You Say Expresso, I Say Espresso!
Many retail venues have opened up all over the United States to sell expresso coffee. The popularity of the product has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years. Now, many people, from teenagers to seniors, are regular drinkers of expresso coffee. Drinks including expresso are sold in grocery stores, libraries, bookstores, coffee shops, and even corner vendors. Some individuals like the drink so much that they purchase expresso machines for their homes.
Expresso coffee is comprised of a few select varieties of coffee beans imported from a range of countries. The beans are carefully roasted to bring out the flavor of the coffee. This roasting process causes the coffee beans to become dark and start to look oily. Once the roasting process is completed, the expresso coffee beans are finely ground until they become the consistency of powder. This fine grounding gives the expresso its strength and flavor. If the coffee is ground finely, it takes longer for the hot water to pass through, infusing the water with more of the expresso coffee flavor.
Expresso Coffee Drinks
Expresso coffee drinks come in many varieties to appeal to a wide range of consumers. These drinks include cappuccinos, café mochas, and café lattes, all very popular coffee based drinks. These drinks contain large amounts of milk, sugar, and flavored syrups to mask the harsh taste of pure expresso and make the drinks more pleasing to consumers. The most popular flavors to add to these drinks are chocolate, vanilla, and hazelnut flavorings, but there are others available as well. Many of these drinks have a standard formula that is used across the board, while a select few are the creation of independent coffee shops and can only be found in certain locations.
One shot of expresso coffee has less caffeine than one cup of regular drip coffee. There are other differences between the varieties as well. The most significant difference is the amount of time it takes to brew the drink. To make expresso, the water is heated to near boiling and forced by pressure through tightly packed, finely ground specialized coffee. The process takes about 25 seconds for a single shot of expresso coffee. In contrast, for drip coffee, boiling or near boiling water is poured over coarse ground coffee and allowed to slowly seep through the coffee grounds to infuse the water with the flavor of the coffee. This process takes 5 times as long as the process for expresso.
While the allure of expresso coffee may have reached its peak, the popularity of the drinks will not fade any time soon. Many people are conditioned to stop and get their daily shot of expresso, much as many individuals have a cup of drip coffee to wake in the morning. With the coffee drinks available a retailer on nearly every corner in the city, expresso coffee seems to be a trend that is here to stay.
