Just Coffee And Me

Espresso is among the most sought-after types of coffee almost everywhere in the world. Even if you don’t ask for espresso by name, you might be drinking espresso. Most coffee drinks at Starbucks, for instance, actually use shots of espresso as their coffee base. Because it’s so common, espresso sparks many questions, especially for people trying to make it at home. If you tried to make espresso at home and you’re wondering why your espresso has no crema, you’re in the right place. A lack of crema usually means stale coffee grounds, the wrong type of grind on the beans, the wrong temperature of the water, or the wrong amount of pressure. Sometimes it means you need a bit more practice tamping. There is much more information and detail about all of this below. We also address what crema is and why it’s important. There’s also a discussion regarding some types of espresso machines and other ways in which espresso might be a bit particular. What Is Crema? Why Is Crema Important? What If...

Ask anyone who has traveled the world where the best cup of coffee is made, and they’re likely to tell you the best cup of coffee is a shot of espresso in Italy. If not, then it will be somewhere near where they live, with a coffee that reminds them of home. Italian espresso is often held as up the gold standard because it’s where espresso got its start. The country has more experience than anywhere else in making espressos, and they’ve turned it into an art, as well as a normal part of their daily lives. This means a lot of good taste in every cup! Table of Contents What Makes Italian Coffee So Good? Does Everything Taste Better In Italy? Why Is Italian Coffee Called Espresso? What Is the History of the Espresso Machine? How Do Italians Take Their Coffee? What’s the Difference Between Espresso and Drip Coffee? Can I Get Drip Coffee In Italy? Are All Italian Coffee Beans Espresso Roasts? What Italian Coffee Can I Buy Elsewhere? Do Italians Drink Lattes and Other Espresso Drinks? C...

Few things get us out of bed, like a strong cup of espresso. But what is your daily espresso doing for your body and mind? It turns out there are loads of health benefits and, yes, a few not-so-desirable potential consequences too. Suppose you’re one of those who don’t even talk to me before my first sip, kind of people. We can relate to a morning dose of caffeine via an espresso shot, drip cup, or java drink of choice can help us feel more human. This is because caffeine quickly finds its way to the brain receptors and immediately gets to work, giving neurons an alertness bumping boost. A moderate amount of caffeine is considered approximately 300 milligrams, or the equivalent of 4.5 ounces of espresso. Does Espresso help you focus? That much can indeed increase one’s capacity for concentration and improve mental sharpness, but there’s a catch. Drinking too much could result in a less acute response. Attenuation is when your body becomes desensitized to a stimulus, and basicall...

Coffee sparks many questions. This includes questions about how coffee is made and what to do with your leftover coffee. The questions are even more common when it comes to a specialized or harder-to-make coffee like espresso, but all the answers are pretty easy to find once you know where to look! Espresso can be stored overnight in the refrigerator or freezer, but it probably won’t reheat exactly how you’d like it to, and it requires a steamer to get even close. However, there are many other options and uses that can still make that leftover espresso worth saving. Read on to learn the basics of how to make espresso, as well as what espresso is. You’ll also learn how best to store leftover espresso and the best ways to use the leftovers of this aromatic drink. What Is Espresso? An espresso is just a specialized form of coffee! Specifically, it’s made with dark roasted beans that are ground very finely and then made into a concentrated shot using hot, pressurized steaming water ...

When it comes to adding the right flavor to your coffee, it’s different strokes for different folks. Sugar or milk seems to be the most popular thing added to coffee, but today’s big question is why is everyone putting salt in their coffee, and should you be doing it too? A lot of people are now adding salt to their coffee instead of sugar for health benefits. Salt also neutralizes bitterness, improves stale water, brings out the natural coffee flavors, and is an excellent sugar replacement. It might sound odd, but adding salt to your coffee can make it taste better, and a lot of people are starting to realize this. Table of Contents Shop Best Selling Espresso Capsules Does Salt Reduce Bitterness In Coffee? How Much Salt Should You Put In Coffee? What Is The Healthiest Thing To Put In Coffee? Does Drinking Coffee With Salt Make You Sick? Is It OK To Put Baking Soda in Your Coffee? Here’s a little secret. Have you ever heard of the Alton brown trick back in 2009? The trendy cookboo...

As soon as we wake up, we crave a warm cup of black coffee, especially during the long winter season. It keeps us warm, helps us overcome our feeling of sluggishness/morning fatigue, and pumps up our energy. According to experts, It turns out that drinking black coffee first in the morning is the worst time of the day. The cortisol in our body is at its highest peak in the morning, and drinking coffee could pose a problem. Caffeine may interfere with the normal production of cortisol. Then, the body relies more on caffeine instead.  Generally, the best time of day to drink coffee is between 10 a.m. and noon. If you miss your morning drinking habit, you can also drink your favorite coffee between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m as your cortisol level is low.  When our cortisol is not at the normal level, we may experience fatigue and sleepiness.  But taking caffeine can increase cortisol, making us active and improving our immune system.  In this article, we’ve also included ot...

In the past, we’ve looked at a dose in ratio and brew time. Today we’re looking at the most complex of the variables, which is the grind setting. How fine or how coarse you should be grinding the coffee, and when you should use your grind setting to make an adjustment to taste. Espresso is a lot of fun, but it’s also immensely frustrating, especially when you’re starting. I would say this variable is by far the most frustrating of all of them to work with. Is My Espresso Grind Too Fine? Let’s say you make a grind setting change going a little bit finer. In doing so, you’ll expose a lot more surface area of the ground coffee. If you think about cutting an apple into big pieces, there’s not that much surface area, but if you diced it down into tiny pieces, you’d expose a lot more of the inside of an apple, and the same is true with a coffee bean.  More surface area is very useful for extracting more coffee flavor , but when you change the surface area, you also change how the...