Reality Check: What is espresso anymore?

Want to talk espresso but not sure which forum? If so, this is the right one.
thepilgrimsdream
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#1: Post by thepilgrimsdream »

I am 25 years old. The past 8 years of my life coffee has been a hobby, pursuit, career and maybe even lifestyle. I remember growing up in the 90s, thinking that espresso was an extremely bitter, dark, concentrated cup of coffee at Italian restaurants. In Philadelphia, at the time being, this was not very far from the truth. I never cared to drink coffee without massive amounts of cream and sugar until I spent time in El Salvador in 2007. The coffee was much less bitter, and I remember drinking it black and enjoying it for the first time. On my return home, I found specialty shops and took it upon myself to learn to love espresso. I found shops serving Hair Bender and Apollo. Around a 27-32g shot seemed to be the norm. Deep chocolates, nuts, spices with some fruit notes on top. Very syrupy and rich.

Today, I walk into shops not knowing wether to expect a 50g single origin off an EK or a 25g ristretto. Honestly though, I enjoy many espressos with different approaches. Rules are made to be broken and perimeters to be stretched, but every once in a while I feel like I lose my bearings of what things are and what they were.

I've enjoyed the journey, I've learned a lot. I've had some delicious shots from the Peak and the latest greatest espresso machines. Sometimes though, I can't really say I that I've enjoyed it so much more than Stumptown off a Linea and Major 8 years ago. But maybe my palate was less refined etc....

Many of you have been into coffee much longer than I have. I would love to hear about the your early days, perceptions and how you view it now.

Mrboots2u
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#2: Post by Mrboots2u »

I think Babinski summed it up in competiton really well - I'll paraphrase or as I can't remember the exact quote
whatever that is tasty and comes out of that machine over there

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Randy G.
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#3: Post by Randy G. »

ESPRESSO (ess-press-oh) - N. - A coffee beverage over which far more words have been written than sips have been taken.
EspressoMyEspresso.com - 2000-2023 - a good run, its time is done

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another_jim
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#4: Post by another_jim »

It's a great question. Espresso was a really brilliant way Italians made something tasty out of third rate coffee; and it's been gentrifying ever since. Right now, I think there's a push/pull between two ideas. The first is that espresso is a way of tasting all kinds of different coffee origins; and that it is continuous with all other forms of coffee brewing. The other is that espresso is it's own thing, the brandy to brewed coffee's wine, and that different roasters and cafes should each strive to achieve an unmistakably unique signature taste to their shots

I doubt either idea is gong to win outright, but I have no clue what the best of both worlds would look like.
Jim Schulman

mathof
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#5: Post by mathof »

I think of it as coffee extracted under considerable pressure.

Matt

Mark08859
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#6: Post by Mark08859 replying to mathof »

Basically, Matt has it right. A certain extracted range of coffee brewed under approximately 8 - 10 bars of pressure. As with many things, there are variations under this definition. After all, we know what constitutes an automobile. Yet, look at the many variations of those. I guess you can think of espresso in that same vein.

Mrboots2u
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#7: Post by Mrboots2u replying to Mark08859 »

Errr i brew at 6 bars - what am i making

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yakster
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#8: Post by yakster »

I think that the La Peppina home spring lever brews at 6 bars too, not sure about my Faemina, but I don't think it approaches 8 bars, at least with the ~70 year old original spring.
-Chris

LMWDP # 272

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nickw
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#9: Post by nickw »

I thought Ben Kaminsky's said it well:
Ben Kaminsky wrote:Finely ground coffee brewed with high pressure hot water.
Taken from:
https://youtu.be/a-YI50dUC7g?t=22m51s

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peacecup
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#10: Post by peacecup »

Espresso was a really brilliant way Italians made something tasty out of third rate coffee;
I've seen you suggest this before Jim, but were the origins really such poor-quality beans? Were the beans they used inferior to those being used other places? One typically sees the 3-4 generation photos of Italian roasters that suggests they were artisans even then. All the romance around the early espresso machines and culture suggests it was driven as much by passion as by profit.

It seems an odd juxtaposition that folks who spent so much creative energy making espresso machines would fill them with poor-quality beans, but I know nothing of the true history.

Anyway, espresso can be simply just a lot of fun.
LMWDP #049
Hand-ground, hand-pulled: "hands down.."

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