Espresso Tasting and Technique

Lineage Academy 

Series II, Part III

What is espresso? Is it a bean, a brew method, or a beverage? The answer is, “yes!”. It turns out espresso is a little bit of all three. Espresso is a method of preparation during which highly pressurized hot water is forced over a cake-like “puck” of ground and tamped coffee to produce an extremely concentrated one-ounce coffee drink. Good espresso means good chemistry. Pulling the perfect shot is all about precision, consistency, and finding the perfect balance between those six essential elements we discussed in The Fundamentals of Coffee Brewing.

In this book, we will dive into the history of espresso. We will learn about extraction and take a look at coffee flavor on a cellular level. We will go over the components of an espresso machine and learn how to prepare the perfect shot of espresso. Lastly, we will briefly go over how to dial-in and adapt our techniques for different types of coffee.