Espresso coffee – often wrongly referred to as Expresso is a very strong black coffee that you make only from 100% Arabica Beans served in a very small cup. Espresso forms the basis of many other types of coffee such as Latte, Americano, Cappuccino etc…

The mark of a good espresso is the light brown caramel coloured top – this is called the Crema and gives the espresso it’s distinctive flavour, then you have the almost jet black coffee layer.

Making Espresso
With time and patience you will acquire the skill to make perfect espresso every time.

To make the best espresso you need roasted Arabica beans (100%) and they must be very finely ground and a good quality machine capable of delivering high pressure hot water. (Lavazza have a good quality product range.)

Put the ground espresso beans into the espresso machine and very lightly press down (- see your machines manufacturers instructions). They key to a good espresso Crema is the pressure of the steam and the steam flow rate – so it is vital to have a good quality espresso machine.

Tip for espresso machines – ensure that the water reservoir is  half filled  - this will enable a larger pressure to build up and therefore will give better espresso. The key is using water under pressure and NOT Boiling water. A 15 bar machine should give a good crema.

NEVER – reuse Arabica grounds once it has been extracted otherwise you will have a very bitter tasting coffee.

Don’t spoil it by adding milk and sugar!! This is a purists drink.

Instructions on how to make the best . . .
Espresso: The basis for the following drinks.

Use a very finely ground Arabica bean, ensure that there is sufficient steam pressure as the extraction should be quick otherwise you get a bitter tasting drink with little or no crema (the caramel coloured layer) on the top. Toward the end of the extraction the liquid becomes almost clear – if this happens I recommend using more Arabica grinds or stopping the extraction at the point the liquid starts to run clear. To create a double espresso you use more espresso grinds but keep the same quantity of liquid a true double is double strength not double the size.
Making Americano:
This is 1 shot of espresso mixed with hot water – milk can be added to suit your taste.

Making Cappuccino:
One third Espresso then add one third hot milk and top with one third frothy milk then on top of the frothy milk you put a generous sprinkling of chocolate powder. (For the best results use a full fat milk and ensure it is chilled before you start frothng it – the frothng is best done before the espresso comes out of the machine to leave the greatest pressure of steam for the espresso extraction – on some espresso makers this does not matter.)

Making Latte:
Served in a glass. Two Thirds milk and one third espresso – the espresso is poured on the milk slowly to provide a dual layer drink – white at the bottom then a brown turning black at the top layer over this. As you drink it the layers remain and both get proportionally shorter so you are not left with a layer of milk at the end.

Making Iced Latte:
The same as above but this is made with chilled milk – a generous layer of ice cubes and the espresso is poured slowly over this (you can cool the espresso first by pouring into a large glass that has previously had a chilled liquid in it – this stops the ice from disappearing. (This is my choice for the summer!)

Extras:
For a change add a little cinnamon or vanilla essence to the drinks above The milk could be coloured easily with food colourings to add a degree of mystery. Put a scoop of hot chocolate powder in the Americano to create a Mocha.