“I’ll have a cup of that there expresso”… I give up correcting people.
Motorcycles, bicycles, food, and espresso… some of the finer things to come from Italy.
Espresso is indeed of Italian origin dating back to the late 1800’s. In essence it is simply made by forcing hot water by high pressure through compacted finely ground coffee. There is an Italian National Espresso Institute that offers the following parameters that go into making genuine bona fide and certified Italian Espresso (solo)
| Amount of ground coffee | 7 ± 0.5 g |
| Exit temperature of water from espresso machine | 88 ± 2 °C |
| Temperature in cup | 67 ± 3 °C |
| Entry water pressure | 9 ± 1 bar |
| Perc time | 25 ± 5 seconds |
| Volume in cup (including crema) | 25 ± 2.5 ml |
One of the beautiful and distinctive features of espresso is of course the crema or foam on top.
Usually espresso is thicker than coffee brewed by other methods, due to the higher concentration of solids, both suspended and dissolved, along with the crema. Because of the pressurized brewing process, the flavors in a cup of espresso are usually very concentrated. There are three distinct phases in espresso that make it unique amongst coffee drinks. The first phase is an emulsion of oil droplets. The droplets help preserve some of the aromatic compounds that are lost to the atmosphere by using other brewing methods, and in turn contributes to the strong coffee flavour found in espresso. The second phase is suspended solids, whilst the third phase is the aforementioned and distinctive layer of gas bubbles or foam (Crema).
You might ask what kind of beans and what type of roast are used? The answer is pretty much any. Espresso is a method as opposed to a specific bean or roast type. You may see ‘espresso roast’ on coffee beans but that is really a misnomer, as there is no ‘official’ espresso roast per se.
Assuming you have quality beans and water, its pretty much going to come down to the machine and your technique as to how good your espresso is. A high performing and quality machine is going to set you back some coin. If you have read my stuff on high-end stereophile equipment you will detect a theme in what follows.
There are two basic types of machines on offer. Manual and automatic.
Manual machines are quite a bit of a throwback and have many limitations, yet they still have their aficionados. Some manual machines are far more manual than others. They all share one thing in common however, and that is a handle that you manually pull to cause the 9 bar pressure required.
Something like the Flair Pro 2 requires you to add the hot water manually from a kettle or other sources. It also of course has no ability to make steam, so if you are wanting cappuccino’s or lattes this is not the rig for you. Plus it’s only good for a single shot. Good price though, at around $300.00
A really nice manual pull machine is the La Pavoni Europiccola. It has an 8 cup capacity tank, and can pull double cup shots. It does however have steam capabilities. It’s a beautiful looking unit and pretty reasonably priced at around $850.00
The Elektra Micro Casa is very much a work of art and a very well made machine. Copper and brass, or chrome finish construction. It also has a 1.8l reservoir and steam capabilities. This baby will set you back $1,700.00 but you gotta admit it does look amazing.
Automatic machines differ in that there is an electric pump that supplies the pressure. Often times these units additionally come fitted with a built in grinder that dispenses the grind directly into the portafilter. Such machines usually also offer some amount of control over grind size and amount. This feature is probably as good as any one to differentiate automatic machines into two categories. When all is said and done I am usually almost always going to cast my vote for a machine that is solid, well made, and simple. As opposed to one that is overly complicated with lots of electronics and microprocessors.
At $700.00 this little machine packs a lot of punch. In fact this is the unit I have and I like it a lot. It’s a little bit more sophisticated than I would normally like, but still allows me with some reasonable amount of manual control over the process. It comes with both solo and doppio filters. The onboard grinder is quite adjustable and works really well, along with being reasonably easy to clean. I get a fantastic crema from this baby.
At close to $17,000 this Kees van der Westen is another machine that is close to being a work of art. You had better have a good solid countertop. This beauty weighs in at 45kg. Heavy gauge stainless steel throughout with meticulous attention paid to even the smallest detail. It even comes with a foot switch to control the steam allowing you two hands to foam milk.
Enjoy that cup of espresso….