Espresso: what is it and how to cook it at home?

The Turkish proverb says: "Coffee should be black as hell, strong as death and sweet as love." In Italy they would add that "coffee should be espresso."

"Espresso coffee" - what is it? Espresso in translation from the Italian (espresso) has two meanings - quick and "squeezed", i.e., made under pressure. In fact, this is the two main characteristics of this method of making coffee: it is made quickly and under certain pressure.

This is a purely Italian invention, which later conquered the whole world. The preparation of espresso coffee has one main feature - it can not be cooked in a Turkish, but only with the help of a special coffee machine. The first such device was invented by an engineer from Italy Luigi Pezzera in 1901. Initially, the Italians were puzzled: "Espresso coffee - what is it?" But then, after trying, they gave their hearts forever to this drink. And now, in local coffee shops, you just need to ask for a "café" so that you can bring a fragrant espresso.

What is it, after all, and how to distinguish it from ordinary coffee? By the wondrous, elastic, beige-brown cream "cream", gentlemen, as the Italians say. Well, by volume, of course. Classic espresso - 25-30, a maximum of 40 ml.

It is prepared under pressure of 9 atmospheres, at a temperature of 88-92 ^o C. The cooking time is 25 seconds, the permissible deviation in either direction is 3 seconds. And this is not accidental. The fact is that during this time the drink gets all the useful substances contained in coffee, and after 30 seconds it receives only caffeine, tannins and water.

The main ingredients for making this drink are roasted coffee, sugar, salt and water. Grains should be medium grind, sugar - ordinary white sand, water - filtered, salt as salt.

Prepare espresso coffee at home is possible only in a special espresso machine, which can now be purchased at any home appliance store. All other recipes offering to cook such coffee in a Turkish, in fact give the opportunity to get coffee with foam, but not espresso.

Specialized coffee machines are carob, carob with automatic dispenser and automatic. Cooking in them you need in different ways.

In the carrots you yourself fall asleep 7-9 grams of freshly ground coffee,
Press the cooking button and make sure that 30 ml of the drink is poured into the cup for 25-30 seconds, then turn off the machine and quickly drink the drink until the foam tickles and melts on the tongue.

If you are not a big connoisseur of espresso, and you have less money than you would like, get a carrots machine with an automatic water dispenser . This device will save you from the last difficult manipulation - timely overlapping of access of a drink in a cup. Everything else will have to be done by yourself.

If time is short and finance allows, or you are generally a fan of automating any manual labor, then your choice is an automatic machine that will do everything itself. You will need only to fall asleep in it, and she will already move them, and take out the right amount, and compress, and pour into a cup. He will also send you a message that everything is ready, you can drink. By the way, if you install a timer on such a device, then it will turn on itself - that's what progress has reached.

In our country this kind of fragrant drink came in the early nineties of the twentieth century. Then in restaurants for the first time appeared "espresso coffee". "What is it?" - were surprised compatriots, not spoiled by foreign trips to Europe. Now this drink can be ordered in any cafe and even cook yourself at home.