Espresso

Espresso

Espresso is an Italian coffee-brewing method in which a small amount of nearly boiling water is forced by pressure through ground coffee beans. It can be made with a wide variety of coffee beans and roast degrees.

Espresso is the most common way of making coffee in southern Europe, especially in Italy, France, Spain and Portugal. Espresso has more caffeine per unit volume than most coffee drinks. Espresso is served on its own and is also used as the base for various other coffee drinks, including caffè latte, cappuccino, caffè macchiato, caffè mocha, flat white and americano.

The words "express" and "espresso" each have several meanings in English and Italian. The first meaning is to do with the idea of expressing or extracting the flavour from the coffee using the pressure of the steam. The second meaning is to do with speed. Finally, there is the notion of making a cup of coffee, one at a time, expressly for a person who wants coffee.