Espresso is a very popular Italian coffee that has come around the world for centuries. It is easy when you know how to make espresso.
Originally, espresso is the concept of a coffee making method which coffee is brewed by using high pressure to run a small amount of nearly boiling water through fine coffee ground.
But today, espresso is considered as a type of dark and pure coffee which is thicker and more concentrated than coffee made by other methods.
Health Benefits of Espresso
We may think drinking coffee cause bad effects for our health. But it is wrong. Coffee can harm our health if we use it too much. But a proper amount of coffee and espresso everyday can benefits your health.
According to research conducted by Harvard University, coffee contains plenty of ingredients that are beneficial for our health. For example, the anti-oxidant in coffee can strengthen immune system and help to reduce the development of cirrhosis.
Also, coffee can help to reduce the risk of diabetes and heart diseases. In addition, a single shot of espresso every day not only make you awake and concentrated but also improve your short-term and long-term memory and boost your physical performances.
On the other hand, coffee can prevent the risk of the diseases of elderly such as Parkinson and Alzheimer.
How much caffeine is in a shot of espresso?
A shot of espresso that is equal to 1.5 ounces contains approximately 77 milligrams of caffeine; if the shot is a single ounce, it has about 64 milligrams of caffeine.
Which coffee ground is perfect for espresso?
Actually, any type of coffee can be used to make espresso. Kona coffee beans make some of the best coffee and espresso in the world. There is a misunderstanding that only dark roasted coffee can make espresso.
Medium and sometimes light roasted coffee are also good to make a shot of espresso. You have to understand that a shot of espresso will contain up to 12% of actual dissolve coffee solids, whereas a cup of brewed coffee through a filtered method will contain less than 2% of these dissolved coffee solids (the rest is water).
Therefore, the flavor of espresso is 6 times stronger than that of others. It means with the same roasted coffee, you can make completely different flavors for espresso method and brewing method.
The great coffee to make a perfect shot of espresso should have balance between high level of sweetness and low level of acidity. That’s why people usually choose Arabica coffee grown on high mountains to make espresso because this coffee type has sweet taste and not sour. Brazil, Colombia, Central America, some countries in Africa are famous lands for cultivating and processing high-quality Arabica and espresso blends.
How to make Espresso
To make espresso, you need to have espresso machine. Actually, making espresso with the help of home espresso coffee maker is not difficult, but it requires an exact measurement of coffee amount, water amount as well as water temperature.
Some people want to do all the steps by themselves, from choose coffee beans, roast them to grind the beans into ground and finally make espresso.
However, today the espresso blends are available at any stores or groceries. And if you know how to choose the good ones, you can make good espresso.
To make espresso with espresso maker at home, you need to follow the following steps:
Prepare coffee ground, purified water with no minerals or pollutants, a tamper. Remove the portafiler from the espresso machine’s grouphead.
Before turn the machine on, you have to pour water into the espresso machine’s reservoir. Water must be cold, filtered and purified. Remember never using boiling water because it will ruin the flavor of espresso. After filling the reservoir with water, you turn the machine one and let them heat up for 15 to 45 minutes, depending on how big you machine is.
Measure 18 to 21 gram coffee ground into the portafilter. Use your finger to press the grind evenly.
Place the portafilter on a clean and flat surface and put the tamper on top of it. Then, tamp with your wrist, arm and elbow set as a line on top of the center of portafilter. You don’t need to press too hard. Tamping is just to make the ground even.
Put the portafilter back to the grouphead and start to brew. And there you have espresso.