Espresso is a strong, flavorful coffee beverage brewed by forcing hot water through finely ground dark-roasted coffee beans. In Italian, espresso means "very quickly", and refers to the time it takes to make. The spelling "expresso", used often in the United States, even occasionally on menus, is not correct.
Espresso differs greatly from the common drip brewed coffee drink in its thick concentrated consistency, and robust flavor. Due to its potency, straight espresso (espresso served without sweetener or milk, analogous to black coffee) is considered by some to be an acquired taste, and is served in small amounts called shots. Many coffee aficionados order their single or double with a little glass of cold water to clear the palate. Because the espresso reacts quickly with oxygen, it should be consumed right after brewing.
Espresso is considered the default coffee in Italy, therefore ordering a coffee (un caffè) means ordering an espresso: this confuses foreigners in Italy and Italians abroad alike. What is considered "plain coffee" outside Italy, is known in Italy as "caffè americano", and is rarely ordered by Italians.
Espresso is often used as the foundation for other drinks, such as lattes, cappuccinos, mochas, and many more. A key component in the flavor of espresso is a golden foam composed of oils, proteins, and sugars, called crema which floats on the surface.
Espresso coffee Nutrition Facts: Calories, Carbs, and Health Benefits
Espresso coffee is 97.8% water, 1.67% carbohydrates, 0.12% protein, and contains 0.18% fat. If you consume it will provide you with 0 grams of carbohydrates. That translates to 0 percent of the 130 grams of carbohydrates people should include in their daily diet, according to the Institute of Medicine (US). That same in a 100 gram amount, espresso coffee supplies 9 calories and is an excellent source of Vitamin B3 (niacin) (37.19% of the Daily Value). So if you have espresso coffee in your diet, it helps your body to improve functionality of the brain, ease arthritis pain to some extent, overcome some heart diseases and it is effective against certain types of schizophreniaweakness in body and lack of energyfurther brain deterioration after Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore it contains a large amount of Magnesium attaining 25.81% of the Daily Value in a 100 g (3.5 Oz).
Coffee is the second most traded commodity on earth. Crude oil (unrefined petroleum) is the first.
The world consumes over 2.25 billion cups of coffee every day.
There are two types of coffee beans: Arabica and Robusta. Seventy percent of the world consumes Arabica coffee, which is mild and aromatic. The remaining drinks Robusta, which is more bitter-tasting but has twice as much caffeine.
In the past, people gave names to new Arabica coffees from the port they came from. The two oldest Arabica coffees are “Mocha” and “Java”. Today, names are more specific. They tell us the country, region, and sometimes even the property where they come from.
The earliest credible evidence of either coffee drinking or knowledge of the coffee tree appears in the late 15th century, by Sufi Imam Muhammad Ibn Said Al Dhabhani who is known to have imported goods from Ethiopia to Yemen.
The world’s first coffeehouse (coffee shop), Kiva Han, opened in Constantinople (modern Istanbul) in 1475; during the 17th century cafés opened in Italy, France, Germany, and England.
The earliest coffee mill was invented by Nicholas Book, an Englishman, in the latter part of the 17th century.
Coffee wasn’t really popular in America until the Boston Tea Party of 1773, when making the switch from tea to coffee became something of a patriotic duty. The Civil War and other conflicts that followed also helped to increase coffee consumption, as soldiers relied on the caffeine for a boost of energy.
Like many great inventions, espresso was born out of necessity. Its inventor simply wanted to have his coffee faster and went about finding a way to quicken the brewing process. The first machine for making espresso was built and patented in 1884 by Angelo Moriondo of Turin, Italy.
Today, Brazil is the leading grower of coffee beans, producing one-third of the world total.
The word “coffee” entered the English language in 1582 via the Dutch koffie, borrowed from the Ottoman Turkish kahve, in turn borrowed from the Arabic qahwah.
The expression “coffee break” was first attested in 1952.
New Yorkers are said to drink 7 times the amount of any other US city.
Voltaire is said to have drunk 40-50 cups of coffee a day. Voltaire, the famous satirist who wrote “Candide,” is perhaps one of the most avid coffee addicts in history.
Ludwig Van Beethoven took his coffee with exactly 60 beans per cup. He was obsessive about his coffee, and would count by hand 60 beans per cup, according to his biographer.
In the United States, September 29 is celebrated as National Coffee Day.
