What is the impact of Italian espresso on world coffee?

Espresso is the most representative Italian coffee. Americans call it "Espresso," which is to fully express the meaning of rapid extraction. At first, it was popular only in Italy, France, Spain and other southern European countries, but later spread throughout the Americas and became one of the most popular drinks. Even in Britain, known as the "black tea country," you can smell the aroma of espresso in the air everywhere.

Italian espresso

history

The birth of Italian espresso coffee has gone through a long process. In the past few hundred years, people have conducted in-depth and comprehensive research on coffee processing and extraction methods. After repeated refinement experiments, espresso coffee was finally developed. Therefore, Italians call its birth "the crystallization of science and art." Edouard de Filippo, the great Neapolitan playwright, wrote in his memoirs: "When I was a child, coffee was made for adults. They pour coffee beans into drums and stir them as they rotate them until they turn dark brown. The aroma of coffee wafted through the window into my room and woke me from my sleep. So I knew the intoxicating taste of coffee long before my parents let me."

Italian coffee culture has developed for hundreds of years, and Italians have accumulated a lot of experience and perfect craftsmanship in the process. They strictly control the quality and roasting of the coffee beans. Roasting coffee is the most difficult step in the coffee making process, and it is also the core link to improve the quality of coffee. Choosing good quality fresh raw beans and roasting them at the right temperature is essential to making espresso coffee. In order to produce top-quality espresso coffee, responsible Italian coffee wholesalers first purchase coffee beans from various coffee producing areas around the world, and then carry out secondary screening in the coffee production plant with a sorting machine. Experts agree that strict control of the quality of coffee beans can produce superior Italian espresso.

However, while most coffee drinks are espresso based, not all Italians like to drink espresso. Other coffee varieties are also popular with Italians. For example, latte coffee with milk added to espresso coffee; Macchiato coffee with milk added and rich milk foam; Romano coffee with a curly lemon peel added to espresso coffee; and pure cream espresso coffee.

origin

Italian espresso originated from Turkish coffee, but because Turkish coffee takes too long to make to adapt to the fast-paced social needs, more and more people are beginning to study efficient coffee making methods. An Italian mocha pot called Moka Pot Espresso was born. In 1906, the world's first commercial espresso machine appeared. In 1945, Gigia continued to improve the coffee machine. Italian espresso machines gradually became what they are today. 70% of coffee appliances produced in Italy are sold abroad.

Italian espresso machine uses the principle of air compression, can extract coffee in a very short time, and will not be coffee flavor. He can also extract the coffee foam "krima", which is very valuable in the eyes of Turks, and it can be called the most scientific coffee extraction method.

The production method of mixed coffee and coffee drinks has also been improved and improved due to the introduction of new production techniques in the factory, and the whole production process of coffee is more foolproof. The Italian coffee processing industry, which did not produce any beans, was a great success. The latest survey shows that Italy exports coffee to more than 100 countries around the world every year, making it the world's second largest coffee exporter.

French Roast and Italian Roast are the most typical deep roasts. French roasted coffee beans are dark brown or black on the surface. After Italian roasting, the surface of coffee beans is almost pure black, and there is a clear oil shine.

Italian Roast was developed specifically to make espresso coffee, hence the name Espresso Roast. Roasting even a small amount of raw beans can also leave a burnt taste and a strong bitterness, which makes Italian roasting unsuitable for making lighter coffee. Due to the long roasting time, the caffeine in coffee has been basically lost. As a result, dark roast coffee has a relatively low caffeine content compared to light coffee. Italian espresso is low in caffeine, precisely because of this.

taste characteristics

Espresso coffee has a strong taste, bitter taste and astringency, and only fresh coffee can emit its unique aroma. The best combination of espresso coffee is: a cup of water to 10.5 grams of coffee powder. Espresso coffee is typically made with 12.25 grams of ground coffee for one cup of water. Italian espresso made with this ratio is called "Espresso Single" or "Espresso Solo".

A bitter, stronger coffee than espresso is Espresso Double. His ratio is 14 to 20 grams of coffee powder in a cup of water. At first glance, the name Espresso Double may sound like it contains twice as much ground coffee as Espresso Single, but it's not. There is, however, a coffee called "Espresso Double," which is made by placing two Espresso cups in one cup.

The coffee name "Espresso Lungo" refers to one cup of coffee powder for twice as much water. The word Lungo is Italian, meaning "long" in English. Espresso Lungo is lighter than espresso solo. One coffee is the exact opposite of Espresso Lungo, with a ratio of 1 cup of ground coffee to 2/3 cups of water. This coffee is called Espresso Ristretto (Ristretto means restrained, restricted).

In addition, there are many interesting coffee names, such as the United States has a coffee called "Hammer Head"(Hammer Head), according to the ratio of 1:2, to Italian espresso coffee mixed with ordinary coffee. There is also Cafe Americano, a European brew for American tourists. This is done by pouring hot water into an already good espresso and serving it to customers in an 8-ounce mug.

Today's Italian cafes are mainly divided into "Caffe"(French call coffee Cafe, Italian call it Caffe) and "Espresso Bar". Espresso Bar is a place where coffee can be quickly served to office workers. In Italy, we often see neatly dressed office workers go to the coffee bar before going to work, drink a small cup of morning coffee (usually espresso coffee) as quickly as possible, and then leave in a hurry. Afternoon coffee is not lonely. Many people are used to going to coffee bars in the afternoon and ordering a cup of espresso, plus a cup of "Straight Whisky", one sip at a time.