The Fresh Ride

There you are, standing in the grocery store isle about to pick out your next bag of coffee. You say to yourself “self“ (‘cause you’re talking to yourself) “find the espresso beans“. You hunt and peck around and find 5 choices at least to tell you you’ve found espresso beans. Yippie for you. You make your selection and would even skip down the isle were it not for the 250 pound cart you’re pushing in front of you loaded with the week’s worth of groceries and 2 bags of dog food. Skipping causes broken ankles anyway.

The next morning you get up to brew your espresso beans because they, of course, are the most flavorful beans ever grown on any coffee shrub, anywhere. Imagining this special shrub and how it looks, you daydream of tiny little demitasses, saucers, and mini spoons hung all about in a sort of cheering section for the fantastic espresso beans as they emerge from tiny little blips to full grown brown beans just ready to be ground and married with hot water to create the miniature delight in your miniature cup.

….errrrrrrrrrrrrcccccchhhhh. Dream sequence over. Dude, espresso is a drink, not a coffee bean. Let me say that to the other half. Dudette, espresso is a drink, not a coffee bean. It’s not your fault that you believe this either, because the marketing is as confused as Sarah Palin is by Katie Couric’s questions.

Here’s the truth, no matter what the ridiculous marketing on your bag of coffee is telling you: Espresso is a beverage that can be prepared from any coffee bean at all. Yep, that’s what I said. There is no such thing as an “espresso bean“. No, it’s not a smaller bean or something blacker, or something special that only tastes a certain way because of the way it’s grown. It grows as a coffee cherry just like every other coffee bean in the world. It’s nothing but a way to prepare a coffee beverage. And yes, an espresso is a kind of coffee beverage.

How is an espresso coffee made? Espresso coffee is a small 1 oz. shot of pressure-brewed coffee using about 1 Tablespoon (7 oz) of finely ground coffee per serving “shot“. Hot water of about 197-203 degrees Fahrenheit is forced through the beans at about .9-1 bar (or around 130 PSI) of pressure for 20-30 seconds. Properly brewed, an espresso will slowly pour out in a thin ribbon and feature dark syrupy liquid topped by a layer of rich dark golden “crema“ on the surface. This beverage can be taken in just like that, with sugar, cream, or both, or topped in various combinations and quantities of foamy milk, whipped cream, or other goopy “toppings“ that an American coffee chain has cooked up to add more than your fair share of daily calories in a 16 oz paper cup.

The truth is that yes, any coffee bean can be made into espresso coffee, but not every coffee will taste good made as an espresso coffee. A well created coffee blend that will shine when brewed as espresso is usually a combination of 3, 4, or more coffees from different origins, each roasted individually or blended together before roasting. A coffee suited for making espresso can be roasted to many degrees of brownish. It’s not just a dark black roast as many believe, so don’t be surprised if something called an “espresso roast“ isn’t that expected color. Additionally, any blend created with espresso coffee in mind may not taste as good when made with a drip machine or press pot. You need to be the judge and the one who makes the final call next time you’re making a coffee choice.

So, if the bag you’re considering buying says “Espresso Blend“, it’s simply telling you “Hey you“ (‘cause the bag is talking now), “I’m a coffee that my roaster thinks tastes best made as an espresso coffee“. Then, make your fantastic espresso coffee from your selected beans, and sit back to enjoy the dream sequence where Sarah gets interviewed by a talking bag of coffee. Fun times.

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