I had an ill-conceived notion for years that ‘espresso beans’ were dark & oily (and nasty), and that espresso was a black, sludgy loose puddle of nastiness that one drank because it made them appear more ‘Continental‘.
Wrong, wrong & wrong!
Espresso is a coffee grind (extremely fine, but not as fine as a Turkish grind) and a method of production which requires precise heat & pressure. One can make great espresso with a light, medium, dark, oily or non-oily batch of roasted coffee, but your beans better be SUPER fresh if you want it to be good. Fresh means roasted less than 2 weeks ago. Period. Don’t think that bag of expensive coffee beans you buy at Starbucks is fresh… it likely is not, but you sure paid a lot for it! Find a local coffee house that roasts. The difference truly fresh coffee makes in the cup is astounding. Try it once – you’ll never go back.
Here is an excellent double shot of espresso that I made this morning. The coffee was roasted 5 days ago, and was roasted dark, but not at all oily. The texture is not thin… not even close. It is rather like warm honey as it pours. Intense, but not bitter. A truly delightful way to start my day.
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