CoffeeForums Coffee Facts

Q: I am not asking about preparation or grinding of the beans... just the beans themsleves. Is there a difference? For example, can I make Espresso from coffee beans if i use an Espresso machine and they are ground to the correct consistency?

A: Espresso is a specific type of coffee bean that is very strong. You might get OKAY results if you do a really fine ground on a robust type of coffee bean, but I don't think it would be quite the same because it won't have exactly the same amount of oil, acidity, etc. as actual Espresso beans. Fine grind is not the main difference. The big difference comes in the roast of the bean. Espresso is dark roasted. Some beans taste better roasted dark than others and some beans acquire a different taste when roasted light or dark. There are 4 basic roasts, American-a light roast Vienna roast French roast and the Espresso roast. If you go to www.ccmcoffee.com and go to the roasted bean section you will see difference in the roasts in the pictures he has posted there. Note how dark the espresso roast is compared to the others. Depending on the beans used in the roast you can find a wide variety of flavors from coffee to some very chocolaty overtones in the flavorI don't mind making coffee from espresso roast beans, but I don't want my espresso made from beans roasted for coffee. The steam process of making espresso is able to extract the deep, rich, Carmel flavor that can be found only in good espresso. Using beans roasted for coffee won't have the depth, and might even be a bit bitter...Yuk! Whether it's coffee or espresso, the degree of roasting is what makes it espresso or coffee appropriate. Americans, historically, have purchased low quality beans...We used to be the largest purchasers of Robusta beans (now used largely for colonic treatments), while the rest of Europe enjoyed the fine taste of the smaller, arabica bean. The robusta bean has a tendency to be higher in acid, and contains less of the essential oils that provide a smoother, more rounded palate. Although the U.S. is purchasing a greater quantity of arabica beans, it still must wait at the back of the line, behind Europeans, for the higher quality arabica bean. You can use any kind of coffee bean for Espresso as long as it is ground fine for Espresso. The only difference between the beans, is that beans for Espresso are roasted longer. The darker the coffee, the darker the roast. I wouldn't suggest using flavored coffees in an Epresso machine, and unlike what the person above said, the caffeine content in Espresso is the same as regular coffee. The only difference is that Espresso is more concentrated, so if one drinks a lot of Espresso, one will ingest a lot of caffeine.