Five Ways to Drink Espresso for Beginners! Does It Taste Better as an Americano?

How to Drink Espresso?

"How should you drink espresso?"

-It must be downed in one shot!

Don't think this is a joke—espresso is truly meant to be downed in one go! Many people trying espresso for the first time might find it very bitter, but gradually, you'll discover the rich aroma and full-bodied texture in espresso's original flavor—a taste that no other coffee can offer.

Many coffee enthusiasts have also expressed that espresso becomes more addictive the more you drink it! A cup when you're feeling tired can instantly awaken you with its extremely high concentration and intense flavor expression. Even drinking water afterward for the next half hour feels like you're still experiencing coffee—such an experience is truly fascinating.

What is Espresso?

Espresso's original name is Espresso. This name comes from the past participle of the Italian word "esprimere," derived from the Latin "exprimō," meaning "to squeeze out." However, some linguists believe its meaning is similar to the English "express," implying "fast and personal." Although these interpretations of the etymology differ, they恰好 reflect the two major characteristics of espresso.

The making of espresso cannot be separated from extraction with pressurized coffee machines—what we now call espresso machines. The earliest espresso machine was born in the industrial era of 1884. To quickly extract the essence from coffee and allow workers to rapidly drink a cup and then return to work fully energized, an Italian registered a patent for a steam-powered machine for making coffee, making coffee preparation much faster.

Initially, coffee machines used pressure generated by steam engines to allow hot water to quickly pass through coffee grounds and extract rich coffee liquid. However, people at that time didn't have much pursuit of coffee taste, coffee bean quality was not as good as today's, and espresso portions were small—usually only a few dozen milliliters—so the taste was indeed bitter and strong, but really refreshing.

But such coffee-making speed and taste greatly fascinated Italians, so espresso quickly became one of the most representative local cultures. Later, people had more pursuit of espresso's taste, so in 1901, an Italian designer acquired the patent for the steam-powered coffee machine.

He added a handle and portafilter to the original steam boiler coffee machine, researched and adjusted the grinding coarseness of coffee beans, allowing coffee particles to be externally pressurized so that their own (powder layer) density could resist the rapid passage of high-pressure water flow, better distribute the high-impact water flow, allowing water to evenly pass through the entire powder layer and "squeeze out" a cup of coffee liquid with balanced taste and cleaner, smoother texture.

Although the flavor and texture improved, the concentration remained very high, so when drinking espresso, people still maintained the tradition of standing and downing it in one shot, leaving immediately after drinking without lingering in the coffee shop for too long.

How to Drink Espresso?

Of course, what was mentioned above is how Italians drink espresso. In our daily lives, we don't need to drink it so "rushed." Today, the quality of coffee beans used for making espresso has greatly improved. Espresso's flavor expression has also become more diverse, no longer limited to just bitter and burnt tastes.

Before tasting espresso, you can first take a sip of water to contract the taste buds on your tongue's surface, while also cleaning your mouth and removing any lingering flavors. Then, after receiving your espresso, you can use a spoon to stir the espresso with the golden crema on the surface to make the entire drink more balanced.

Next, don't be shy about small sips—boldly take a big gulp or down it in one shot, let it cover your entire tongue, and feel the rich, full-bodied flavors and strong sweet aftertaste in the espresso.

How to Make Espresso?

Technically speaking, espresso requires 9 bar pressure to let 94°C water penetrate finely ground coffee powder to extract a thick, strong espresso liquid. When concentration increases, coffee flavors also become more concentrated, therefore not all coffee is suitable for making espresso.

FrontStreet Coffee's daily production of espresso/espresso-based products uses FrontStreet Coffee's espresso blend coffee beans. The advantage of blended coffee beans lies in their ability to stabilize the flavor quality of coffee products, balance the shortcomings of single-origin coffee beans through complementary strengths, and reduce product costs.

Currently, FrontStreet Coffee sells four types of coffee beans specifically blended for espresso:

「Frontsteet Sunshine Blend Coffee Beans」: FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopian Natural Red Cherry Coffee Beans (30%) + FrontStreet Coffee Honduras Sherry Barrel Coffee Beans (70%), featuring rich wine aroma, vanilla cream, berry sweet and sour, and roasted nut flavors;

「Frontsteet Premium Blend Coffee Beans」: Colombian Washed Coffee Beans (30%) + Brazilian Semi-washed Coffee Beans (70%), featuring nut, dark chocolate, and caramel flavors, suitable for daily coffee shop production.

「Frontsteet Commercial Blend Coffee Beans」: Robusta Washed Coffee Beans (10%) + Colombian Washed Coffee Beans (30%) + Brazilian Semi-washed Coffee (60%), featuring nut, cocoa, and caramel flavors, meeting the daily needs of running a coffee shop.

「Frontsteet Basic Blend Coffee Beans」: Yunnan Washed Small Bean Coffee Beans (30%) + Brazilian Semi-washed Coffee Beans (70%), featuring mild fruit acidity, caramel, and nut flavors, suitable for shop and home users who prioritize cost considerations and have general flavor requirements.

Of course, single-origin coffee beans can also be used to make espresso. If you really want to make single-origin espresso, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using coffee beans roasted medium-dark or above. Light-roasted coffee beans retain more acidity, and under espresso extraction, they can easily express sharp acidity and the texture will be relatively thin.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473