Today's episode is about the differences between drip coffee and espresso. Preparation, coffee grind size, all the things. You're going to learn some good comparison vocabulary today, and yeah, let's get into it.

Espresso and drip coffee, they are very different things. The only two things I would say are the same is that they both come from the coffee bean and that they both require water to brew it. And that's about it. I am personally Team Espresso, but I know there's a lot of good ways of making coffee.

I just decided to compare drip coffee to espresso. So anyways, for starters, we're going to talk about the preparation differences. The three things we're going to look at is the pressure used to push the water through essentially the brew time and the size of the coffee grinds. Like how small do we grind the coffee?

So for espresso, we're looking at a very high pressure that we're forcing this hot water through very finely ground coffee beans. So very small. And it takes 25, 30 seconds to brew a shot of espresso. Super short amount of time.

Very condensed, very concentrated coffee. And we refer to this coffee as an espresso shot. And then, drip coffee, we are not forcing any pressure, typically, unless you have those, what is it, the arrowhead presses or something. But for traditional drip coffee, you just get some hot water, pour it over the beans, and Let it sit, and then drip out the bottom.

There's no pressure used whatsoever. And the coffee beans are ground small but not nearly as fine as espresso. And then depending on how much water you're using to brew this coffee, it can take a few minutes, like 10 minutes sometimes. Those are the differences between preparation of espresso and coffee.

Clearly, these two preparation methods are very different, and so with that, the flavor is going to be very different as well, right? As well as the texture. So let's get into that. Espresso is known to be very bold and strong, or concentrated, a concentrated body. So body, not referring to a human body, or that kind of physical body. We can use the word body when describing a flavor profile. So it's full bodied means it's rounded, it has a lot of different aspects to the flavor, and it's very balanced, right? So that's what I mean by body, when I'm saying concentrated body. And then, because of this, because of the rich, delicious flavor, espresso is often enjoyed with milk things, like lattes, cappuccinos, those kinds of things.

Or you can just drink it standalone as a shot, which I like to do every morning, and then with drip coffee, the flavor is much more mild. So we say it's a mild flavor versus a bold flavor and we say that it is a smoother and more balanced taste profile.

So the longer brewing time allows for more gradual extraction of flavors from the coffee grounds. That results in a lighter bodied and less intense cup of coffee.

So Drip coffee tends to have a milder flavor compared to espresso, with a smoother and more balanced flavor profile.

Alright we know the taste of espresso versus drip coffee, but what about the texture and the crema? The best part of the espresso, in my opinion. Espresso has a crema, and that is, or crema, I don't know, I don't speak Italian. But Espresso, through the high pressure process of brewing it, comes out the crema, this top layer of the espresso shot, and that's what we refer to it as, the crema. And the crema It's like a creamy, foamy deliciousness that comes from the oils of the coffee beans, and it rests on top of the espresso shot.

So crema is a golden brown froth composed of oils, gases, and fine coffee particles that's produced during the espresso extraction process. And it adds a smooth Delicious richness to the espresso. It's the best part. Versus drip coffee, it doesn't have a crema, it doesn't have this delicious frothy part on top of it.

It's just gravity fed, no pressure or agitation to the coffee beans. You just get black water at the end.

Drip coffee also is much more clear than espresso. Espresso's not usually clear at all. I'm sure by now I think you guys get the hint. I strongly prefer espresso over coffee. But let's do the last part. And this part really disappointed me. But it's the caffeine content. Surprisingly, I didn't know this, but espresso has less caffeine than coffee does. And it's because It's the length of time that the water is sitting or brewing the coffee bean.

That time is what increases the caffeine extraction amount, if that makes sense. The longer the coffee beans, or the coffee grinds, are soaking in the hot water, brewing in the hot water, the more caffeine that's extracted.

In my opinion, this is the only winning point for coffee. The drip coffee, it's the higher caffeine content. Depending on the person, maybe that's a bad thing. For me, I need caffeine. 100%.

But anyways, leave your comments down below. I want to know if you are a coffee drinker or an espresso drinker. Or what's your favorite method of making coffee? Because coffee around the world is so different. So different. And, there's no way I could compare all of them...

Anyways, thank you so much for listening and tuning in to today's episode. I will catch you guys in the next episode.

Bye!