26
votes
Accepted
Why do the coffee shops give sparkling water along with the Espresso?
Most people drink espresso not just because it is hot, strong and contains caffeine, but because it is very rich and flavorful. The water is intended to cleanse your palate before the first sip so ...
- 761
23
votes
Accepted
I run my espresso machine until my whole cup is full. What's my coffee called?
I'd say that it's a caffè crema which is generally made the way you make your coffee and is about 240 ml. It's about 3 times more water than a normale.
- 376
17
votes
Accepted
Latte: Milk before or after coffee?
Oh, the famous latte!
Apparently hardly anyone knows that it simply means "milk" in Italian, so technically calling a coffee drink "latte" is pure nonsense.
So where does the coffee shop staple ...
- 4,053
14
votes
How should I order an espresso to get a less sour shot?
Here's a few thoughts based on what causes sourness/acidity in coffee and ways to temper it.
Order an espresso lungo. Sourness (acidity) is characteristic of the "stuff" that is extracted relatively ...
- 8,475
14
votes
I run my espresso machine until my whole cup is full. What's my coffee called?
I would also go for caffè crema (more water than a lungo). There is no strict agreement on at how much water does it stop being a lungo and starts being a crema. But I guess "lungo" is more well known ...
- 141
12
votes
How can I maximize the time the "high" lasts?
Without considering the amount or potency of the coffee as well as setting personal metabolism aside, you could adjust your coffee schedule according to your natural circadian rhythm, a methodology ...
- 401
12
votes
What are the 4M's of espresso?
4M is a term mainly used among Italians for espresso. It is a placeholder for four words that start with "M" in Italian that affects espresso preparation. Some information can be found here.
These M'...
- 7,678
11
votes
Why do the coffee shops give sparkling water along with the Espresso?
Cleansing the palate for the coffee is a good explanation. Yet there is another tradition of serving water with espresso or coffee, where the water is drunk after the coffee:
In Viennese coffee houses ...
- 4,053
11
votes
How can I improve this latte?
I own this machine and have since moved on from it for the exact reasons you stated.
It is possible to create microfoam that is good enough for making clearly defined latte art on the Delonghi Dedica ...
- 1,301
10
votes
Why do the coffee shops give sparkling water along with the Espresso?
There is an alternative to the accepted answer. In many Middle Eastern countries water is served as a matter of course with espresso. In very hot weather, even people accustomed to the heat may forget ...
- 1,267
9
votes
Accepted
Steam-Powered Espresso Machine: Crema?
There are a few reasons why you might not get a good crema:
Stale coffee
Coffee not ground fine enough
Pressure too low
With a steam-powered espresso machine (especially if it's an entry level ...
- 761
9
votes
Accepted
What are the cheapest options for making good quality espresso at home?
It is slightly dependent on your personal definition of espresso. Also the choice depends on how easy you want its operation to be.
The moka pot is certainly the cheapest espresso-type device. ...
- 1,488
9
votes
Accepted
How to order Caffe Macchiato and be sure you get one?
The problem with ordering a "Macchiato" is that it's only half of the name of a traditional coffee drink.
"Macchiato" means "stained" or "flecked" and not more.
In Italy, you have either
Latte ...
- 4,053
8
votes
Accepted
Easiest way to brew an espresso in the office?
Probably closest to an espresso is an AeroPress, which is similar to a French press, but uses manual pressure to extract more aromatic componds while being lower on bitter and sour notes than most ...
- 4,053
8
votes
I run my espresso machine until my whole cup is full. What's my coffee called?
This is called Lungo, Italian for "Long coffee". Typically it is prepared around 150 ml.
More info is here:
Lungo (Wikipedia).
- 7,678
8
votes
8
votes
Accepted
Can I have this type of coffee?
The beverage you make by diluting vending machine "espresso" with hot water is called "poor imitation of Americano". It is hard to say how much caffeine it contains because it's not clear what this ...
8
votes
Non-plastic version of an AeroPress?
This may be off topic because it is opinion-based and hypothetical in nature. There may be some merit however because it is presented with a "fair and impartial tone" and invites experiences over ...
- 461
8
votes
What are the differences between americano and espresso?
An espresso is a shot of coffee produced by forcing hot water at high pressure through coffee grounds. Often, the espresso is the base shot of coffee from which other coffee drinks are prepared, ...
- 812
7
votes
Accepted
How can I maximize the time the "high" lasts?
Some upperclass chemistry students at the University of Delaware put together a nice site that summarized the effects of caffeine (http://udel.edu/~danikoll/index.html), but it has been removed. (A ...
- 1,127
7
votes
Accepted
What is a café allongé, and how is it pronounced?
Café allongé is the French for Italian cafe lungo, or in English, long espresso.
There may be previous related answers on this:
I run my espresso machine until my whole cup is full. What's my ...
- 7,678
7
votes
Is an Americano the same as drip coffee?
Differences
Crema: an espresso has crema whereas drip brew coffee doesn't. The reason for this is that an espresso is pulled under pressure.
Paper filtered: drip brew tends to be filtered by paper of ...
JJJ♦
- 1,368
7
votes
What's the difference between Turkish and Italian coffee?
If you mean the products you see at a grocer, the answer is simply grind. "Turkish coffee" is a finer grind setting than espresso, so that the final product very closely resembles dust. "Italian ...
- 1,567
6
votes
Accepted
Avoid clumps in finely ground coffee
I wouldn't go so far as to say that it's not a very high-quality grinder, it does extremely well for the price. The clumping is an artifact of:
Humidity
Heat from grinding
Type and roast of the bean
...
- 2,724
6
votes
Getting large volume lattes
Assuming you are not planning to buy a lot more machinery, you can simply use the Nespresso to make espresso - depending on your preferred strength, two to three shots should be what you need for your ...
- 4,053
6
votes
Accepted
Will my tap water work for brewing espresso?
Provided that you descale your machine whenever needed, your machine should not take damage from using tap water.
Since your tap water is also safe to drink, this leaves taste as the only reason for ...
- 763
6
votes
Accepted
Indians understanding coffee
I am South Indian and a coffee fanatic; and each time I order an espresso, the coffee shop staff member will be sure to say,
there is no milk in it.
They don't say 'no sugar' in my town because ...
- 318
6
votes
Accepted
What are my options for approximating espresso at work?
I don't want to provide any specific product links here since they may change in the future and I also don't want to advertise specific stores.
However there are some options I can think of. There ...
- 2,197
5
votes
How should I order an espresso to get a less sour shot?
Taste is subjective but a high-end espresso should not taste sour. Old coffee, poorly roasted coffee, and inferior grade coffee are the main culprits.
The following is a pet theory, not science: ...
- 1,267
5
votes
Accepted
Triple venti meaning at Starbucks
Refers to those shots of espresso. You have 2 in there by default. (The iced Venti drinks typically get 3, because the cup is a little larger (24 oz.))
- 510
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible