Espresso vs. Coffee – What’s the Difference?

Coffee and Espresso may have something in common but they are also different in some factors. It may be a common sense to determine the distinction between these two.

However, not all the people, even those self-confessed caffeine dependent, know exactly the facts that set these two apart.

Many can also relate that due to the differences of coffee and espresso, there is an unspoken debate of which has the better taste?

Those who love stronger bitter flavor tend to pick the espresso while those who have moderate taste buds will bet for the coffee.

Before you join the unending favoritism between espresso and coffee, it is better to know the background of these two and be informed of its respective differences.

Brewing Method

The brewing method of Coffee and Espresso plays an important factor that sets the distinction between the two.

Intensity, speed and machinery use in preparing these beverages are one of the top reasons why they differ from each other.

Brewing a coffee is much easier than making an Espresso. All you need to do is put coffee beans in the brewing machine and have a rich drink after a few minutes.

Meanwhile, brewing an Espresso takes a little more time, effort, skill and a special machine than making a cup of coffee. A reliable strong Espresso machine is needed to have a flavorful output.

Preparation of an Espresso shot needs greater pressure to reach the preferable temperature of the water. The higher the water temperature is, the more effective the extraction of flavor from coffee beans is.

Also Read: What is The Best Coffee Brewing Method?

Amount of Caffeine

There is a little confusion when people ask which has more caffeine content between an Espresso and Coffee. Many say that it is the Espresso that surely carries more Caffeine. But in reality, the amount of Caffeine highly depends on human consumption.

Technically, the Espresso shot has higher Caffeine content with an average of 40 to 80 mg per ounce. On the other hand, a cup of coffee is usually equivalent to 8 ounce which contains 80 to 185 mg. 

Read more: How Much Caffeine in Coffee?

Taste and Aroma

Coffee and an Espresso have different tastes. Although the base component of these beverages is coffee beans, the taste differs because of the brewing process.

Espresso are evidently said to have stronger taste because solid components, oil and acidity are extracted during the brewing process.

All these variables blend together, the flavor of the coffee beans are boldly reflected in the drink. 

On the other hand, the coffee still has the taste of the coffee beans; however, it does not have the natural oils extracted from the beans.

As a result, lighter flavor is what consumers taste when sipping newly brewed coffee.

Meanwhile, Coffee and Espresso also has a little distinction in smell. Both really produce enticing aroma when being brewed. It is just that an Espresso can have a stronger nostril-penetrating aroma.

Price

Although coffee and espresso similarly came from roasted coffee beans, there is a difference in the cost.

The factor that primarily affects the price of these two is the production method, machinery used to make it while secondary factors are the taste, aroma, harvest season as well as the brand.

Apparently, Espresso has a higher price than Coffee. The simplest reason why it’s more expensive is because of the level of effort, skill and time being consumed in preparing it.

Normally, an espresso shot cost 1$ to 3$ higher than a drip of coffee. The explanation is easy. Preparation of a cup of coffee may only take in just a nick of time.

All that has to be done is mix and blend all the ingredients such as hot water, ground coffee and a little bit of sugar and other flavor like creamer.

The process instantly ends in just a swift stirring of the cup and serving it to the consumer.

On the other hand, producing an Espresso is not that difficult. However, it is more complicated than the coffee.

You need to use an espresso machine to make an espresso, which may also cost higher because it does most of the job.

Moreover, it takes expert personnel who probably trained as a Barista to make an Espresso. 

With all the above information, it may now be easy to distinguish the difference between coffee vs. espresso.

Picking preference among the two can now be easy also. But it is clearly stated that these beverages contain different but equally wonderful characteristics, so it won’t be bad also to love both of these drinks.