My Morning Cup of Coffee
The Beginner’s Guide to Espresso
Grab your morning cup of coffee and get your day off to a good start here on coffee facts. You can read the latest coffee facts from our guest authors, check out the latest news stories, read the latest Dilbert, or do a quick Sudoku. Here we go…..
The Beginner’s Guide to Espresso
By Katya Coen
Espresso is just strong coffee. If this is your idea about what this drink is then you haven’t had a good espresso. It is slightly thicker than coffee with a caramel or reddish-brown foam called the cream on top. It is enjoyed straight or as the base for cappuccinos and lattes.
Developed in Milan, Italy in the early 20th century while looking for a faster way to produce coffee on an individual cup basis, it was originally made with steam pressure. Today’s espresso machines are based more on the spring piston lever machines of later years.
Characteristics
Espresso has distinct characteristics that set it apart from dripped coffee. It is thicker due to having a higher amount of dissolved solids. It is a highly concentrated serving of coffee with 3x the amount of caffeine per volume than regular coffee.
The crema that forms on the top of the it is its most distinguishing element. Crema is reddish-brown and floats on top of the espresso. It is composed of proteins, sugars and vegetable oils and is a by product of the high pressure/high steam process used in making the beverage.
Preparation
To make espresso you need to have an espresso machine. The orginal machines had a lever that was pulled to force the hot water through the coffee and thus the term ‘pulling a shot’ was born.
In order to pull a shot you fill the coffee filter basket with the required amount of finely ground coffee. The coffee grinds are then tamped down. The tamping should be even and in a rotating manner to create a coffee puck of sorts. This is then locked into position under the spout area on the espresso maker.
The brewing process is an internal operation of the machine that should only take 20-30 seconds. The machine should be able to maintain an even temperature of 85-95°F for ideal espresso. Any less and the espresso is sour, any more and it is bitter.
Serving
Espresso is typically pulled directly into an espresso cup or a demitasse that has been kept warm on or near the machine. This drink degrades quickly and so it should be served immediately or mixed with other coffee beverages quickly. Ideally, espresso should be enjoyed within 2 minutes.
There are no hard and fast rules on what you can and cannot put in espresso. Some people prefer to enjoy it black with a twist of lemon peel. Other people will sweeten it before drinking. No matter how you drink it, it is meant to be consumed quickly, before it degrades.
Espresso Coffee Beans
There are not any specific coffee beans that are specifically grown for espresso. Instead, there are varying schools of thoughts on what types of beans should be used.
One side believes that dark roasts should be used to focus on the mild bitters, chocolate, full body and other caramel like flavors that come from longer, higher temperature roasting of the beans. These flavors are what most people associate with espresso.
The second school of thought prefers to use a lighter roasted bean to focus more on the flavor of the particular bean being used. This has allowed a wider range of characteristics to show up in espressos, from citrus to herbal and pectin fruit, depending on the bean being used.
Then of course you have those who like to combine the two and create an espresso that is the best of both worlds.
Popularity
Espresso has become very popular in recent years. From shots to coffee beverages made using espresso, the popularity has soared. Coffee shops have opened up on every street corner in every town and home espresso maker sales have skyrocketed. Everybody needs their morning jolt it seems.
Katya Coen provides information on espresso for Espresso Xpert - your online guide to espresso!
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Coffee and It’s Effects on Your Health
Grab your morning cup of coffee and get your day off to a good start here on coffee facts. You can read the latest coffee facts from our guest authors, check out the latest news stories, read the latest Dilbert, or do a quick Sudoku. Here we go…..
Coffee and It’s Effects on Your Health
By Rick White
As coffee consumption has continually been on the rise in the United States, the questions are being asked about the importance coffee has when it comes to our health. As the popularity of coffee has risen, so has the research of the benefits of this product as to the effects it may have on many aspects of it keeping us healthy.
We all know and have heard of the power of antioxidants. Tannins and antioxidants appear naturally in coffee, and these are well known to fight free radicals and other assaults on the body. Having these properties, coffee may reduce the risk of asthma attacks.
Antioxidants are chemical compounds that protect the body’s cells from the damaging effects of oxidation. They help support the immune system, and consequently may reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. The caffeine in coffee helps to improve circulation within the heart and arteries.
In recent studies it has also been shown that coffee may reduce the risk of gallstones by 45% and cirrhosis of the liver by 80%. Although the studies have shown the existence of a relationship with coffee consumption and liver cirrhosis, it has not proven or determined the component in coffee that is responsible for producing this effect.
Another benefit of coffee is a 25% reduction in the onset of asthma attacks among many asthma suffers. Asthma is a chronic disease that causes airways to close due to inflammation , resulting in coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and tightness in the chest. Theophylline is a component that is found in coffee that acts as a bronchodilator which lessens theses symptoms.
Have you ever had one of those stressful headaches that can last throughout the day? It could be caused by a stress at work or by just not getting enough sleep. Well it has now been shown that coffee can play a big role in getting rid of theses headaches. Even now you can go to any drugstore and go to the pain reliever aisle and found many of the over the counter pain relievers contain caffeine just for this purpose. S o have that cup of coffee and relax.
One of the most recent studies of coffee is that the shows the relationship of coffee and diabetes. This is study has excited many of us that are diabetics and coffee lovers. There is more and more evidence that the love affair with coffee is helping reduce the risk of diabetes. In a newly published study, drinking caffeinated coffee was found to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes as much as 60%. A Finnish study in 2004, suggested a 30% reduction in type 2 diabetes risk among people who drank three to four cups of coffee a day.
Women in the study who drank 10 or more cups a day showed a 79% reduction in the risk.
So what is the amount of coffee should we drink in a day. Well for many of us who love coffee there is just know way of knowing when to stop. But many doctors suggest that three to four cups a day is considered reasonable and a moderate amount. Just keep in mind that an 8 oz cup of coffee contains about 75 mg of caffeine and it usually recommended to not to exceed 300 mg per day.
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