Espresso culture
Who would know more about espresso, but the Italians?
They are confident to say that they are the masters of espresso preparation. A cup of espresso contains 40 to 80gr caffeine and 42 roasted and grinded coffee beans.
To make a perfect espresso in Italy, you should follow the “5M” rule:
Miscela - blend, Macinatura - grinding, Mano del barista – the hand of the Barista, Macchina da caffe – coffee machine, Manutenzione – maintenance
In Italy coffee preparation is considered an art and drinking is a ritual, that no Italian under no circumstances would miss. Here are some varieties of the favorite coffee drink:
1. Espresso – preferred by 75% of the Italians; 14 billion espresso cups are consumed in Italy every year.
2. Long coffee (lungo) – it is not true that long coffee contains less caffeine than espresso. The longer the extraction process, the greater part of the caffeine gets into the drink.
3. Sprinkled (macchiato) – adding hot or cold milk reduces the natural bitterness of coffee. It is common to sprinkle it with cinnamon.
4. Flavored (coretto) – in Italy they use cognac or Sambuca liqueur.
5. Decaffeinated (decaffeinato) – contains minimum quantity of caffeine; for example, in a regular espresso the average of caffeine is 65 mg, while in ‘caffe decaffeinato’ – only 5 mg.
6. Marocchino – similar to cappuccino, it is served in a glass cup with frothed milk and cocoa sprinkles.
7. Barley coffee (caffe d’orzo) – prepared from roasted and grinded barley grains. You can drink it at any time since it is caffeine-free.
8. Shakerato – this is cold and refreshing coffee drink, prepared with ice, very popular in the summer season.
9. Cappuccino – last, but not least – the most favorite breakfast coffee, served with frothed milk.
History of espresso coffee pods
The idea for espresso pods first emerged in 1959 from a company in Pennsylvania. The technology was a large success in Italy, and took a while to make its way over to mainstream America. This was due to the fact that espresso had dominated the coffee industry in Italy, and was a big hit in offices where speed and convenience was a must. Pushing a button and getting a single serving of espresso was an ideal situation for espresso in the workplace. Also, up until this point, brewing a good cup of espresso was an art form that took skill and patience; and the espresso pod machine made making a cup of espresso something that anyone could do. How to use an espresso coffee pod Espresso pods are extremely easy to use, and it is as simple as placing a pod into a normal espresso machine or specialized pod brewer, adding hot water and pressing a button. Some beneficial features of the pod machine include: having consistent quality made espresso, little or no training required to use the machine and limited waste of espresso grounds. The speed of making a cup and cleaning up is increased significantly as well. Easy Serving Espresso Pod Standardization
***
***
In 1998 the Illy Company developed the Easy Serving Espresso (E.S.E.) design and standards, an open design to encourage adaptation and compatibility, and with the goal of making home espresso preparation more convenient.
Today many espresso machines (espresso coffee makers), including espresso machine brands other than Illy, accommodate the use of either a 45 mm, 7 gram pod or hand tamped coffee grounds.