Espresso

Before I became the coffeenut, I really didn't understand espresso. I thought it was a special type of coffee bean, or a special type of roast. It's neither. Any coffee bean, any roast, can be made into espresso.

Italy is the capital of espresso. Different roasts are popular by region in Italy - darker toward the south, lighter in the north. Many of the terms associated with espresso are Italian in origin: cappuccino, latte, grande, venti, barista...

Espresso differs not in bean or roast, but in the brewing method. Here's my favorite explanation of the espresso brewing method, from one of my favorite books on coffee:

"...Brewing method: forcing hot, but not boiling water at high pressure through finely ground beans, fast."

The Joy of Coffee by Corby Kummer

For much more information on espresso, go to this page at coffeeresearch.org (a wonderful source of information about all aspects of coffee).