My parents were never into coffee. I don’t know where they got the habit, but they were more like tea drinkers and so I grew up in household where coffee, if ever, was rarely drunk. I was only introduced to coffee drinking when I was in college where I needed a drink that could keep my mind sharp and going even after hours of continuous studying. Now that I have the habit there is nothing that can stop me from enjoying this favourite beverage of mine. I have made it a point to find out all the different types and kinds of coffee beans and of the way of preparing. Of all those that I have tried I should stay that my all-time favourite is espresso.
Espresso and Why it’s So Enjoyable- For those who are unfamiliar with it espresso is a way of preparing coffee. Pressurized hot water is forced through a container full of ground coffee beans. The heat and the high pressure of the water brings out the best flavour from coffee that can not be derived by other means. It is normally thicker and has more solid particles suspended in it. It is also characterized by the crema which is a thick foam that sits on top of the drink. Because of its strong flavour espresso serves as the base for many coffee drinks that are available today.
How Much Coffee per Espresso Shot`– Because of the unique way by which it is prepared espresso has a lot more caffeine per unit of volume than any other drink that is available today. On the average a standard serving of espresso which measures to about 30 ml contains anywhere between 40 to 75 mg of caffeine. That is about half the caffeine content of a standard serving size of a regular coffee. There is actually no definitive way or method for producing an espresso drink. The ways of producing this drink vary widely from one region to another and all methods just follow a basic system.
Drinks Based on Espresso- The high concentration of caffeine and solid particles on espresso makes it ideal for use as a base for other coffee drinks. Here are some of the drinks that normally use espresso as their base:
Latte- This drink is normally made by mixing espresso with milk or soy milk. The name is derived for the Italian term referring to coffee and milk which is the two main ingredients of the drink.
Cappuccino- This drink is a mixture made from espresso, heated milk and foam milk which is made to sit on top of the drink. This is a lot similar to latte the main difference being the use of hot milk and foam milk for the drink.
Mocha– Café mocha is variant of the latte and in fact the term is not used in Europe. Like latte it uses espresso and milk but chocolate is added in it to add flavour to the drink. Sometimes powdered chocolate is used to make mocha.