Espresso vs. Coffee
Espresso vs. Coffee: What's the difference?
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not the beans. The difference between espresso and regular coffee is:
- Roast Level
- Grind size
- Brewing
Espresso is a shot of concentrated coffee, made by forcing very hot water at a high pressure through finely-ground coffee beans. You can actually make espresso with any coffee bean, although there are beans sold specifically targeted for espresso.
Roast level
Espresso is a longer roast at higher temperature, resulting in a deeper flavor. The longer roast creates a darker bean. Light, medium, and medium-dark roasts are typically used for drip coffee. A coffee that is roasted medium brings out more caramelization, chocolate and nutty notes, and tends to be richer, which works well as an espresso. Espresso roasts tend to start at the medium color stage, dark-roasted coffees push beyond the third stage of development (caramelization) and into the carbonization stage, where they pick up those classic notes of smoky dark chocolate. In an espresso shot, you should see a creamy layer on top – this is the ‘crema’ – it’s a sign of good espresso and comes from the way the beans are roasted.
Grind size
Espresso beans are ground to a fine powder, while coffee beans are ground more coarsely. The process of making espresso which pushes hot water through tightly packed grounds. The coffee grounds need to be very fine, like the texture of sand, because the water comes into contact with them for a shorter period of time. If you want to up your grinding game, invest in a burr grinder. These grinders are more expensive than blade grinders, but they produce a consistent espresso grind.
Brewing
Espresso brewing requires either an espresso machine or aeropress. Regular coffee can use a French press, drip method, percolator, or other methods of brewing. Coffee labeled as an espresso means that it will work well with the espresso brewing method and an espresso-based drink like a latte or cappuccino. For coffee to work well within a milk-based drink, the coffee needs to be "developed" a bit further than your average light roast to help bring out the sugars and caramelization of the coffee.
Does espresso have more caffeine?
Don’t bet your morning activity level on that espresso. It’s actually a myth that espresso has more caffeine than drip coffee. In fact, the opposite is true. The average cup of drip coffee has slightly more caffeine than espresso. That’s because espresso beans are roasted for longer than light or medium roast beans, so some of the caffeine is burned away during this process.
Still, espresso has a high concentration of caffeine per ounce. Basically, one shot of espresso (1 ounce) has a similar caffeine content as one cup of drip coffee (8-10 ounces). If you were to drink 8 ounces of espresso, you’d be way overloaded on your daily dose of caffeine though!