What’s the deal with espresso?

The past two mornings, I’ve set my alarm so I could get up an hour or two before the kids, and start the day of productive instead of behind. With the help of my morning cuppa Joe, anyway. So this morning I realized I had forgotten to grind my coffee the night before with my handy Cuisinart Burr Grinder, which I love. You just tell it how many cups to measure and it grinds out the exact amount you need! However – the thing is LOUD. And loud does not contribute to the peaceful sleep of toddlers in early morning. I considered taking it outside, but found some espresso grounds in the cabinet and brewed it that way.

Which all got me to wonderin’ – what makes espresso think it’s so special, anyway?

Here’s a rundown.

Regular Coffee
Traditional coffee beans come in a variety of roasts from light to dark, the variations affecting the depth and flavor. For regularly brewed coffee, the beans are ground coarsely, placed in a pot, and the water drips through the coffee grinds, through a filter, and into the carafe or cup. The water is (in relation to brewing espresso) cooler, and in contact with the beans longer.

Espresso
Espresso beans aren’t a special type of coffee bean, but they are roasted dark and ground finely. Very hot water – steaming – is forced through tightly-packed espresso grinds and into the carafe or cup. The water is in contact with the espresso for a shorter amount of time.

The Caffeine Issue
So which one has more caffeine – espresso or drip coffee? Ounce for ounce, espresso has more caffeine than drip coffee. But espresso is traditionally served as shots (a 3 oz portion, typically) and drip coffee served by the cup (a Tall at most coffee shops is 12 oz.), so by serving size espresso has less caffeine than coffee.