You may have heard the terms “espresso beans” and “coffee beans” being used interchangeably, but there is actually a difference between the two. You might be wondering what the difference is between the two types of depression.
In this blog post, we’ll discuss the differences between espresso beans and coffee beans, so you can choose which type of bean to brew with based on your preferences. Stay tuned!
What are Espresso beans
Most people envision dark brown, small, and round espresso beans. The coffee beans used for an espresso shot or a latte are typically a dark roast.
To make these kinds of drinks, you’ll need a machine like a Moka pot or espresso machine. A French press will produce a weaker coffee than using another method.
A espresso machine uses pressure to force a small amount of water through tightly packed coffee grounds. The result of this process is a viscous fluid with a very strong scent and flavor.
Espresso beans are roasted for a longer time than regular beans and ground into a finer powder.
What are coffee beans
Coffee beans can mean any bean that has been used to brew coffee, not just a certain type. A dark roast Colombian bean would be a good choice, or you could go with a light roast Central American bean. You could use your favorite brands of instant coffee.
The coffee bean is the seed of the coffee plant, which is roasted and used to make coffee.
How dark or light the coffee is depends on how long it was roasted, but most coffee is roasted to a medium darkness. Types of beans that have a good balance of flavor and strength are the most popular.
The differences between Espresso beans and coffee beans
1. Grind
Espresso needs very fine coffee grounds. The grind size is very important for the quality of espresso. It is crucial to have a good quality burr coffee grinder for a decent espresso.
The reasoning behind this is that making espresso requires delivering a large amount of pressure over a flat surface of finely ground coffee.
We call this type of bed a puck, and if the particles are consistent, espresso will taste better. If your espresso has a sour or bitter taste, it could be caused by a low-quality grinder that is producing too many fines or boulders.
Consistency isn’t enough. If you grind the coffee beans too finely, the espresso will be too bitter. If you grind them too coarsely, the espresso will be sour. In the most severe cases, it will result in a weaker sense of self.
In contrast to coarse grinds, regular coffee requires a medium grind size. We use thick filters for drip coffee to make a brew with fewer particles. For this reason, drip coffee has a lighter body. If the coffee grounds are too fine, water clogs can occur without extra pressure.
Making a good cup of filter coffee is mostly about getting the grind size right. The main reason for using a burr grinder is that it grinds coffee beans more evenly than a blade grinder, resulting in a higher quality cup of coffee. It is also easier to make small adjustments to the grind size with a burr grinder than with a blade grinder.
The decisive indicator of espresso quality is taste.
2. Dose
The brewing process for drip coffee and espresso is different in that espresso uses a different method of measuring the coffee grounds. This method is called dosing and it is a major difference between the two types of coffee.
Traditional Italian espressos use as little as 7 grams of coffee, resulting in small shots that are less than 20 milliliters. Nowadays, it’s more normal to find double shots of espresso at most cafés, with some having as much as 20 grams.
We typically use 15 to 20 grams of coffee to brew a 250 ml serving of black coffee.
If we see it as a problem, an espresso is 1 part coffee grounds per 1,000,000+ parts water In other words, an espresso has a 1:2 ratio of coffee to water if seen as a solution, and a 1:1,000,000+ ratio of coffee grounds to water if seen as a problem. In contrast, regular coffee has a water to coffee ratio of 15:18.
3. Brewing
Like I said before, pressure makes espresso extraction unique. The average espresso machine can produce 9 bars of pressure. A technological advance was needed to be able to deliver this amount of pressure steadily and safely.
That said, higher pressure doesn’t mean better espresso.
Even though commercial espresso machines are more expensive, it is worth the money because they produce a steadier and cleaner extraction. Additionally, these machines can handle large quantities of food in a short amount of time without losing pressure.
Drip coffee is made by pouring hot water over a cone-shaped bed of coffee grounds. This is in contrast to espresso, which is made by forcing hot water through finely ground coffee beans. When coffee grounds are combined with water, the water will only partially dissolve the coffee.
Then, we let it drip over a filter. This extraction process is crucial. This is the difference between coffeemakers and espresso machines to some extent.
Some coffeemakers, such as the French press and Clever, use immersion instead of percolation, but neither of them exerts pressure over a coffee bed, as an espresso machine does.
If you want a richer coffee, you’ll want to use a coffee grinder to make your grinds smaller. Making smaller grinds will result in a richer coffee. If your coffee grounds are too coarse, you will likely end up with a weak cup of coffee. If your coffee grounds are too fine, you will likely end up with a bitter cup of coffee.
Even though it doesn’t have pressure and uses different filters, it’s not as strong as espresso. This is because espresso is brewed with a much higher ratio of coffee grounds to water.
Paper filters for home coffee makers prevent most oils and fine particles from entering the cup. This is why drip coffee typically tastes cleaner and doesn’t have any residue left over.
This is not the case for the French press or Moka pot. Metal filters allow more particles to get into the cup, resulting in a thicker and richer body. You will not be able to make espresso using a French press or a Moka pot because they do not produce enough pressure.
4. Roast
The difference in taste between coffee and espresso beans is not due to the plant they come from or to a specific variety. Espresso beans usually are dark roasts, while coffee beans are usually medium roasts.
It is more common to find robusta coffee beans inespresso coffee beans than in most commercial coffee. Italians are especially fond of this practice because robusta coffee beans produce a more rich and consistent crema. Robusta coffee beans contain more caffeine than other types of beans, which gives them a more bitter taste.
Despite the fact that dark roasts have a long tradition, they can be difficult to perfect because lower quality coffee beans are often masked by the darkness of the roast. Many coffee enthusiasts believe that dark roasts are indicative of low-quality coffee.
Dark roasts go bad faster, especially if they look oily. However, many people prefer dark roast coffee because it has a stronger flavor and produces more crema.
Coffee roasting is a complex process, and coffee blends for espresso typically aim for naturally occurring nutty and chocolatey flavors. The acidity in espresso is most noticeable when the roast is light.
In conclusion, dark roasts are still more popular for espresso, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t use dark roasts for drip coffee or medium roasts for espresso.
5. Serving size
The serving size for espresso is much smaller than that of regular coffee. An espresso shot typically contains between 15 ml and 20 ml of coffee. However, double shots are becoming the standard, so it is not uncommon to find espressos that contain around 40 ml of coffee.
In contrast, we fill our mugs with black coffee. Some of them are even 500 ml or larger.
This is something that we can’t take lightly. The coffee maker can hold more coffee than the espresso machine.
6. Body
The body of the coffee affects how thick, smooth, and creamy it tastes, as well as how much it seems to weigh. There is a significant difference between black coffee and espresso, which is significant to many people.
The mouthfeel and thickness of an espresso’s body is mainly due to the coffee’s concentration, but the extraction process contributes a lot to this as well. A good layer of crema is essential for enjoying espresso because it makes the drink frothy.
But the texture isn’t everything. I will discuss the role of crema in relation to taste below. Some people believe that stirring or skimming the crema off espresso ruins the flavor of the coffee, while others believe that it enhances it.
7. Taste and aroma
Assuming you are talking about the taste of coffee: Coffee made with an espresso machine has a more intense flavor, with a few dominant tastes. The chocolate and nutty flavors in espresso shots come from the coffee beans that are used in most espresso blends.
After all, isn’t that what we’re looking for when we drink coffee? In other words, taste is the most important thing when it comes to espresso and coffee in general.
In contrast, black coffee has more water than espresso. Brewing with a dripper usually results in a clean, light-bodied cup of coffee. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: it’s not just the coffee maker, it’s thebrewing ratio.
It is conventional to believe that the best filter coffee can be made using a brewing ratio of 14:1 or 20:1. And taste and aroma change significantly inside this range.
Filter coffee has a richer taste than espresso, although it is not as intense The new flavors and aromas that you notice when your Chemex coffee cools down are due to the coffee’s delicate nature. Something that’s not as common with espresso.
Many people prefer to make filter coffee with light or medium roasts because they are less bitter. When making coffee with a dripper, it can be interesting to use single origins and experimental processing methods. A more watered-down coffee will help you taste different notes, but most of the time it won’t make a good drink when you add creamer or milk.
8. Caffeine content
It’s hard to believe, but people generally drink more caffeine by drinking regular coffee than by drinking espresso.
But ml for ml, drip coffee has more caffeine. Though espresso is more concentrated and has more caffeine per ml, drip coffee has more caffeine overall. Although drip coffee has more caffeine per serving, it is available in smaller serving sizes.
A mug of black coffee made with 20 grams of coffee beans will typically have a higher caffeine content than an espresso made with 10 grams of coffee beans.
If we use the same coffee beans to make espresso and regular coffee, this only applies. If you want a stronger caffeine fix, you should use robusta coffee beans.
Keep in mind that it takes a very strong robusta coffee bean to get a pleasant taste.
Making a perfect cup of Espresso with Espresso beans
Now that you know the difference between espresso beans and regular coffee beans, it’s time to start thinking about what espresso machine you want to buy. If you drink espresso regularly, this is a good investment because it will save you money in the long run.
Your choice of beans is the best place to start when making a great-tasting cup of espresso. We didn’t mention where you should buy your coffee beans because it isn’t relevant to this conversation.
The quality of the espresso beans is the most important aspect. It doesn’t matter where you get them from.
It’s better to buy espresso beans that are fresh instead of pre-ground. Pre-ground coffee is not always the best-tasting option for busy people.
investing in a Burr Grinder is always a good idea when purchasing an Espresso Machine. This is because freshly ground beans produce coffee with a richer flavor and smell.
It’s important to mention that the grind size of your beans is important, but water temperature is just as key to making espresso! It is better to use fresh, cold-filtered water instead of tap water.
At the end of the day, the best way to figure out what works best is to experiment and see what you like! If you want to perfect your coffee skills, grab a few friends and have a competition where everyone tries to make the best espresso they can.
Making a perfect cup of coffee with coffee beans
The first step to making a perfect cup of coffee is sourcing high-quality beans. The cheapest option is not always the best option.
You should buy specialty grade coffee if possible because it tastes better than cheap, low-quality beans.
You should grind your coffee beans so that they are coarse. If the coffee grounds are too finely ground, they will fall through the coffee filter and make an over-extracted mess that is bitter and strong.
If the coffee grounds are too large, it will take longer to filter them out, resulting in a weaker cup of coffee with less caffeine.
When making coffee, you should always use fresh water to get the best extraction of flavor out of your beans. Since coffee is mostly water, you will get the best results if you start with high quality water that is as pure as possible.
Caffeine headaches are the worst, especially if you’re an energy drinker. If you’ve ever had too much coffee, then you know how awful they can be. Only drink one to two cups of coffee a day to avoid this issue.
Don’t consume more than the recommended amount, as this may cause jitters and an uncomfortable sensation like your heart is about to beat out of your chest.
Conclusion
What one person perceives as the difference in flavor between espresso beans and coffee beans is entirely subjective. We have explained the differences between the types of beans so you can make a informed decision on which type of bean you want in your morning cup of coffee (or afternoon pick-me-up).
Do you like more caffeine or less? Stronger flavors, or milder ones? Espresso beans are commonly used for making authentic Italian espressos, while coffee beans are more often used for American-style coffees.
We recommend that you try both options if these questions do not help you make a decision. One of the two may better suit your taste.