In Italy, a country where secrets of coffee blends and long-lasting traditions of preparation are passed from one generation to the next and are kept close guarded, the Italian Espresso National Institute (Istituto Nazionale Espresso Italiano) was created.

This organization was created to develop standards for true espresso, and in order to have rigid control over production of Italian coffee manufacturers in order to avoid lowering the quality standard of espresso.

When we drink coffee, we, of course, don’t think about any standards. We’re just happy to be enjoying the taste. But let’s take this time to talk about the taste a bit more in-depth. It’s possible to tell the difference between true espresso and expensive but low quality espresso, if we pay attention to certain signs.

The first one is the aroma. By the way, if you’re brewing, for example, Turkish coffee, and the air is filled with a wonderful smell, take note that the aroma itself is not in the cup anymore.

The majority of the aromatic substances have evaporated in the first minute of preparation. And if the coffee has begun to boil, it’s not coffee at all.

The second sign would be the crema. It should be dense and homogeneous, with a light brown velvet color.

Finally, the most important sign would be the taste itself. Imagine the taste of sugar. So sweet! Now the taste of lemon. Very sour! And now imagine the taste of say, a peach. It’s sweet and sour at the same time and even a little bitter, but in any case it’s very fragrant. There’s no one aspect that dominates, but somehow it’s delicious in a special way.

(to be continued)