Can You Use Espresso Beans for Drip Coffee? Myth Busted

Have you ordered a black coffee and been handed a shot of espresso? That is because a cup of drip coffee is very similar to a shot of espresso. However, what makes brewed coffee different from espresso? After all, they are both coffees. 

Technically speaking, both espresso and drip coffee can be made from the same coffee beans. The only difference between the two is the method of preparation, beginning with the beans. You can utilize espresso beans to create drip coffee and dark heated coffee beans to create espresso if you properly ground the beans and utilized the proper gear. 

Coffee beans selected for espresso are normally roasted for a longer time than beans intended for drip coffee.

Further, espresso beans are ground on the finer side, much like sand than gravel. You see, the bean type you use is crucial when we talk about the taste. The only difference between coffee and espresso has to do with the way the coffee is made.

What Does The “Espresso” Label Mean?

Keep in mind that espresso beans belong to the dark roast types of coffee beans. They are roasted longer. They have finer and smaller ground particles as well.

The crema layer on top of espresso is like the foam or layer you see on a cold beer. There are gases with such high pressure in making it.

Once the hot liquid hits the cup, it can’t hold such gases. Hence, the chemicals connect to them and create crema.

Freshly roasted beans create more foam or cream than those which weren’t roasted recently. Further, darker cream suggests stronger flavor coffee.

It’s worth mentioning as well that espresso is served in a small cup and must be savored. Espresso drinks are composed of flat whites, lattes, and cappuccinos. All such drinks utilized espresso and frothed or steamed milk.

Moreover, espresso provides perks compared to drip coffee. For example, espresso does not utilize metal or paper filters, as most drip coffee machines do.

That enables most of the minerals and oils naturally present to flow into the coffee, providing it more health benefits.

Did you know you can also consume espresso beans? They can be eaten to get energy. They often have a bitter flavor, so I suggest that you pick chocolate-covered espresso beans.

Drip coffee is much hassle-free and simpler to create at home. You can utilize the pour-over method when making it, a typical coffee maker or a French Press. 

Drip coffee has a more basic, rounded taste profile compared to espresso. There is no foam or crema layer with a French pressed or drip coffee.

Are Espresso Beans And Coffee Beans The Same?

Due to its special characteristics, espresso beans are utilized to create an espresso shot through a machine built for that method.

Those dark roasted beans feature rich natural oils, which show on their surface. However, it has lower acid levels and fuller bodies that you can easily feel on your tongue.

These espresso beans can generate an espresso crema or creamy foam, lighter in color on top of the dark java drink.

What’s more, you can bring out the maximum aroma and flavor of an espresso bean through a high-pressure brewing method.

On the other hand, coffee beans are the same beans that are roasted in preparation for brewing. It’s typically grouped into four types: dark, medium-dark, medium, and light.

Take note that light roast has a very mild taste and smell. It also has a matte finish. Meanwhile, the darker ones have a much potent aroma and flavor with a very shiny surface.

Can You Use Any Coffee Beans For Espresso?

Can You Use Any Coffee Bean For Espresso

The only difference between drip coffee and espresso is how the beans are ground, and the coffee is extracted from it.

An espresso bean isn’t a specific type of bean at all. You see, it is a very fine grind of the darker roasted bean.

The grind is extremely fine that it’s like a table or powdered sugar. What’s more, the grind utilized in a drip coffee pot or is much coarser.

Espresso takes a little make to create, and normally in under a minute. On the other hand, drip coffee consumes more time.

Espresso beans are roasted until they are a completely darker roast and oily looking. Most individuals utilize the same bean types for their drip coffee too.

Choosing Your Beans

The perfect beans for making espresso are medium-dark to dark roasts. That’s because they are much soluble and extract fast, not to mention they are rich in oils. It will create a richer crema.

They also offer the espresso that remarkable consistency, flavor, and body you like in your shot.

Grinding your Selected Coffee Beans

If you pour the hot water over the coffee grounds or with your average coffee maker, the hot water gets poured or dripped over or through the coffee beans.

Drip coffee beans are normally ground and more coarsely compared to finely ground espresso beans. That makes your coffee less intense and less concentrated.

The coarser the grind of the bean, the weaker the coffee will taste. The finer the ground, the more robust it will taste. Just don’t forget to grind the drip coffee too fine. You might end up having a bitter-tasting coffee.

What’s more, fine ground coffee makes a tasty espresso. Hence, why does it not work to make drip coffee? You see, the water is dripped over the beans is a lengthy process.

That suggests the water is in contact with the beans for a long time as you wait for the water to filter through the coffee.

Do you love grinding your coffee beans finely? We recommend that you use less coffee and rest assured you’ll be happy.

Please note that too fine a grind and is simpler for the solids to get through the filter. Your coffee won’t be clear, especially if you are using a fixed or metal filter.

Preparing Your Filter

Normally, a metal or paper filter is utilized between the coffee and the water. Put a paper filter over the pot, add the coffee grounds and pour the hot water. Wait as the water drops down to become coffee.

Manual and automatic methods could do the brewing. The ideal and most preferred at the coffee shop is the manual method.

Heating your Water

Remember that the best temperature for espresso extraction is around 90 and 96 degrees Celsius. Setting a hotter temperature will lead to higher extraction yields.

Colder brew temperatures indicate less coffee is extracted at a slower time.

Blooming the Grounds

CO2 escapes quickly when making espresso. It repels water away from the grounds. Further, it pushes water away.

You bloom coffee to offer the grounds time to make enough space for water. Carbon dioxide also tastes sour. Hence, blooming the ground stops CO2 from infusing into the coffee.

What Equipment Is Needed for Pour over Coffee?

So, you may be asking what’s the ideal way to create an espresso. It sounds really obvious and odd, but you will require an espresso machine.

That’s mainly because, by definition, espresso is a solid and powerful black coffee created by forcing hot water through tightly packed grounds.

That removal procedure is what offers a good shot of espresso its trademark layers—a shot of coffee at the bottom with a tiny layer of crema or foam at the top.

Are you planning to create a drip coffee? Then you have different choices for brewing. Keep in mind that the grounds are combined with water for a longer time. Hence, the grind could be a bit coarser than that of espresso.

To create the coffee, you can utilize the drip method or the pour-over brewing. You can also take the immersion route with a French press.

Whatever option you plan to use, the coffee you will get from such ways will normally have a milder taste than an espresso. Further, there won’t be any foam or crema.

Which Coffee Beans Are Ideal for Pour Over Coffee?

Using light roast or dark roast for a drip coffee is only your taste preference. A lightly roasted bean observes less heat. Hence, it offers more moisture left in it and will be much denser.

Furthermore, it has more caffeine in it and a brighter flavor.

Meanwhile, darker roasts cook longer, not to mention they will have less caffeine and less dense. The darker roast’s body is nuttier and thicker in flavor too. Either one works well in a French Press or coffee maker.

Are There Any Other Drip Brewing Methods?

In case you didn’t know, espresso is extracted or pulled with a specific espresso machine. The powdery grind is packed tightly, and boiling water is utilized.

The machine’s pressure forces the hot water through the grind, and out comes your tasty espresso.

You see, it’s extremely concentrated and offers a layer of crema on top. Espresso has the thickness or viscosity of pouring warm honey. Also, you can even add some honey to it.

Final Thoughts

How you drink your coffee is a personal preference. Some folks like strong black coffee, while some prefer sugar or cream in it. With espresso beans, some like it with sugar, and some prefer it best made into a cappuccino or latte.

Drinking a cup of newly brewed coffee is a different experience than having a shot of espresso, though.

What’s more, it is enjoyed in many European cafes, drank slowly, despite being just an ounce. The most substantial difference apart from personal preference is the brewing process.

Espresso is brewed fast and is more concentrated compared to the slower brewed drip coffee method. It also uses darker roasts with less acid and is pressured with steam in the espresso machine.

Therefore, the difference between brewed coffee and espresso has everything to do with how it’s made.

Those preparation methods command the taste more so than the beans—even though using the proper type of beans can make the difference between an “okay” cup and something remarkable.

Table Of Content

• What Does The “Espresso” Label Mean?
• Are There Any Other Drip Brewing Methods?
• Can You Use Any Coffee Beans For Espresso?
• What Equipment Is Needed for Pour over Coffee?
• Which Coffee Beans Are Ideal for Pour Over Coffee?
• Do You Use the Same Coffee Beans for Espresso and Drip Coffee?

from Just Coffee And Me https://www.coffeebeans101.com/espresso/espresso-beans-for-drip-coffee/