Coffee culture

What is Espresso Coffee? Italian Espresso Brewing Methods and Essential Brewing Parameters

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee
Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional coffee knowledge exchange For more coffee bean information please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account cafe_style) Today we'll discuss Italian espresso brewing methods, first referencing statistical standards for espresso extraction established by the Italian National Espresso Institute (INEI) across Italy, then explore

Professional coffee knowledge exchange, more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style)

Understanding Italian Espresso Brewing Methods

Today, let's discuss Italian espresso brewing methods. We'll first reference a set of statistical standards for espresso extraction provided by the Italian National Espresso Institute (INEI) for the entire Italian country, and then discuss the extraction principles of Italian imported coffee beans.

Basic Brewing Parameters Provided by the Italian Espresso Institute (INEI)

Coffee Dose: 7g ± 0.5

Extraction Temperature: 88°C ± 2

Serving Temperature in Cup: 67°C ± 3

Extraction Pressure: 9 bar ± 1

Extraction Time: 25 seconds ± 5

Caffeine Content:

Extraction Volume: 25ml ± 2.5 (including crema)

*List compiled by vchcafe

*All values are based on single-cup filter (Single) extraction

Have you noticed that the coffee dose seems quite low? Extracting 25ml with this amount definitely won't be very concentrated. Many people might think this leans more toward American-style flavor, but that's actually not the case... not to mention this is "espresso." (This is a matter of coffee culture terminology - in Italy, espresso is simply called "coffee".)

If you extract coffee using the values provided by INEI and properly adjust the espresso, you'll get an espresso that is exceptionally smooth, velvety, balanced in flavor, with a lingering aromatic aftertaste. This is the coffee (espresso) that Italians drink every day! Besides drinking cappuccino in the morning (the coffee-to-milk ratio is also quite specific), they almost exclusively drink espresso without milk at other times.

The Italian espresso brewing method focuses on making the espresso smooth enough to drink directly, with the key factors being "degree of extraction" and "concentration." Using the minimum amount of coffee grounds to achieve the best and most palatable espresso can be considered Italy's golden cup standard for espresso extraction.

Naturally, Italian coffee manufacturers develop their final coffee bean roasting profiles specifically to cater to Italian flavor preferences and cultural habits, making it easier for local baristas to brew espresso that showcases the distinctive characteristics of their beans.

It's precisely because Italian coffee beans undergo special roasting processes that regular commercial coffee blends cannot produce Italian-style espresso. Even the brewing techniques must be adjusted accordingly; otherwise, the result will be quite unpleasant.

How to Brew Italian Espresso

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