Artisan Roaster Three Generations Quality Espresso 101 The Perfect Shot Coffee Jargon

After coffee's humble beginnings in the Horn of Africa (probably in Ethiopia) and its rise in popularity throughout Arabian culture in the 14th and 15th centuries, it was the Dutch who in 1616 managed to spirit away fertile coffee beans from Africa and extended the growing regions of coffee by experimenting with farming in key Dutch colonies in India and Java.

But it was intrepid Venetian traders who first brought coffee to Europe in the early 17th century, thus beginning Italy's intense relationship with the exotic and stimulating coffee bean.

During the Italian Baroque period, enjoying coffee became a truly Italian tradition, where caffe culture defined a social ritual of poets, writers, artists and business people who gathered in now-historical coffee houses - the most famous being the Florian and the Quadri in Venice, the Pedrocchi in Padua, the Tommaseo in Trieste, the Greco in Rome and the Gambrinus in Naples.

As the rise of industrial age captured imaginations throughout Europe, certain Italians felt that brewing coffee in the traditional way simply took too long - so in the late 19th century, this impatience inspired invention and a new brewing machine delivered something extraordinary: the first Italian "espresso."

It was a shot heard around the coffee world and authentic Italian espresso quickly became the central part of 20th century modern caffe culture, as well as a key component in a whole new repertoire of espresso-inspired beverages: latte, cappuccino and many others.

Made In Italy: True Espresso

Espresso is one of the greatest "Made in Italy" success stories - a style of roasting and preparing coffee that is widely imitated and, sadly, distorted in some interpretations.

To understand the elements of a true Italian espresso, it is important to understand it as a coffee resulting from a precise blending process where each bean origin has been selected to give the end product very specific characteristics in terms of:

• Body
• Crema
• Acidity
• Aroma-rich Flavor

True Espresso Body

Body is the weight of the coffee that can be sensed by letting the coffee rest on the tongue and by rubbing the tongue against the roof of the mouth.

Coffee body ranges from thin to light to heavy and is a result of the naturally occurring fat content from the beans. Coffee viscosity results from proteins and fibers in the brew.

Medium-dark roast styles often display a heavier body than lighter roast coffees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

True Espresso "Crema"

A true Italian espresso's "crema" - the thick light-brown foam that tops a proper espresso shot - is the result of the emulsion of gas (CO2) and natural oils in the blend that take place inside the filter holder during the extraction, when high pressure heated water is pushed through the coffee grounds at a very fast rate.

The correct color for the crema on a truly Italian espresso is called "monk's cowl" after the Capuchin order of friars whose coffee-brown colored robes included a long pointed hood (a "capuccio").

In the cup, the crema will be of varying shades ranging from hazelnut to dark brown with tawny reflections.

The ideal crema must have a very fine texture, free from bubbles and white marks and showing no signs of breaking up on the surface of the espresso itself.

If an espresso shot has a pale colored top layer, this indicates the coffee was under-extracted (the pressure was too weak going through the grounds). An overly dark color on the top of an espresso shot indicates the coffee was over-extracted (too much pressure pushing through the grounds).

True Espresso's Balanced Acidity

Coffee acidity is a flavor quality that must strike a very perfect balance in a great Italian espresso, giving the shot a strong edge without going over into a sour flavor.

Proper acidity is the flavor element highly valued in coffee beans primarily from Central America and some East African origins. Acidity characteristics are correlated with coffees grown at very high altitudes and in mineral rich volcanic soils.

An extreme acidity - or sourness - should be considered a defect in a true Italian espresso. Beyond the basic characteristics of certain beans origins, incorrect acidity content can also greatly depend on coffee roasting techniques, the type of roasting technology used and the coffee brewing method.

True Espresso's Aroma and Flavor

A great Italian espresso's aroma must be strong and intense, featuring a mix of delicate fruit and floral notes, together with a faint chocolate scent.

In the mouth, the espresso's naturally bitter underlying characteristic must be balanced and clean, giving a rounded sensation on the tongue. The flavor in the mouth must be smooth and velvety without any astringency. The aftertaste must be lingering and fragrant.

And true Italian espresso must be served in a white china cup, so it is possible to clearly see the color of the crema and to conserve the heat of the coffee, which should be sipped and completely consumed within a few seconds after extraction.

 

 

Anecdote:

One day in January 2000, Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos made an animated guest appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." "In Seattle you haven't had enough coffee," he told his host, "until you can thread a sewing machine while it's running!"