Concept

Espresso

Summary
Espresso (ɛˈsprɛsoʊ, eˈsprɛsso) is one of the most popular coffee-brewing methods, of Italian origin. The French also made a significant contribution to the invention of the first coffee makers, predecessors of today's espresso machines, and generally to the café culture. Espresso can be made with a wide variety of coffee beans and roast degrees, in which a small amount of nearly boiling water (about ) is forced under of pressure through finely-ground coffee beans. Espresso is the most common way of making coffee in southern Europe, especially in Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal, but it is also popular in the rest of the world. Espresso is generally thicker than coffee brewed by other methods, with a viscosity similar to that of warm honey. This is due to the higher concentration of suspended and dissolved solids, and the crema on top (a foam with a creamy consistency). As a result of the pressurized brewing process, the flavors and chemicals in a typical cup of espresso are very concentrated. Espresso contains more caffeine per unit volume than most coffee beverages, but as its usual serving size of 25–30 ml (1 US oz) is much smaller than for other coffee drinks, the overall caffeine content of a single serving of espresso is generally lower than that of other coffees. While the exact caffeine content of any coffee drink will vary, a typical serving of espresso contains approximately 65 milligrams of caffeine, but a typical serving of drip coffee contains between 150 and 200 mg of caffeine. The three dispersed phases in espresso are what make this beverage unique. The first dispersed phase is an emulsion of oil droplets. The second phase is suspended solids, while the third is the layer of gas bubbles or foam. The dispersion of very small oil droplets is perceived in the mouth as creamy. This characteristic of espresso contributes to what is known as the body of the beverage. These oil droplets preserve some of the aromatic compounds that are lost to the air in other coffee forms, enhancing the strong flavor of espresso.
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