Espresso – Drink of the Week

I take my coffee seriously.  Well, to clarify:  I take my espresso seriously.  I call it coffee because that’s the only way I make coffee, and the only coffee maker in my house is a semi-automatic espresso maker.  Alongside it sits a powerful burr grinder, an essential part of good coffee (ok, espresso) making.

I truly believe that American coffee drinkers are no less capable of appreciating espresso than our Portuguese or Italian peers. Many of us already drink lattes, an American invention but espresso-based nevertheless, on a daily basis. 

When it comes to drinking espresso by itself or with small amounts of milk (cappuccino, café cortado, espresso macchiato), there is a common notion of these drinks being too bitter, too harsh or, my favorite, too strong.  No one can explain to me whether “strong” refers to the beverage’s body, flavor, taste or amount of caffeine.  Whatever it is, many of us out there use large amounts of latte to disguise the elusive “strong” quality of caffé espresso.

On the average, two ounces of espresso contain about 40 grams of caffeine.  One 8-oz cup of drip coffee contains about 300 grams.  Do the math and calculate caffeine content for two ounces of drip.  Yep, almost twice as much as the bitter stuff.

At present, there are very few coffee shops in Chicago that produce a quality cup.  Micro-roasters Metropolis and Intelligentsia deliver the best espresso-based beverages in town, hands down.  I purchase freshly roasted beans from either shop, though more often from the latter as my office is very close to their two locations in the Loop.

Stella Espresso Company, located on a less exciting block of Edgewater, is a newer shop and I would put them as number three on the list.  They use Intelligentsia beans and know their way around the equipment, which is a lot more important than many baristi think (yes, I use Italian plurals, call me pretentious).

The bottom line is that in most places - coffee shops, restaurants, cafés – espresso is indeed too bitter, too harsh and too strong.  By "strong" I mean caffeine content, which often skyrockets when a barista lets the water run through the coffee puck for two minutes and produces five or more ounces of “espresso”, which at that point should be called something else.

Good coffee shops in Chicago, as in other cities, are a rarity, but that shouldn’t mean we have to keep drinking Starbucks mass-produced cappuccino, masquerading bad coffee flavor with vanilla syrup.  Espresso was born in Italy, but perfected and refined right here, on the Northwest coast of the United States.  And there are easy ways to replicate this refinement right here in the Windy City.

Comments

[Brian]

Good article that sums up my feelings on the subject exactly.

What I was hoping for was a spotlight on another coffeehouse/brand being served in Chicago.

Have you had the experience of sampling Lavazza directly from one of their own locations here in the Loop? I will say that it depends upon the Barista in terms of quality and that the location at 134 N. La Salle seems to have the best pulls.

Lavazza Chose Chicago as the first American City to market its cafe's directly in. Their "Gold Selection" blend is primarily used for most drinks, but if you want to sample I suggest also trying the Terra blend in a shot.

Illy is also a strongly marketed Italian Espresso here in the states & the world, but I much prefer Lavazza to it (as do 90% of Italians, Illy's taste is to mellow IMO). The Lavazza Gold blend uses Premium Robusta and Arabic to achieve a fuller bodied shot compared to the 100% arabica blends (Better Crema yield)

[The Bum]

Milligrams not grams. Otherwise, thanks for the heads up.

[Eugene Vega]

Thanks for the correction on caffeine measures! Better copy editing next time.

As for Lavazza, I will definitely try that location. LaSalle St. is the only one I have not visited. Thank you, Brian.

[Tommy Sirota]

Thank you, Mr. Vega, for the mention. We are thrilled to be appreciated here at Stella.

[Stefan Hersh]

We are less than a month old at this writing, but we believe that Buzz: Killer Espresso in Wicker Park (1644 North Damen Ave) makes a serious addition to the Chicago coffee scene. We feature guest micro roasters from all over, including but not limited to Intelligentsia and Metropolis. Our house roast, Madcap, from Grand rapids MI can take it's place with any micro roaster. Our baristas are all among the best trained anywhere and we handle all aspects of coffee production with the utmost precision and rigor. The shop was opened in response to our perception of the relative rarity of top flight coffee in this city. BTW we also believe that the perfecting of expresso is an ongoing process, the fruits of which we will continue to see in espresso production over the coming years. We are committed to bringing all of the most effective innovations forward to our customers as they become available to us.

[Rufus]

Superb espresso from Bridgeport Coffee Company at 31st and Morgan in -- you guessed it -- Bridgeport.

[Air Jordan Basket]

oh it's so great!