What's the Difference Between Espresso and Pour-Over Coffee? Can You Make Cappuccino with Pour-Over Coffee?

Whether it's pour-over coffee or espresso coffee, both are perfect for coffee lovers with a romantic soul. Imagine a rainy afternoon, sipping a fragrant cup of coffee while looking through transparent glass covered in raindrops. The feeling it evokes - sour, sweet, and bitter - just like that cup of coffee, let this sensation flow through your body and your world. While both are coffee, espresso and pour-over coffee actually have significant differences in appearance and flavor. FrontStreet Coffee will introduce you to these differences one by one.

What is Espresso Coffee?

The "es" in espresso actually comes from the English "ex," meaning fast and convenient. Espresso coffee beans are called House Blend, which we often hear as blended/formula coffee. As the name suggests, these are coffee beans made from mixing beans from multiple producing regions. Using blended coffee beans helps balance flavors and maintain consistent taste.

To ensure the final brewed quality, professional coffee grinders are usually used to grind coffee beans to a fine consistency before making espresso, allowing for extraction to be completed in a short time.

Authentic espresso is made by using high-pressure hot water close to boiling point (92-94°C, 9 bar atmospheric pressure, 20-30 seconds extraction time) passing through finely ground, evenly tamped coffee grounds to create about 30ml of beverage. The surface is covered with a thick, dense layer of coffee oil foam called Crema, which tends to be golden-brown in color. Nowadays, the color can also vary depending on the coffee's roast level.

Traditional Italians place great importance on the culture and quality of espresso. For this reason, the Italian National Coffee Institute provides official certification for espresso extraction parameters, making the brewing process data-transparent and helping to preserve the traditional flavors of espresso more completely.

What is Pour-Over Coffee?

Pour-over coffee involves a barista controlling various parameters such as water temperature, flow rate, water volume, and coffee grind size, using a steady pouring technique to extract coffee. The extraction principle of pour-over coffee relies on three physical mechanisms between water and coffee grounds: (saturation/blooming, dissolution, diffusion, and ratio adjustment). Changes in any of these factors will affect the final flavor of the entire cup of coffee, which is why pour-over coffee places such emphasis on every aspect of the brewing process.

Beans for pour-over coffee are primarily selected based on factors such as origin, flavor, characteristics, processing method, and roasting approach. While not limited to single-origin beans or blended beans, pour-over coffee typically prioritizes single-origin beans. Blending is only used when a single flavor is too intense or when seeking a specific flavor profile to balance the taste.

Differences Between Espresso and Pour-Over Coffee

1. Different Flavors and Textures

Espresso has a very intense flavor, so many people add sugar or milk to balance the bitterness, which has led to the trend of using espresso as a base. Artisanal espresso drinks are combined with syrups, cream, spices, and various flavorings to create diverse and layered coffee flavors. Drinks like Con Panna, Macchiato, Caramel Macchiato, Cappuccino, Latte, Mocha, and Americano all belong to the espresso family!

Pour-over coffee focuses on single-origin, specialty coffee beans, with each bean coming from a single region, single variety, and often accompanied by complete production records. This allows pour-over coffee to preserve the unique flavors of the region, making the roasting technique and control of roast level particularly important! Generally, the longer the roasting time, the higher the richness, with more prominent milk, caramel, and chocolate aromas. Conversely, shorter roasting times highlight acidity, with brighter fruit aromas becoming more obvious. For pour-over coffee, there are no restrictions on light roast, medium roast, medium-dark roast, or dark roast - typically, it depends on the drinker's preference.

2. Different Appearance and Brewing Methods

Espresso comes in many different appearances. Because of the different proportions of coffee, milk, and foam, various latte art designs can be created, making it look both beautiful and delicious. Examples include the tulip, leaf, and heart latte art designs seen in cappuccinos. The brewing method involves high-pressure extraction of concentrated coffee.

Pour-over coffee is simply a cup of pure black coffee, but its flavor is much richer and more diverse than espresso's appearance. You could say it's simple on the outside but rich on the inside.

Can Pour-Over Coffee Beans Be Used to Make Espresso and Cappuccino?

Typical espresso mostly uses blended beans, creating a rich and mellow flavor profile. However, specialty coffee beans and single-origin beans can certainly be used to extract espresso, and they tend to more prominently highlight the flavors of the original coffee beans.

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