The Secret To Finding The Ultimate Italian Espresso Coffee

Finding the espresso potential,or the level of perfection in any given shot of espresso is often like being on a quest for the holy grail. You know it's out there, you just can't see it. Or in the case of espresso, taste it.
Knowing if you've found the ultimate Italian espresso coffee begins with knowing about espresso. How can you tell if you've found something if you don't know what it should be like?

So, let's begin at the beginning.
What is an Italian espresso?

Italian espresso coffee is a beverage prepared with approximately one-and-a-half ounces of very finely ground coffee beans, which are dark roasted and oily in appearance. This coffee is produced with an espresso machine which ?forces? the brewing process using very hot water under high pressure.
The result is a bitter-sweet coffee with a topping of crema, or froth.

Main characteristics of espresso
Because espresso is forced, this process produces a specific feel, taste, aroma and density. Espresso coffee is ground to a very fine level and brewed very quickly, for only about 25 seconds.
The main difference between espresso and regular coffee is how the bean is roasted. While espresso beans comes from a variety of coffee plants, they are roasted to produce a very dark coffee. Also, the coffee beans have a rich, oily appearance.
Then, coffee beans geared for the Italian espresso are ground finely. The finer the grind, the slower the coffee is released when forced. Before this happens, the espresso grind is packed very tightly into a metallic filtered basket. All of this tight packing and forced brewing results in a coffee that is dark in color and very thick with a layer of crema or foam on the top.
Espresso is brewed quickly to avoid over-extraction of the coffee bean. The espresso machine is designed to produce a quick coffee and this results in a more intense flavor and aroma because it is never over-extracted or over-brewed.
Also, because espresso coffee beans are dark roasted they contain less caffeine than regular coffee beans.

A brief history of Italian espresso
It was an Italian businessman who, back in 1903, wanted to brew coffee faster and developed his fast coffee machine. He found that his coffee brewing process produced a much better tasting coffee, with a thick feel and a luscious crema topping. And so, the espresso coffee was born.
When it comes to finding the perfect Italian espresso coffee you need to delve into this world's fascinating secrets. You should come to learn everything from the Macinadosatore, which refers to the espresso dose, to the Macinazione, which refers to the correct method of grinding the coffee for the perfect espresso, and Latte art, the technique used to texture the milk into perfection and to create patterns on it.