Coffee vs. Espresso

[EatCannabisRaw]

Does espresso have different effects than coffee??

Do you think its possible espresso - being made with heat and pressure, as opposed to coffee - being made with only really just heat, produces different effects related to the composition of the chemicals present in the resulting liquid?

Did I write that correctly with the (-) and (,)'s? Any english majors? lol...

Anyways, just wondering. I just made some espresso and I really like it. Coffee seems to be different. I feel espresso is more of a full extraction.

 

[southflorida]

i don't know this.....but I like drinking *real* espresso a lot more than regular coffee

my last few trips to Italy....I only drank espresso....and always double portions....since they make such small portions....I can't drink just one

 

[SomeGuy]

Having a nice freshly made latte as I reply to this!

I don't know about all that "composition of the chemicals" but I do know its tastes a hell of a lot better. If I have to drink drip I do seem to get the jitters and also a sour stomach from the acidity in the cheap coffee. Supposedly espresso has less caffeine, but I've not seen de facto proof.

Best investment ever was a Rancillo Sylvia and a Rocky grinder.

 

[sirgrassalot]

I have a Nescafe instant cappuccino with 2 tea spoons of sugar in the morning. It goes great with a dubie. If I'm on the road a Timmy's creme no sugar.

 

[CaptainTrips]

Having a nice freshly made latte as I reply to this!

I don't know about all that "composition of the chemicals" but I do know its tastes a hell of a lot better. If I have to drink drip I do seem to get the jitters and also a sour stomach from the acidity in the cheap coffee. Supposedly espresso has less caffeine, but I've not seen de facto proof.

I believe Espresso has more caffeine than coffee... given the same volume.

 

[SomeGuy]

I believe Espresso has more caffeine than coffee... given the same volume.

Could be. I read that the pressure extraction process released less caffeine over at coffeegeek.com forums, but I didn't pay enough attention as to whether it was based on an actual scientific experiment.

I'll pull a 20oz shot tomorrow morning and get back to ya as soon as they peel me off the ceiling!

 

[EatCannabisRaw]

I just don't get the same caffeine type wired feeling with espresso... I have a suspicion you pull more of the minerals out of the bean since its a better extraction, but I could be wrong. Supposedly there is good amounts of magnesium in coffee.. which is a calming mineral. That has to be my guess why I feel its different.

 

[Goat]

By volume, a cup of drip has more caffeine than a shot of espresso. So a 20oz latte is less caffeine than a cup of drip coffee. I just got a job as a barissta, bucks takes all our business tho.

If you like the fullness of espresso - but not the small portion - try a french-press coffee maker. A french press is completely manual and uses course ground coffee so its a bit more expensive, but if its quality over speed/low cost, than french pressed is the best. I dont know about the caffeine content though.

-Goat!

 

[trouble]

If your ever in Cuba or South Florida and want a really get wired for sound try some Cuban coffee. It's the Cuban version of expresso aslo know as "Cafecito" or "Cuban Pull". Get a "Colada" and drink that by yourself, it's like legal speed. A Colada is just a large size which is ment to be shared with several other people with little shot glasses. It will certainly motivate & stimulate anyone.





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[EatCannabisRaw]

I have a stovetop espresso maker. It takes two minutes once u put it on the stovetop.... very nice... i like the small amount just a little kicker. peace

 

[flubnutz]

i love expresso, had a machine ... but, its the only time i really felt the caffeine jitters; mind you i had downed like 2 doubles (maybe more) in a couple hours. im a pretty regular coffee drinker, too.

 

[Irishslappop]

working at a cafe i'll tell you that a cup of coffee gets you more juiced up for longer than espresso. espresso also has more of a comedown effect in my opinion. doubt theres any evidence to support that though, just personal preference.

the good thing about espresso is all the possiblities you have with what you can mix with it, drip coffee is a less flexible.

If you like the fullness of espresso - but not the small portion - try a french-press coffee maker. A french press is completely manual and uses course ground coffee so its a bit more expensive, but if its quality over speed/low cost, than french pressed is the best. I dont know about the caffeine content though.

-Goat!

^^this. French press makes for a better tasting coffee because there is no paper filter. The french press lets the coffee retain most of the oils that a paper filters out. you can see the flavor and maybe some grounds at the bottom of your cup after a french press. very tastey :]

 

[b8man]

It's more the kind of question that a coffee lovers forum could answer, but i'll chip in.

Personally, I find espressos to be a faster but shorter hit, whereas filter coffee gets me buzzing for a while and usually motivates me more. Could be impurities, minerals or simply the extra water.

Speaking of coffee, has anyone tried one of those new coffees which they think might save starbux? It's called the Clover - http://www.wired.com/gadgets/miscellaneous/magazine/16-08/mf_clover

 

[Irishslappop]

thats pretty cool! as for saving starbucks, not too sure about that. Starbucks is dieing because they saturated the market and it's more or less a Macdonalds of coffee now.

 

[WoW maannnn]

think of it lyke hash!

 

[EatCannabisRaw]

I've heard of the clover. Geeeeeez... that thing is RIdiculous haha

 

[EatShitake]

I remember reading an article on this, but it was prolly 10 years ago. The jist of it was basically, normal coffee has more caffeiene than espresso for a couple reasons-some you can control, some you can't.

Since espresso is made by steaming the grounds, steam has a shorter contact time with the grounds, so the opportunity it gets to dissolve caffeine from the grounds is less.

Drip-type coffe has water (duh!) which is a better solvent to caffeien than steam, spends more time in contact with the grounds, and is a lower temperature than steam. Optimal caffeine solubility temperature is something like 195F, lower than steam.

The temperature and length of roast of the bean has an impact on caffeien, as well. It degrades at a fairly low temp, so your "dark roast" "french roast" "espresso roast" beans kinda "cook" the caffeine out more than the lighter roasts do. I learned this from a roaster in Hawaii.


To me, nothing's better than a full pot of medium-to-dark roast in a French press. That or Turkish, Greek, or Cuban!...MMmmmmmm!


Cool thread!

 

[EatCannabisRaw]

Thats interesting Shitake... so its all about steam? What about the pressure factor? It seems with the stovetop, as the water boils...it builds up so much pressure that it forces the steam up really fast... so its like pressurizing the steam... I think.

 

[flubnutz]

depends how the machines work, does an expresso machine force steam thru the coffee? i know you get steam for the milk but i think it just runs hot water thru the coffee.

 

[gmb]

After having worked at starbucks for a couple years(not anymore), I've grown to really enjoy coffee. I'm not saying that starbucks is the end-all of coffee greatness, but it'll educate you more than any fast food place educates you on burgers. I prefer my coffee iced(for day-today stuff) and I usually get 3 shots over ice. I'd get regular iced coffee, but it's way too watered down for my liking. Now, I could be wrong...but I'd swear that espresso has more caffeine than drip coffee. I'm thinking of the final result. Your average "small" (or 'tall' as starbucks likes to say) cup is 12 ounces. The average espresso shot is 1-1.5 oz(I really can't remember). If you drank 12oz of espresso, I'm pretty sure you'd have way more caffeine than a regular 12oz drip. Now, if you had a 12oz press of some light-medium roasted beans, you'd probably get more than in the espresso(this has to do with the deterioration from longer roasts, etc). I'm no expert, and most of this just comes from personal experience with drip coffee and espresso. But yeah..I'll take some ethiopian in a french press over espresso or drip any day.