Espresso Yourself!

It's been a while, blog.  Nice to see you too.

I start to talk to inanimate things (like blogs) when I've either had too much or not enough coffee.  Today is the case of too much.

 

 

No one said it was criminal to make a triple shot latte.

...It just isn't necessarily a good idea on an otherwise empty stomach.

So, appropriately I believe, I am writing this post on a caffeine trip.  And here's the truth: coffee is one of the greatest things in the world.  On questionnaires when people ask, "What is your favorite food?" I respond with "coffee".  When I'm sick and should be drinking tea with lemon, I drink coffee.  When I decide to build a shrine of something, it is of coffee.  Exhibit A:

Not that I owe anyone an explanation of why coffee is so amazing... but I'm going to tell you anyway.

I grew up craving coffee.  I distinctly remember a Christmas dinner when I was about 4, and I begged my parents for coffee.  Granted, I put about 3 tablespoons of sugar and cream into my tiny teacup, but I was officially a devoted coffee drinker nonetheless.

In middle school I graduated to cappuccinos from Quiktrip and frappuccinos from Starbucks.

And then in high school, my life was changed when I learned how to make drip coffee for myself.

And from there, my passion increased at an exponential rate.

I learned how to french press.
I learned how to make coffee the old fashioned way on a stove.
And I learned the art of how coffee is  processed when I visited a couple of coffee farms in Kona.
And then finally....

I discovered the magic of espresso when I received an espresso maker for Christmas this year.

There seems to be a lot of confusion on espresso.  Let me clear that up.  Espresso is coffee.  It is made with a special, darker roast espresso bean and the same amount of caffeine and flavor is packed into a smaller amount of liquid.  The main difference lies in how espresso is brewed.

In regards to regular drip coffee: a coffee filter is used, and as hot water passes through the coffee grounds and filter by the force of gravity, the water absorbs the oils and flavors from the coffee grounds.  

In regards to espresso: A smaller amount of nearly boiling water under pressure is forced through the espresso grounds.  This leads to a more concentrated liquid.  A beautiful, beautiful liquid.

Espresso will change your life.  It just will.  It's one of the most magical earthly things I have ever discovered, and there is so much you can do with it!  I realized I was becoming a coffee snob the other day when someone asked me, "So if you put milk in your coffee does that mean it is a latte?"  Close... but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. Horseshoes and hand grenades, my friends.

Americans generally are less educated on the art of coffee.  It's not our fault, it just was never a natural part of our culture.  So to clear up the air for my dear readers, here are some of the most popular and basic espresso and coffee drinks:

Shot: You can enjoy a shot (or two) of pure espresso in a miniature cup.

 

Espresso Con Panna: Espresso with a shot of whipped cream on top.

  Caffe macchiato: Espresso "marked" with steamed milk (with milk accounting for at most 25% of the drink)

Cappuccino: Espresso with steamed milk and foam (1/3 parts of each)

Latte: Shot(s) of espresso with steamed milk and minimal foam (There should be about 3 times as much milk as coffee)

Mocha:  Same as a latte, but made with rich chocolate syrup.  Also, no mocha is complete without whipped cream and chocolate shavings on top.

And then you get into the land of drip coffee drinks...

Cafe au Lait: Regular drip coffee with steamed milk, ratio is 1:1.

White Coffee:  Regular drip coffee with cold milk or creamer added.  Opposite from Black Coffee:  Regular drip coffee with nothing added.

Hammerhead/Shot in the Dark/Red Eye: A shot of espresso mixed with regular black coffee.

Ahh! Admittedly, I've never tried this one.  I'm saving it for finals week.

So to sum it all up...

This will most likely not be my only coffee post.  I could talk about coffee's significant impact on culture for a looooong time, but we'll save that for another day.  

In the meanwhile, do yourself a favor, and treat yourself to a good cup of coffee.  Because life is too short for anything other than that.