The Underlying Difference between Espresso and Nespresso

At the turn of the twentieth century, Luigi Bezzera pulled the world’s first shot of espresso. A little over 70 years later, a Swiss engineer by the name of Eric Favre invented Nespresso. Thanks to these insightful men we can now choose between espresso and Nespresso. In order to do that, though, we must answer the question “What is the difference between espresso and Nespresso?”

Allow me tell you a little bit about each of these well-loved beverages, so that you will know their similarities and differences.

Espresso: Revolutionizing Coffee Consumption

Before espresso existed, people brewed coffee by mixing ground coffee directly into boiling water or by pouring the water through a cloth filter holding the coffee. Making a cup of coffee took time.  Luigi Bezzera dreamed of a coffee machine that could brew coffee in less than a minute.  Hard work made his dream a reality; Signor Bezzera built an espresso machine composed of a boiler, portafilter and several brew heads. A flame heated the water in the boiler to about 200°F (100°C) and as it expanded, hot water and steam were forced through finely ground coffee and out through the brew head into a cup. Within a few short years, men and women from every walk of life were stepping into cafes to enjoy an espresso.  

Modern espresso machines continue to use Bezzera’s principles of temperature, pressure and finely ground coffee and it is necessary to adjust these three variables to make a great shot of espresso.

• Temperature – Bezzera’s machine would boil water and then allow it to cool to about 195°F (90°C) before it went through the coffee. Today we know that water at higher temperatures decreases acidity and draws out the coffee’s natural body and flavor, while cooler water decreases body and flavor but emphasizes acidity. Many espresso machines allow the user to choose a brewing temperature between 195°F and 205°F (90°C and 96°C). 
• Coffee – Local stores and online options offer a wide variety of single-origin coffee beans and also blends that can be used in an espresso machine. Any type of coffee bean that you choose to use should be ground finely to allow the hot water to absorb the maximum amount of flavor and aroma.  You must also tamp the extra-fine coffee grounds firmly into the portafilter’s basket so they resist the flow of water and increase pressure which is another important variable.
• Pressure – Early espresso machines only accumulated 1-2 bars of pressure as the hot water and steam made their way through the coffee. The standard pressure for today’s machines is 9 bars, but many machines allow you to adjust the pressure between 7-10 bars. One bar represents 14.7 pounds of pressure per square inch, so the average espresso machine generates 130 pounds of pressure to produce 1 or 2 fluid ounces of espresso! This pressure affects the espresso’s color and flavor. Greater pressure forces the water to travel quickly through the coffee and produces a lighter brew with a milder flavor. Lower pressures allow the water to absorb more of the coffee’s caffeols and results in a rich, dark espresso with extra acidity and bitterness.

It takes time and practice for both professional and amateur baristas to become familiar with their espresso machines and learn how to vary the type of coffee, roast level, temperature of extraction and amount of pressure to make espressos that will fit every taste preference.

Nespresso: Making the Best Espressos Available to Everyone

In 1975, Anna-Marie mentioned to her Swedish husband, Eric Favre, that no one made coffee like her native Italians. Her comment gave him the idea of designing a machine that would allow anyone to brew high-quality espressos in their own kitchen. Mr. Favre worked at that time as an engineer for Nestlé and he immediately began using his spare time to do research for his innovative machine. His research led to sketches and his sketches eventually became rough prototypes.  Unwilling to leave any detail uncared for, Eric and Anna-Maria traveled across Italy, visiting cafes, comparing espressos and studying the way that Italian baristas worked. They returned to Sweden brimming with important insights and Eric continued working to finalize his machine.

Nine years after the idea was born, Eric Favre and Nestlé introduced the Nespresso machine to the world. This state-of-the- art machine uses temperature, pressure and a pre-packaged capsule of ground coffee to make a single-serving of espresso. Slowly Nespresso conquered the hearts of coffee lovers all around the globe and Nestlé currently sells various types of Nespresso machines, as well as a generous array of different capsules of ground coffee. Now anyone, experienced or not, can make their favorite espresso with just the push of a button

Although we can choose between espresso and Nespresso, perhaps we should instead appreciate each one in its own time and place. At times the human touch of espressos is indispensible, while at other moments the convenience and consistent quality of Nespresso is delightfully satisfying.

Kapeng Barako Coffee

Kapeng Barako Coffee: A Disaster Transformed into Success

The world loves the mellow flavor of Arabica coffee. Arabica dominates 90% of the global coffee market and generates close to $100 billion dollars in sales every year. Liberian coffee on the other hand accounts for only 1% of the market, cafes rarely serve it and only a few coffee drinkers keep it in their pantries. All this is about to change, though, thanks to Filipinos and their love of Kapeng Barako. As Liberian coffee enters the spotlight, many people are asking what differentiates Liberian coffee from Arabica and how do you make Kapeng Barako?  This article will answer both of those questions and hopefully turn you into a Kapeng Barako aficionado!

Differences between Arabica and Liberian Coffee

Liberian coffee dwarfs the Arabica variety in three different ways:

• Size – All varieties of coffee come from wild coffee plants that populate the steep mountainsides and flat highlands of Africa. Arabica coffee grows especially well in Ethiopia, while Liberian prefers western Africa, specifically Liberia, Angola and their neighboring countries. Whether in their native land or somewhere in the tropics around the world, Arabica plants top off their growth at about 16 ft. (5m) high, but Liberian plants continue growing to 65 ft. (20m) tall and 6-8 ft.(2-2.5m) wide. 
• Productivity – Coffee plants require 40-60 in. (100-150 cm.) of rainfall every year. If they receive adequate moisture, both Liberian and Arabica plants reach maturity in 7 years. The plants begin producing a few fragrant flowers and even coffee beans when they are 3-4 years old and their yield gradually increases until it reaches about 10 lbs. (4.5 kg) of coffee cherries every year for Arabica plants and at least twice as much for Liberian plants. Liberian beans are double the size of other coffee beans and their sides tend to be uneven which produces a distinctive hook at the bottom. 
• Flavor – Roasting, blending and brewing techniques modify Arabica’s sweet, smooth flavor and bring out a myriad different tones which range from sugar and spice to berries and nuts. In contrast, Liberian coffee tastes overwhelming strong at first but as you savor it, you will notice hints of flowers and fruit in the powerful aroma, as well as smoky and woody tones hidden within the earthy flavor. 

Kapeng Barako: Its Origin and Recipe

Arabica coffee traveled from Mexico to the Philippines in the late 1700s. Composed of more than 7,000 mountainous islands surrounded by the Philippine and South China Sea, the Philippines provide the tropical weather and high altitude that coffee plants need to thrive. The coffee seedlings quickly put down roots and by the mid-1800s the exportation of coffee contributed significantly to the Filipino economy.

In 1888, coffee farmers all across the Philippines began noticing powdery, yellow lesions on the underside of the coffee plants’ leaves. All the Arabica coffee plants died the following year from a fungus that is now known as coffee rust.  This was a disaster for many Filipino farmers and the country’s economy, but it opened the door for fungus-resistant Liberian coffee to enter the Philippines especially the provinces of Batangas and Cavite.

Batangas and Cavite coffee producers worked hard to reestablished their plantations with the Liberian coffee plants and reclaim their slice of the global coffee market. Along the way, they fell in love with the distinct flavor of Liberian coffee and began calling it manly coffee or Kapeng Barako. The nickname not only referred to the strong flavor, but also to the courage and strength that they needed to have in order to turn their disaster into success.

You can give Barako beans a medium grind and use them in a drip coffee machine or grind them finely for use in an espresso machine, but the best flavor comes from making Kapeng Barako the Filipino way:

Filipino Kapeng Barako

Ingredients:

4 cups of water

2 tablespoons coarsely ground Barako coffee

2-4 tablespoons of brown sugar

Directions:

In a saucepan, bring the water to a rolling boil and then decrease the heat before adding the Barako coffee, preferably freshly ground. Allow the coffee to simmer for about 1 minute. This gentle simmer begins releasing the caffeols, or coffee oils, which contain all the flavor and aroma of the coffee bean. Once the simmer is completed, turn off the heat and stir in the brown sugar or as a Filipino would call it muscovado. This brown sugar not only adds iron, magnesium and calcium, but it also gives the Kapeng Barako a molasses or even caramel flavor which truly complements the strong coffee. After you have stirred in the sugar, cover the saucepan and allow it to steep for 3-5 minutes before you strain and serve it.

Kapeng Barako is delicious black or with cream and it can be incorporated into coffee desserts, such as coffee cream pie or mocha cheesecake. Everywhere it goes Kapeng Barako reminds us that disaster and success can walk hand in hand. 

The Rarest Coffee in the World: The Kopi Luwak A diamond in the rough that is truly…. rough

When you think of the rarest cup of coffee, you probably think of it as being sprinkled with gold or with some sort of elusive spice or seasoning. It some way, the rarest coffee does have elements that are a bit, unique, to say the least. So sit back, grab your favorite cup of joe and get ready to learn more about this elusive coffee that will have you Googling it as soon as you are done reading this article.

Selection & digestion

The name of this rare breed of coffee is called, Kopi Luwak. “Kopi” means coffee in Indonesian, and “Luwak” is the native word for the civet, the cat-like animal which ‘assists’ in the processing of this coffee. The civet is native to the tropical regions of Asia and Africa, and it looks like a hybrid mixture of a cat, otter and possum. The Kopi Luwak is made up of coffee berries (not beans) that have been carefully selected, eaten, digested and pooped out (yes, you read that right) by the civet.

The civet has the uncanny ability (if that’s the right word) to find the finest coffee berries from the Asian Coffea tree for eating. Once consumed, their digestive track will remove the cherry and pulp, but not the seed of the berry itself. The enzymes and amino acids of the civet’s digestive tract keeps the shape and consistency of the berry while giving it an enrichment of new flavors. Once fermented in these new flavors, the berries are finally released out by the civet.

The whole process is actually quite interesting; it requires a certain animal, in a specific area of the world to eat a certain type of berry and then successfully relieve themselves while keeping the integrity of the berry seed. All of this just to get a cup of coffee (and I thought I was addicted).

Once the feces have been found, or released, they are then cleaned (thank goodness), dried, pounded to remove any excess fecal substance and grounded into coffee grinds ready for brewing and consumption.

The beginnings of the elusive Kopi Luwak

Historically, when the Dutch setup coffee plantations in the islands of Sumatra and Java, they prohibited the native people from utilizing the coffee berries for their own use. Due to the curiosity of the natives regarding this beloved beverage, they resorted to finding an alternative way of brewing it.

It was soon realized that the feces of the native animal, the civet, left the digested coffee berries untouched in their makeup and consistency. The natives would find these civet feces, clean them, ground them and finally, roast them to get their own homemade coffee. Surprisingly, this caught on to the Dutch who grew to love this special blend of natural coffee.

I will admit that if f you took coffee away from me, I would probably be tempted to drink anything that smelled of it too.

Controversy, civets and coffee

Due to the rarity the Kopi Luwak, it has come with a demand that has led to some unethical means to obtain it. Throughout Southeast Asia, the rise of civet farms to mass produce this type of coffee has grown.

Similar to that of puppy mills, the civet farms have garnered attention because of the quality of life and expectations that are placed upon the naturally wild civet. One of the elements that makes this coffee so tasty is the makeup of the feces. Aside from just the internal enzymes that assist in the flavoring of the berries, so does the level of stress that affects the animal who produces it.

Imagine what it’s like for us when we feel stressed versus when we feel relaxed. Our own digestion is affected and so is our ability to relieve ourselves. Part of the reason the Kopi Luwak is so rare, and delicious, is due to the civet’s own relaxed state and well-being. When civets are placed in a cage with the expectation of mass production, the quality of the Kopi Luwak is inevitably affected and compromised.

Civets also choose the best of the coffee berries on their own. In mass production, the berries are chosen for them, causing them to eat something that wouldn’t have been picked if it were in the wild. This also has an impact on flavor and overall value on the coffee since the berries are being force fed and not naturally selected by the civet.

So…. how does it taste?

For something that one has to go through all the trouble of obtaining, what exactly does the Kopi Luwak taste it like? Since no civet or no berry is the same, the flavor does vary on this kind of coffee. Many reviews said that while it is less acidic than the normal coffee bean, it tastes relatively flat and lacks robustness. Most people seem to drink it because the Kopi Luwak is such a ‘rarity’ and more of novel item that one has to try just once in their lifetime.

Prices

You can buy Kopi Luwak anywhere from $14 (US dollars) all the way up to $475 (US dollars). This is all based on the amount and the brand you choose to buy it from. Be sure to do research if you want authentic Kopi Luwak and not an imitation of the original blend.

Final thoughts

I definitely find the Kopi Luwak the most interesting coffee out there, however, I am by no means running to the store to try it out. Aside from just its makeup, I also find the use of an animal a bit unnerving. While there are imitations out there that use an ‘enzyme soak’ to achieve the same level of flavor without the use of the civet, it still leaves me uncomfortable. Coffee is meant to be enjoyed and savored, the Kopi Luwak may be the rarest out there, but it is one flavor that I will up to my imagination.

Happy coffee drinking!

Eight o'clock coffee reviews

Eight O’Clock roasts a nice coffee bean! Today I am enjoying their Original Roast; however, Columbian and Hazelnut are my favorites. Although this roast is not my first choice, I still enjoy their brand and occasionally buy it in bulk. I always like to keep plenty of coffee on hand “just in case”.

I love that you have the option to purchase a smaller size of ground coffee or a large bag of whole beans. The small bags are great for trying new flavors. Once you have found your favorite, it is time to stock up! Buying in bulk is a great way to save money on coffee. When you drink as much coffee as I do, you need to get more coffee for less money. Not all brand offer this option, but I am always loyal to those that do.

Another reason I love to buy in bulk is to fill my coffee cabinet. I’ve also kept the cabinet above my oven FULL of coffee. I do this because not only do I go through coffee pretty fast, I like to have a stockpile of beans “just in case”. I am not sure what I think is going to happen. The USA may cease trade with South America? A colossal storm might prevent me from going to the storm? I might break both of my legs? The grocery stores will cease delivering products to your home? I will lose my job and not be able to afford my delicious coffee? These all seem like completely unreasonable rationale when I think about it! I still will never ever run low on coffee.

Eight O’Clock’s classic roast is not one that I typically reach for because I think it tastes a little stale. Maybe the flavor just does not have enough body for my taste, but I feel it is lacking in that department. Their hazelnut and Columbian roasts are much more desirable. Back in college, if I had a project to do, I would make a whole pot of coffee and stay up all night. Eight O’Clock’s classic roast was great for those times because I did not desire a lot of flavor. For instance, a hazelnut roast would have been too sweet to drink several cups of. I hate when the sugar makes my teeth feel all fuzzy!

I am brewing 8 cups of Eight O’Clock’s Original Roast today in my old school Black & Decker 12 cup coffee maker, and taking the coffee to work in my Igloo mug. I usually drink a cup or two at home, and I can fit about 6 cups in my big travel mug. The aforementioned coffee and coffee pot are linked below! You can also check out this link for more information on the mug(s) I use. When choosing a coffee at the store, what do you think about? The price, the quantity, the flavor, is it organic, is it fair trade, or something else? All of these factors influence my coffee shopping decisions.