The correct word is Espresso.
This is a way to brew coffee in a concentrated way (under pressure) with 25 (+/- 5 sec) seconds of pour time and 25mL of coffee (+/- 2mL). A crema is common.
The flavour, beans, finish etc can all vary in different locations.
But the name need not change.
The modern espresso machine was patented for commercial use by Achille Gaggia in the middle of the twentieth century.
When the word espresso crossed over to English, some confusion seemed to creep in.
In 1955, the New York times used the word “expresso” – this seemed to make sense because the espresso was brewed relatively quickly compared to other methods of brewing coffee.
It was “express.”
However, any coffee connoisseur will tell you that the beauty of the espresso is not the speed at which it is poured. The “express” nature of the drink is not as noteworthy as the flavours that are available and the crema.
So, what we really have is confusion and potentially laziness.
The interesting thing though is that in countries where coffee is now at a pretty high level, such as in Australia, the term “Expresso” seems to be used in concentrated amounts in certain locations.
Is it OK then? If our neighbours are doing it, is it the right thing to do?
What if it is part of our work to create coffee? Surely we do our best work to get the name right?
I guess this applies to everything.
Just because all of the fish in the pond are acting a certain way, can we get away with not putting in the effort?
Of course, we could argue that localised conditioning is taking place.
However, when it says “espresso” on the bags of coffee that are available at the grocery store, this is less likely to be the case.
Sometimes we have to make the extra effort to do our best, not to just match a current standard in the area.
To go back to the basics to a deeper level, regardless of what our friends, family or co-workers are doing around us.
[ I have another Breath and Mind workshop coming up in Sydney on October 20th at Hybrid Training in Hornsby – I would love to see you there if you can make it. If you are interested, hit reply and let me know ]
