How to Drink Espresso: Is It Better Made with Italian Espresso Blends?

Espresso is a very classic Italian coffee with a rich, layered flavor that highlights certain characteristics of the bean. Because espresso tastes very strong on first acquaintance, though, more people prefer Italian-style drinks built on an espresso base.

Many coffee shops also leave espresso off the menu, keeping it as a hidden item until experienced drinkers ask for it. Espresso is not on FrontStreet Coffee's menu either, but it can be prepared on request.

For this niche yet common drink, many enthusiasts want to know how to drink a cup of espresso. Whenever FrontStreet Coffee hears that question, we start with another: what are we tasting when we drink espresso?

The traditional way is to finish the espresso quickly, in about two to three sips, because the texture is at its most perfect in that window and the caffeine intake is relatively lower, letting you enjoy the taste while keeping health in mind.

When it comes to how to drink espresso, FrontStreet Coffee can share three approaches to help you find the way that suits you best.

1. The Common Beginner's Way to Drink Espresso

FrontStreet Coffee typically serves espresso with ice water. Before drinking, take a sip of ice water to rinse your mouth and cleanse your palate so you can appreciate the espresso better. Then use the spoon provided to stir it. The liquid at the bottom is thicker while the surface is thinner, so stirring to mix it evenly lets you taste the espresso more fully. You can also choose not to stir, to experience different textures and layers.

Next, finish the espresso in 3 to 4 sips. Use your tongue against your upper palate to feel the texture, and the sides of your tongue to experience the acidity, combining the sensations to appreciate the whole. After finishing, close your mouth and breathe out to experience the aroma and the aftertaste remaining in your mouth. Finally, take a sip of clear water and feel the sweetness of the coffee.

As a beginner, you might also add a tiny amount of sugar and a proportion of fresh milk not exceeding the coffee itself, stir slightly and drink it all in one go. This lets you taste the semi-melted sugar dissolving in your mouth and the transition from bitter to sweet, which will make you fall in love with the cup. The fresh milk also softens the intensity, making this the most suitable method for beginners.

2. A Method Favored by Men

Facing the intense espresso directly is the most fitting way to drink it. To taste the most concentrated coffee, first take a sip of ice water to clear any lingering flavors, then drink the coffee in one go. The dual sensation of ice water and hot espresso is a surprise beyond the taste itself.

For variety, adding a little rum or whiskey lets two intense, strong flavors collide. This method demands a high level of appreciation, so do not try it lightly.

3. A Method Favored by Women

Compared with the pursuit of pure intensity, the method suited to ladies is more elegant. Before drinking, take a sip of warm water, then slowly drink the espresso. The warm sensation blending in your mouth gradually releases the aroma, a subtle expression in absolute contrast to the men's method.

Of course, just as most women love lattes and other Italian-style drinks made from espresso, adding some fresh milk without sugar and gradually reducing the amount of milk is another way to appreciate it.

Technically speaking, espresso is both a beverage and a brewing method. Under pressure close to 9 bar, that is 9 times normal atmospheric pressure, near-boiling water is forced through finely ground coffee to extract a thick, strong espresso. Most espresso machines complete the whole extraction in less than 1 minute. Making pour-over coffee, that same minute might not even be enough to finish pouring the water.

That convenience is the hallmark of espresso. Next, FrontStreet Coffee shares how to make a cup of espresso.

How to Make Espresso

Step 1: Dosing. Before dosing, place the portafilter on an electronic scale and zero it, then dose the coffee and place it on the scale to keep the weight consistent every time. FrontStreet Coffee uses 20 grams of coffee.

Step 2: Distribution. When distributing the coffee, you can distribute as you see fit. FrontStreet Coffee uses a distribution tool, but without one you can use your fingers. The main purpose is to make sure the coffee is evenly distributed.

Step 3: Tamping. Tamp with moderate force. Too light and the puck is loose; too heavy and the puck becomes too dense, making it hard for water to pass through and leading to over-extraction. The direction should be perpendicular to the filter basket.

Step 4: Extraction. After locking the portafilter into the machine, immediately turn on the extraction switch and start timing. Generally the extracted coffee is 40 milliliters in about 25-30 seconds.

Step 5: Cleaning. After extraction is complete, clean the filter basket.

FrontStreet Coffee uses the Fiorenzato E98 espresso machine. The extraction parameters are as follows:

Pressure: 9 bar ± 2
Temperature: 90.5~96°C
Time: 20~30 sec
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:1.7~1:2
Dose: 12g (single espresso) 20g (double espresso)
Extraction yield: 20ml (single) 40ml (double)

FrontStreet Coffee uses a double espresso for Italian-style drinks. Choosing a suitable espresso blend matters just as much. FrontStreet Coffee currently uses its own roasted "Sunflower Warm Sunshine" blend, which combines Ethiopian natural-process red cherry with Honduran Sherry coffee in a 7:3 ratio. The extracted espresso has clear fruit acidity on entry with a light lingering berry aroma, rich wine and chocolate flavors, and a comfortable sweet aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If you pull your own espresso at home, the choice of blend decides how forgiving the shot will be. FrontStreet Classic Blend is designed specifically for espresso and moka pot and stands out for its crema: even a beginner on a basic home machine can extract a dense, fine layer of it. Built on a traditional Mamba-style recipe of Mandheling and Brazil, it is full, warm and mellow, easy for both veterans and newcomers to accept, and just as sound for home or commercial use. FrontStreet Black Cocoa Blend is made from 100% Arabica and balances a full body and plenty of crema with a friendly price, a favorite for anyone opening a shop.

Those who love nutty espressos should look at FrontStreet Specialty Blend and FrontStreet Black Cocoa Base Blend, both built on a large proportion of Brazilian coffee, giving a pleasant bittersweet note and creamy peanut aroma with a very smooth entry. FrontStreet Specialty Blend also carries the nut, chocolate and caramel notes and moderate acidity of Colombian coffee, while FrontStreet Black Cocoa pairs with the ripe-plum acidity of Yunnan Small Bean and a creamy chocolate aroma when ground. Balanced and versatile, it works for a latte or Americano as well as signature drinks.

If you would rather chase a single origin, SOE is the route. FrontStreet Natural Huakui SOE comes from Guji Hambella in Ethiopia at 2300 meters, where the altitude gives the cherries a long growing season and complex aroma; the natural process lifts the sweetness, and a medium roast keeps the elegant florals and fruit while adding gentle caramelization, so a Huakui SOE Americano or latte shows cream, cocoa, berry, light florals and red tea. For a sweeter, less acidic option, FrontStreet Costa Rica Blackberry SOE is a honey-processed single origin whose berry-like sweetness and clarity suit a medium roast, juicy and refreshing as an Americano and evoking cranberry cookie, raisin and nut in a latte. And FrontStreet Brazil Queen Estate SOE, a Yellow Bourbon with a quietly sweet character, gives butter cookie, macadamia and toasted bread notes when pulled on an espresso machine at a medium-dark roast.