Source:http://www.travpresso.com/626/the-history-of-espresso.html

If you are an avid coffee drinker then chances are that you probably know all about the varieties, types, flavors, and prices of various coffees that you drink on a regular basis. However, if you’re not that familiar with espresso then you may be in for a surprise. Espresso is quite different from coffee products because there is a very different method of making the liquid. Here are some interesting facts about the history of espresso, though, that you may not have known previously.

Developed in Italy

Did you know that espresso was actually developed more than ten centuries after the coffee beverage became popular? In fact, regular coffee and coffee beans weren’t found until about the 9th Century. On the flip side, espresso was actually developed from the beginnings of coffee, but it wasn’t until the early 20th century that people began producing a beverage that is known today as espresso! Indeed, espresso was developed in Milan, Italy around the early 20th Century and the drink was actually made by hand even though it was very time consuming to do so. This resulted in a machine being made specifically for the creation of espresso beverages. In fact, workers in cafes and coffee shops throughout Italy who dealt with using espresso machines to make espresso were regularly known as “baristas,” and becoming a barista was actually a job often given to young people, just as a job at McDonald’s or another fast food restaurant might be considered a starting point for young people in America to work.

The Switch to Machines

As mentioned, espresso was originally made by hand. However, there are a couple things that lead up to the beverage being made in a machine. First, the spring piston lever was designed to emit pressure on a certain something, and this machine was used to make espresso since espresso was made through the use of pressure and hot water. Although before the machines typically made espressos beginning in the 1940s, steam pressure was mainly the culprit and the method that people in Italy used to make espresso by hand!

Needless to say, however, coffee beverages that didn’t include espresso were popular long before espresso was being made. Just as there are all sorts of different flavors that coffee can be made with, though, there are also many different flavors that can be added to the espresso beverage. For example, some cultures usually add a bit of cinnamon to the espresso mixture and cinnamon is actually the most widely used spice for espresso as a whole. On the other hand, some of the other spices and herbs that are used with espresso include peppermint, mint extract, vanilla, and a brown sugar mixture just to name a few.

It’s indisputable, though, that the finding of espresso totally transformed the popularity and consumption of coffee beverages worldwide! Granted, many people are thankful for this change, but the fact of the matter is that espresso and coffee are considered two different drinks altogether although one was derived from the other!

The quality of true espresso assumes indispensable etiquette and serving of the coffee, in a so-called “coffee ceremony”. The value, according to the Certificate of the Italian Espresso, is the ware in which the coffee is served.

Ideally, what should be used for espresso (”ristretto”, “normale”, and “lungo” is a white cup made from thick-walled porcelain, covered with enamel proof. It should be the elliptic form, truncated inside, with a space of about 75 ml. Such a cup, at the expense of the big thermal capacity and the unique shape, gives a chance for the drinker to value the magnificent foam, fine aroma, and the warmness and softness of the espresso.

Despite the fact that the cup contains 75 ml, the maximum serving under the Certificate is 50 ml for “Lungo”. For “normale” it’s 30 ml, and for “Ristretto” it’s 25 ml. The most appropriate dosage is “ristretto”, because in the first 25 seconds under pressure the coffee blend extracts all the best substances: glukonats, proteins, minerals, vitamins, aromatic oils, and all other unnecessary substances remain in the filter.

How does a barista preparing Italian espresso define whether a product corresponds to the accepted standards? First of all the taste - a well trained expert can give a good estimate of the contents of a small cup thanks to their excellent senses of perception. However, if he doesn’t want to try too many coffees in one day, there are also other ways to define the quality.

For example, true espresso is made with a quality machine at a speed of 1 ml a second. So, in order to prepare, for example, “lungo”, only 50 seconds is required. Therefore, the design of a good espresso machine guarantees that when using correct grinding, you will receive 25 ml of a drink with all the best components of coffee present.

If the preparation takes less than 15 second, it means that the hot water did not take with itself all the necessary parts for good coffee, leaving a part of them in the final mix that leads to an unbalanced, more bitter taste. If the preparation lasts longer than necessary, then some unpleasant and caustic elements are getting into the coffee.

From here we can say that the coffee shouldn’t be too bitter or sour. A light hint of charcoal would be acceptable in some blends, whereas an aroma with a smoky flavor would be inexcusable.

No matter what type of blend is used, however, there should not be any one element dominating the others. The taste of an excellent espresso should be well balanced and memorable. This harmony and refinement is the gamut of taste that will spread in your mouth with many nuances, will set off a light bulb in your head and give you an incredible aftertaste.

In order for the taste to be roundish and “playing”, it’s not enough to just take good coffee and correctly roast it. It’s necessary to draw up coffee blends with a different parity of flavoring parameters.

Italians jealously protect recipes of the best blends, and the matter is not only one of selection and the variety of brands. There are many other important points - from the way of gathering the coffee beans to the method of storing and processing the beans.

The way coffee is grounded and on what equipment it’s prepared is very important. If the grinding is too coarse, extraction will be weak and all the aromatic and other flavorful and useful substances will remain in raw materials and thrown out, and the taste of the drink will be rather mediocre.                                                                                                                                        If the grinding is too fine, and the espresso machine does not provide the necessary pressure, water hardly passes through the pressed coffee.

It also might be dangerous for the barista, because in the attempt to clean up the portafilter and to see what happened, coffee can splatter around the room, splashing the unfortunate barista with hot brown water.

Hence, in order to say that you personally tried real Italian espresso, you should check that the bar or restaurant where you drink coffee works under the mark of the Certificate of Italian Espresso. To such institutions there are strict requirements:

* Use of certified mixes of coffee

* Use of certified equipment

* Use of certified personnel

What does the document of the Certificate of Italian Espresso represent? These are strict requirements for coffee, developed by the Italian Espresso National Institute and approved by a certified committee in accordance with the standards of ISO 45011, namely Certificate CSQA No. 214 from September 24th,1999.

The certificate states that Italian espresso is made of a blend of roasted beans of varied origin prepared in a special device so that the drinks made had a well distinguished organic taste corresponding to the requirements of the scientific censor analysis.

There should be an intense taste with notes of flowers, fruits, and roasted bread and chocolate - this scale can very depending on the name of a coffee blend, but the taste should invariably be oily, strong, and velvety. All the flavors should give a good aftertaste, and the aroma should remain for a few minutes.

Another important point is that there shouldn’t be any artificial flavors! The taste of true espresso doesn’t require masking. To distinguish the additives in a coffee is possible, by recognizing a strongly pronounced non-coffee aroma (usually it’s imitation caramel, Irish Cream, or almonds), and a strong chemical aftertaste.

If the institution serves you coffee in pods, make sure that the pod is pressed in a special filtering paper instead of a plastic case. Besides the distinct smack of plastic, such a product is also bad for your health. There’s a reason such coffee pods are officially forbidden in all of Europe.

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)

Espresso is a way of preparing coffee that uses high pressure hot water that goes through a filter then to the ground coffee. In this method of preparing coffee, the filter removes slightly harmful substances such as cafestol and kahweol.

Use the filter,and your stomach and heart will thank you if you’re older and have medical conditions that involve either organs. The filter also helps to keep the caffeine in the the coffee ground. The result is coffee that has a rich aroma and a pleasing taste. In my experience, only  espresso coffee  brings out  the full smell and taste of the coffee beans used.

An excellent espresso follows these four rules.

According to the  National Institute of the Italian Espresso, excellent coffee, in addition, should also:

Have a taste  that isn’t sour or  bitter. This is a good indication that the correct proportion of arabica and robusta ground coffee were used in preparation of the espresso. A taste that is neither bitter or sour also indicates that the beans used were of a high quality.

Adding “flavoring” to espresso is completely unnecessary. The true taste of espresso doesn’t require masking. Additives are present if there is a smell or taste  that is similar to caramel, Irish cream, or almonds coming from what appears to be hot espresso. Additives are a cover-up for improperly brewed espresso and therefore should be avoided.

The container for espresso is also important to consider. Espresso like all coffee is hot so the best material for serving it has to insulate the heat from the hands that will handle the container. The white porcelain cup is the best container for espresso.  Its thick ‘walls’ insulate the majority of the heat given off by the  hot espresso. Porcelain cups are usually covered with a layer proof enamel. This ensures that the porcelain cup is not weathered or stained by the  various organic acids that it’s exposed to in the coffee.

I know some  people will appreciate the…creativity that goes into something like a square porcelain cup  and will succumb to using one, I will still advise that you don’t since the shape will make it more difficult to stir. The elliptical shape of  the traditional porcelain coffee  allows the coffee to cool more quickly so a square cup will be hot longer.  Besides, square cups are just odd looking! Don’t they remind you of a bad Bauhaus experimental piece?

Although the typical porcelain cup can hold 65-70 ml of espresso, the maximum amount that a cup should be filled with espresso is 30 ml. This allows to coffee to cool more quickly and reduces instances of spilling.

These specifications on espresso preparation come from the National Institute of the Italian Espresso, which is based in Italy. In Italy, coffee brewing is considered a serious profession. Preparing of special blends of espresso is an art that has been polished for centuries, by the Italians.

If you are looking for an expert on espresso, he or she will most likely be Italian. The National Institute of Italian Espresso gives rigid guidelines to manufactures of coffee and coffee equipment to ensure that a certain standard is kept across the board. The manufacturers generally adhere to these standards because they know it’s not just the National Institute of the Italian Espresso that holds those standards, it’s the Italian people. The National Institute of the Italian Espresso also provides training to people who wish to learn how to prepare the legendary drink.

Well, folks, we’ve come to the end of today’s journey. It’s been a long one but one I hope has been educational as you continue on your journey on becoming coffee connoisseurs.

Thank you for reading.

Espresso in Italian means “coffee prepared under press”. It is a very simple word, but not a very simple process!

For preparing a real “Italian espresso”, Italians in general use dark roasted coffee (this is an established tradition).
Espresso that is prepared from a blend of dark roasted coffee usually has a very distinguished bold taste and aroma that the Italians drink at any time of the day. In other countries, the majority of the people drink espresso usually in the morning in order to wake themselves up and get energized before the workday begins.

Coffee beans by Italian roasting are a little bit oily. This gives them some shine and gives them their dark brown color. Although dark roasted coffee has less caffeine than the  medium or light roast, the opinion of the Italian roasters is the dark roast has a stronger, unique taste. What a pleasure it is to wake up and get your favorite drink. But what to do if the quality is poor or varies day to day?

Get your own espresso machine!