Espresso vs Coffee

Coffee is one of the most popular beverages which is consumed by man. It is brewed from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant. It was discovered in Ethiopia and was brought to the Arab world then on to Italy and Europe and the rest of the world.

It is prepared by removing the flesh from the berries, fermenting them, washing, and then drying them. The dried beans are then roasted and are segregated and labeled according to how they are roasted. Then they are ground and brewed for consumption.

There are several methods in brewing coffee. It can be boiled, steeped, or pressurized (espresso). Boiling it is the traditional way of brewing coffee, and it is done by boiling ground coffee in water. Steeping uses a French press wherein coffee and hot water are mixed in a cylindrical container and brewed for a few minutes.

Pressurizing it or using the espresso method uses vaporized and pressurized water mixed into the ground coffee. This produces a more concentrated beverage with reddish-brown foam floating on the surface which is called crema. It has a stronger flavor, darker color, and is thicker than coffee brewed in a percolator, a French press, or a drip coffee maker which would take several minutes to prepare. While coffee can be prepared in small or large amounts, espresso is prepared one or two shots at a time.

There are flavored varieties of coffee beans available which are used to brew coffee but which cannot be used for making espresso because espresso uses unflavored coffee beans and adds the flavor later to create lattes, mochas, and cappuccinos.

Coffee may be prepared and consumed plain or black, mixed with creamer or milk, and sweetened with sugar or honey. This is how most people prepare their coffee. Espresso is more popular in Europe and Latin America. Espresso takes less time to prepare with the ground coffee beans well packed unlike the loose coffee beans used in other coffee brews. It also uses less hot water than when steeping or boiling.

Summary:

1.Coffee is a beverage that is very popular throughout the world and is prepared or brewed in different ways while espresso is one way of brewing coffee.
2.The usual coffee is brewed and consumed plain or black or with creamer or milk while espresso is prepared as lattes, mochas, or cappuccinos.
3.It takes a smaller amount of time to prepare espresso while preparing coffee through gravity, steeping, or boiling will take a much longer time.
4.The beans used in espresso are unflavored while there are several flavored beans used in brewing coffee.
5.There is a reddish-brown foam called crema produced when brewing espresso which is not present in other coffee brews.
6.Coffee needs very hot water to brew it while water used in making espresso need not be boiling or scalding hot.
7.Coffee may be prepared in large amounts while espresso is usually prepared one or two shots at a time.

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