Espresso or caffè espresso is a concentrated coffee beverage brewed by forcing very hot, but not boiling, water under high pressure through coffee that has been ground to a consistency that is between extremely fine and powder.

Invented by Edward Loysel de Santais in 1843, Santais's machine impressed visitors to the Paris Exposition of 1855 by producing "two thousand cups of coffee an hour." Santais's machine brewed coffee a pot at a time, however, and used steam pressure, though not to force the brewing water directly through the coffee. Instead, it raised the water to a considerable height above the coffee. From there it descended through an elaborate system of tubes to the coffee bed. The weight of the hot water, not the trapped steam, applied the brewing pressure.

Espresso was developed in Milan, Italy in the early 20th century, but up until the mid-1940s it was a beverage produced solely with steam pressure. The invention of the spring piston lever machine and its subsequent commercial success changed espresso into the beverage we know today. Espresso is now produced with between 9 and 10 atmospheres or bars of pressure.

The defining characteristics of espresso include a thicker consistency than drip coffee, a higher amount of dissolved solids than drip coffee per relative volume, and a serving size that is usually measured in shots, which is about 30ml (1 ounces) in size. Espresso is chemically complex and volatile, with many of its chemical components quickly degrading from oxidation or loss of temperature. Properly brewed espresso has three major parts: the heart, body, and the most distinguishing factor, the presence of crema, a reddish-brown foam that floats on the surface of the espresso. It is composed of vegetable oils, proteins and sugars. Crema has elements of both emulsion and foam colloid.

As a result of the high-pressure brewing process, all of the flavors and chemicals in a typical cup of coffee are concentrated. Because of its intense and high concentration of ingredients (including caffeine), espresso lends itself to mixing into other coffee based drinks, such as lattes, cappuccini, macchiati and mochas, without being diluted in the resulting drink. Espresso contains approximately twice the caffeine content per volume as regular brewed coffee, but only about 1/3 the content per serving.

Preparation of espresso requires an espresso machine, as it is the process that makes espresso the beverage that it is. The act of producing a shot of espresso is termed "pulling" a shot. The term derives from lever espresso machines, which require pulling down a handle attached to a spring-loaded piston, forcing hot water through the coffee at the requisite pressure. To pull a shot of espresso, a metal filter-basket is filled with 7 to 10 grams of ground coffee for a single shot or 12 to 18 grams for a double shot. The espresso is then tamped into a firm puck of coffee. The portafilter (or group handle) holds the filter-basket and is locked under the grouphead's diffusion block. When the brew process begins, pressurized water at 90±5 °C (200±9 °F) and approximately 900 kPa (130 PSI) is forced into the grouphead and through the ground coffee in the portafilter. Water cooler than the ideal zone causes sourness; hotter than the ideal zone causes bitterness. High-quality espresso machines control the temperature of the brew water within a few degrees of the ideal. The serving temperature of espresso is significantly lower, typically around 60-70 °C, owing to the small serving size and the cooling effects of the cup and the pouring process.

This process produces a rich, almost syrupy beverage by extracting and emulsifying the oils in the ground coffee. An ideal shot of espresso should take between 17 and 26 seconds to arrive on a professional-grade machine (optimum at 22 seconds), timed from when the machine's pump is first turned on (unless the machine has a "preinfusion" stage, which may add about 7 seconds to the process). Varying the fineness of the grind, the amount of pressure used to tamp the grinds, or the pump pressure itself can be used to bring the extraction time into this ideal zone. Most prefer to pull espresso shots directly right into a pre-heated demitasse or shot glass, to maintain the ideal temperature of the espresso and preserve all of its crema. Apart from the espresso made manually by a barista, most espresso is made by automatic machines in which the brewing process takes place with an espresso-brewer.

Freshly brewed espresso must be served or mixed into other coffee beverages immediately, or it will begin to degrade due to cooling and oxidation. Temperature and time of consumption are important variables that must be observed to enjoy an ideal espresso; it should be consumed within 2 minutes from when it is served.

A recent North American brewing trend came with the introduction of the bottomless portafilter, that is, a portafilter without the bottom half, exposing the basket and causing the espresso to bypass contact with the portafilter during extraction. The bottomless portafilter serves as a tool to analyze evenness of grind distribution and tamping, as a greater volume of espresso will flow from low-density areas of the coffee puck. Some prefer the taste, citing the portafilter's capacity to preserve crema. Crema is also known as Schuma in South America.

ESPRESSO ROAST
A common misconception about espresso is that it is a specific bean or roast level. Any bean or roasting level can be used to produce authentic espresso. While some major North American chains push dark roasts as their espresso roasts, some of the winning blends used in the World Barista Championship have been what is classified as a medium or "City" or "Full City" roast, with little or no visible surface oil on the beans.

The popularity of different levels of roast in espresso varies greatly. Espresso is typically a blend of beans roasted anywhere from very light to very dark. In Southern Italy, a darker roast is preferred but in Northern Italy, a more medium roast is the most popular type. Companies such as Starbucks and Peets have popularized darker roasts in North America and around the world, but the current trend in espresso coffee is matching the roast level to the bean type; this means that the most popular roast style is moving away from being associated with roast color, and more associated with what will produce the best flavor extraction in the cup for each region and type of bean.

BARISTAS
A professional operator of an espresso machine is a "barista", the Italian word for a bartender. In Italy and other parts of Europe, the barista is considered a career position, often with skills and training passed down from generation to generation. In other parts of the world, the job of the barista has been frequently seen as an employment choice for young people, one to get them started in employment, but is not seen as a career choice.

In North America and other parts of the world, the title of barista has been in long use, especially in Italian-style cafes and coffeehouses, but the use of the term gained mainstream popularly when Starbucks started to call their counter staff by this title. Since the late 1990s, the term barista became synonymous with the person in a cafe who specialized in preparing espresso-based beverages for customers. Along with this came the term "home barista" to distinguish the home espresso enthusiast.

There is a current movement both outside of Europe and even within parts of the continent to build pride and professionalism among baristas, encouraging them to consider their work as a serious craft, worthy of the respect granted to other food preparation artisans. In some ways this trend is meant to follow the traditions in places like Italy, France, and Portugal where the barista is considered a respectable career decision. In other ways, this trend is part of what is seen as the "Third Wave" in coffee, where transparency in information sharing is paramount, and open discussion of ideas, concepts, opinions, and education are shared, even amongst competing businesses in the world of coffee and espresso. The trend is part of the bigger process in specialty coffee to promote coffee as a culinary drink, not as something "regular" or average.

The Barista Guild of America was founded in the United States to promote the professionalism of baristas in that country. Another means of promoting the trade are the Barista Championships. This competition starts as a series of regional events in numerous countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Great Britain, Norway, and Sweden, among others. The competition culminates in the annual World Barista Championship.

In response to a shortage of baristas, companies are starting to create machines with which an untrained person can create a drink by merely pushing a button. One example of this is the Aroma 3500 machine from HLF Italian Design in Italy.

POPILARITY
Espresso is the main type of coffee in Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, and most of southern Europe, notably Italy, France, Portugal, and Spain. It is also popular throughout much of the rest of Europe, and urban centres in North America, Australia, and New Zealand. In Australia and New Zealand, espresso accounts for nearly all of the commercial cafe, coffeehouse and restaurant coffee business.

With the rise of coffee chains such as Starbucks, Seattle's Best Coffee, Caribou Coffee, and others, espresso-based drinks rose in popularity in the 1990s in the United States. The influence of Starbucks has caused a wide divergence from the Italian style of coffee, by adding syrups, whipped cream, flavour extracts, soy milk, and different spices to their drinks.

Home espresso machines have also increased in popularity with the general rise of interest in espresso, and with the Internet and its use as a tool to spread information about this beverage around the world. Today, a wide range of high-quality home espresso equipment can be found in specialist kitchen and appliance stores, online vendors, and department stores. The Internet has facilitated the spread of information about a wide range of espresso-based drinks, and can dispel (or promote) many myths on how to properly brew espresso.

The origin of the term "espresso" is the subject of considerable debate. Although some Anglo-American dictionaries simply refer to "pressed-out," rooting in the Latin origin of the word, "espresso," as the English word "express," also carries the meanings of "just for you" and "quickly," both of which can be related to the method of espresso preparation. The Italian spelling of the word is not "expresso," though that form is accepted by some English-language dictionaries.

The Italian dictionary "Garzanti" states that the origin of the word is from the fact that is prepared on the spot for you :

(Espresso : is said of a food or beverage which is prepared in the moment, upon request from the customer, e.g. dish espresso, caffè espresso). The Italian verb "esprimere" of which "espresso" is the past participle, although derived from the Latin "ex-premere" (pressed-out) does not have that meaning, it is used as the English express as in express a thought, express an opinion.

Espresso in Italian is also often used with the meaning of fast, examples are "treno espresso" (express train), "espresso" is also the name of a faster delivery type mailing for letters. Considering that the Espresso machine was invented by Gaggia in 1938 and became popular in Milan after WW II, long after the original etimology of "esprimere" was lost, any suggestion of the word been derived for "pressed-out" is wrong.

In India, a common misconception is that the term expresso refers to a brand of coffee as opposed to the method of brewing. This can probably be attributed to the expresso branded machines used to brew coffee at movie theater snack bars. The word took further root, probably, due to its being a way to differentiate it from the traditional drip method of brewing coffee in that country. Note that the widely used word is "expresso" as opposed to "espresso," which may itself be attributed to the quick brewing as noted above.

In an Italian bar, as in much of Europe, ordering "a coffee" (un caffè in Italian), means just ordering an espresso. In France, the term café is normally used as well, but the French café is usually dark roasted. Un cafe au lait will satisfy those looking for a white coffee whilst in France.

VARIATIONS
* Affogato (It. "drowned"): Espresso served over gelato. Traditionally vanilla is used, but some coffehouses or customers use any flavor.

* Americano (It. "American"): Espresso and hot water, classically using equal parts each. Popular rumor purports that the Americano was invented by European baristas for American G.I.'s during World War II, because they were only familiar with drip coffee during that era.

* Red eye or Black Eye: A cup of drip coffee with two shots of espresso in it. Also known as a slingblade, a depth charge, a shot in the dark, an Al Pacino, an autobahn, or a hammerhead.

* Breve (It. "Short"): Espresso in half and half, in proportions equal to those of a cafè latte. Similarly, a mocha breve is espresso, chocolate, and half and half in proportions equal to those of a cafè mocha.

* Café Bonbon (Sp. "candy coffee"): A shot of espresso served in a small glass filled with condensed milk. The shot and the milk remain separate unless stirred, as in a black and tan.

* Café Cubano (Sp. "Cuban"): Sugar is added to the espresso grounds during brewing for a sweet taste. Sugar can also be whipped into a small amount of espresso after brewing and then mixed with the rest of the shot.

* Cafè Macchiato (It. "stained"): A small amount of foam is spooned onto the espresso. The cafè macchiato is to be differentiated from the latte macchiato (described below).

* Café Noisette (Fr. "hazelnut coffee"): Espresso cut with warm milk, similar to a cortado. The combination of dark French roasted coffee and milk gives a nutty taste, hence the name.

* Café Tobio: Two shots of espresso with an equal amount of American Coffee.

* Cappuccino: Traditionally, one-third espresso, one-third steamed milk, and one-third microfoam. Often in the United States, the cappuccino is made as a cafè latte with much more foam, which is less espresso than the traditional definition would require.

* Corretto (It. "corrected"): Some sort of liquor added. "Corretto" is also the common Italian word for "spiked (with liquor)".

* Cortado (Sp./Port. "Cut"): Espresso "cut" with a small amount of warm milk.

* Doppio (It. "double"): Two shots of espresso in one cup.

* Espresso con Panna (It. "espresso with cream"): Espresso with whipped cream on top.

* Flat White: a coffee drink very popular in both Australia and New Zealand, made of one-third espresso and two-thirds steamed milk.

* John Wayne: Two portions of any flavor syrup, though commonly caramel or vanilla, two portions of half & half, and two shots of espresso. The ingredients are added slowly in this order, so that the end result is layered with three distinct flavors and temperatures, and is customarily drunk all at once. The drink is slowly becoming popular in Texas, and is also referred to as an 'Undertow'.

* Kennedy: A cup of coffee with three shots of espresso in it.

* Latte (It. "milk"): This term is an abbreviation of "cafè latte", coffee with milk, an espresso based drink with a volume of steamed milk, served with either a thin layer of foam or none at all, depending on the shop or customer's preference.

* Latte Macchiato (It. "stained milk"): Essentially an inverted cafè latte, with the espresso poured on top of the milk. When the milk is vanilla flavored with caramel drizzled over the top, it is called a caramel macchiato. This is the form of macchiato popularized by Starbucks.

* Long Black: Espresso and hot water in equal parts.

* Lungo (It. "long"): More water (about double) is let through the ground coffee, yielding a weaker taste (40 ml).

* Michael Jackson: Cafè mocha made by combining 1 part white chocolate and 1 part chocolate with 2 shots of espresso and adding steamed milk.

* Mocha: Normally, a latte blended with chocolate. This is not to be confused with the region of Ethiopia or the coffee grown in that region (which is often seen as 1/2 of the blend "mocha java).

* Night Rider: 1 part cocoa mix and 1 shot of espresso in a cup of American coffee.

* Quad-shot Four shots of espresso in a small mug, bigger than a demitasse.

* Ristretto (It. "shortened"): with less water, yielding a stronger taste (10-20 ml). Café serré in French.


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