditional American flavor usually used medium-dark roasted beans. Somewhere light roast and medium roasted coffee beans are used for drip coffee.
To produce extreme Italian espresso shot beans are roasted for a long and long time until the espresso bean turns into the super darker roast bean.
Roasting coffee beans for a long time means they produce lots of acid and oil. So you will feel heavy and creamy flavor into your mouth.
Coffee and espresso are produced from the same beans. Two kinds of beans are commercially produced. “Robusta and Arabica” Robusta coffee bean gain much nutter flavor after roasted.
Arabica coffee bean taste is difficult to recognize. Its taste quality depends on its verity. Some Arabica coffee beans provide a sweet taste and some give sour.
Brewing Process:
To produce creamy brewing espresso we need an espresso machine. Espresso requires dark roast beans, hot water, and a high-pressure machine for the extraction process.
So there is nothing to get a perfect espresso shot without an espresso machine. If you want to make espresso at home still you can do it but probably you will not do it because of the expensive espresso machine.
However, nowadays the espresso machine is becoming more affordable for home use.
For regular coffee, we can use a drip coffee maker, French press, and other different methods.
So finally you can make regular at your home because all goods are really affordable to get like a coffee machine.
Grinding Process:
The espresso grinding process usually much different from a regular coffee drink. Coffee grounds should more refine and fine texture of sand while making espresso. Espresso beans must be roasted properly before the grind.
Caffeine Amount:
Espresso has more caffeine than regular coffee. Actually it depends on how much you are taking. This means one cup of brewed coffee can contain much caffeine than an espresso shot.
1 Oz of espresso shot contains between 40-80 mg caffeine where 8 oz (0.3 kg) of drip coffee contains between 85-190 mg caffeine.
So if I compare by per ounce espresso has higher caffeine than brew coffee.
Taste:
The espresso flavor is unique in taste than drip coffee because espresso beans are strongly roasted and brewed differently. So espresso taste is super strong, creamy, and rich coffee flavor.
This heavier feel is only for the espresso beans roasting process. So the regular drip coffee taste is just a taste of simple coffee.
What is espresso?
Espresso is a strong darker roast concentrated coffee that is made from hot water at high pressure through finely-ground coffee.
Espresso can be made with different kinds of coffee beans. The main key difference is the espresso brewing time and grinding process.
Espresso is thicker than regular drip coffee. Espresso tastes solid creamy and foam. Espresso drinks contain lots of caffeine per unit volume than other coffee beverages.
Actually, espresso is coffee and just made (differently) than regular brewing coffee.
Different types of espresso drinks
1. Espresso:
Simple espresso drink is a single shot of espresso coffee. It used almost eight grams of finely ground coffee.
2. Ristretto:
Ristretto has more strong shot of espresso than a regular espresso shot. Made with finer ground coffee and hot water.
3. Doppio:
Doppio is prepared from a double shot of espresso. This contains almost 60 ml of filter coffee. Doppio espresso shots use a double shot filter inside the espresso machine.
4. Mocha:
This is different from other drinks. Mocha is sweet in taste. It contains a latte with chocolate syrup. If you like more sweet add caramel or peppermint syrup.
5. Cappuccino:
Cappuccino is an interesting drink. It’s make with a ratio of one third espresso grounds, one third milk foam, and one third steamed milk.
6. Americano:
Regular black coffee and Americano has the same strength. Adding steamed hot water to a double shot of espresso made it different form black coffee.
Different types of espresso and coffee drinks
1. Red eye:
Real caffeinated drink means red eye coffee drinks. It is brewed with one cup of black coffee with a single shot of espresso.
2. Black eye:
It is stronger than red eye. It prepared with a double shot of espresso with one cup of black coffee.
3. Lazy eye:
It is a less caffeinated beverage option. It is prepared with two shot of espresso and one cup less caffeinated black coffee.
4. Dripped eye:
This is stronger than red eye and a black eye. Prepared with three shots of espresso to a cup of steamed black coffee.
What is the difference between espresso and Americano?
Actually Americano is prepared with espresso shots which are combined with hot water. Americano is not too strong like espresso it is a thin and liquid drink.
Regular Americano range from 8 to 18 ounces (0.68 kg). They have less concentrated coffee. It is served with sugar and cream. Americano has similar strength like drip coffee.
What is the difference between espresso and cappuccino?
Both are iconic drinks. Cappuccino prepared with an espresso shot and tops it with steamed milk. Cappuccino can be wet, bone-dry, and dry.
The name is different because of espresso and steamed milk mixing procedure is different. Wet cappuccino has the same amounts of ingredients almost 1 Oz of espresso and steamed milk with some foam on top.
Dry cappuccino contains the same espresso but less steamed milk and bone-dry cappuccino contain milk foam only on the top with steamed milk.
On the other hand, espresso is only strong dark coffee. Here the preparation process is different. You have to get perfect roast and ground beans for espresso.
People like to take dark roasts bean and medium-dark beans which has a strong caffeine concentration.
Final Note
So finally you got the main difference between espresso and coffee. The actual difference is the preparation way and coffee beans roasting procedure.
Generally, espresso needs dark roast, perfect grind, and high pressure to create a shot of concentrated delicious espresso.
Coffee is just a coffee this means take some roasted beans then grind them in a grinder, finally prepare a delicious coffee.
FAQ
Is Espresso Bad for You?
Definitely not. Because espresso is one kind of black coffee, which is good for our health, as well as espresso, has high antioxidants and low calories.
Some researchers say that espresso improves your long term memory also improves our concentration. Espresso also reduces diabetes and stroke.
But the main drawback is espresso contains a large amount of caffeine.
So finally I can say that espresso is not bad for your health it is definitely good for our health.
Can you use coffee beans for espresso?
Obviously you can use coffee beans for making espresso. Usually, coffee beans are medium roast they will not taste as strong as dark roast beans. But still, you can prepare a super delicious espresso.
But it is not beans for making espresso. If you use medium roast beans definitely you can make espresso but it will not thick as regular espresso and it could taste the water.