Making Espresso No Simple Task

I read in Jon Thorn's The Coffee Companion that the process of making espresso is one of the more challenging tasks of the coffee world. Further investigation has borne this truth out.

It is almost a truism to say that the more money you are prepared to spend on a good espresso machine, the better will be the brew in question.

Nevertheless, espresso remains more of an art than a science, and more of a hobby than a profession. Professional baristas spend years trying to make the perfect cup of espresso and cappuccino, and will often participate in competitions to achieve the fleeting honor of being the best in their field -- at least for the time being.

The process of producing a good cup of espresso is a complex one, ranging from choosing the right blend of coffee, to the whole other question of deciding how much to grind the beans. If the grind is too coarse, the coffee will come out thin and watery; if it is too fine, the coffee will come out too thick and will block the filter.

After grinding, the coffee must be "tamped" into the filter, neither too loose, which would allow the water to flow straight through, nor too tightly, which would prevent the water from flowing through at all. It is at this point that having a good espresso machine becomes crucial.

The Coffee Companion provides a few indications as to whether your espresso is a good one or not. The book states that the best of the coffee comes out first. This is known as the black, which is followed by the crema, a caramel-coloured liquid that consists of oils mixed with water and air. The crema should be a quarter of an inch thick and evenly coloured. Crema indicates whether or not you have produced a good cup of espresso.

All of this begs the question as to what kind of coffee beans should be used. Traditionally, espresso uses a high roast bean that comes from the arabica variant, but this is largely a matter of personal preference.