Nav: Home > Coffee Knowledge >

Coffee common sense what's the difference between espresso and drip coffee

Published: 2026-04-04 Author: World Gafei

Last Updated: 2026/04/04, The main difference between espresso and drip coffee lies in the fineness of grinding and brewing time. Espresso takes much less time to brew, so it can be done with an espresso machine. The machine can produce a pressure of up to 15 ATM, forcing water to seep through the coffee. A small cup of espresso is made by injecting about 43 grams of hot water into compacted and finely ground espresso powder.

The main difference between espresso and drip coffee lies in the fineness of grinding and brewing time. Espresso takes much less time to brew, so it can be done with an espresso machine. The machine can produce a pressure of up to 15 ATM, forcing water to seep through the coffee.

A small cup of espresso is made by injecting about 43 grams of hot water into compacted and finely ground espresso powder. If all goes well, the end result is a dark brown, slightly thicker liquid with a small amount of cream (foam, similar to the foam on top of beer).

There are many variables in the process of making an espresso: water temperature, water pressure, fineness of ground coffee, compactness of coffee powder, and so on.

Espresso is made from a mixture of different coffee beans from different countries. These coffee beans are roasted until they are dark and glossy.

Coffee beans (left) and espresso powder (right)

These coffee beans are ground-much finer than dripping coffee, and their fineness is similar to powdered sugar. The finer the coffee is ground, the slower the espresso is made. Generally speaking, to make the best espresso, it takes about 25 seconds for water to flow through the coffee. Sometimes the foaming time can be controlled by adjusting the grinding fineness.

Drip coffee is made by filtering boiling water droplets through ground coffee, which is rougher ground than espresso. When making, filter the water and drop the coffee into the pot. This process is slower than distillation, and it takes much longer for hot water to come into contact with ground coffee. Surprisingly, a cup of filtered coffee contains more caffeine than an espresso.

FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou China, selling freshly roasted beans from its own farm in Yunnan as well as dozens of carefully selected single-origin beans from around the world for both pour-over and espresso. The products deliver consistently excellent quality and great value, with shipping within 24 hours. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers, and the beans are now available online at the Tmall 。