A mama’s guide to the different drinks made with espresso; which one is right for you?
Whether you’re trying to work out what sort of coffee machine to get for home or you simply want to cut out the confused stares next time you’re ordering in a café, here’s a run down of the espresso drink family.
Firstly, what is espresso?
Before we get into the nitty gritty of types of espresso drinks, let’s nail exactly what espresso is.
Espresso (ess-PRESS-oh) is a full-flavoured type of coffee, originating from Italy.
It can be made from fresh coffee grinds or from a capsule or pod of fine coffee grinds. You “pull a shot” of espresso which is forcing pressurised near-boiling water through the coffee for a highly concentrated brew.
Unlikely most drip or filter coffees, an espresso is finished with a golden foamy top, known as crema. The presence of crema is a good sign you’ve pulled a quality shot!
Generally speaking, a “shot of espresso” is one ounce (30mls) and takes 18 to 22 seconds to pull.
There are different variations on straight espresso drinks – even before we do anything fancy like adding milk!
- Ristretto – is a super strong and short espresso shot, slightly less water than a single espresso shot, about 25ml/0.75oz and extracts slightly quicker (under 20 seconds)
- Doppio – name given to a double shot or 2oz pour but its at full strength (many coffee houses will pour a double as standard, your proportions of other ingredients will then double)
- Lungo – same process as a single shot but more hot water has gone through the grinds giving a 1.5oz shot from the same amount of coffee – also known as a long shot. It’s not as strong as a single shot and more bitter because the extraction process takes longer – 25 to 40 seconds depending on your espresso machine)
The taste of an espresso can vary significantly depending on the type of coffee, the roast, the quality of the grind and the technique used to brew it.
Commercial coffee houses and cafes will have a large machine that finely grinds the coffee beans and pressurisers to make the espresso shot, then a st