Both Italian coffee and specialty coffee have their organizations that oversee the quality of these coffees. The Specialty Coffee Association establishes standards based on knowledge and experience. A similar role is played by the Italian National Institute of Espresso, which aims to protect traditional brewing standards that have been developed over generations.

The same drink, yet two different perspectives. Do they really differ that much?

Balance of flavors

Italian espresso, due to its dark roast, has low sweetness, while it has high bitterness and chocolate notes. In the process of intense roasting, oils are released from the bean. Italians love this type of espresso and have a great yet simple method for extracting sweetness from it. They sweeten the coffee, which balances the acidity, bitterness, and sweetness. This process also brings out other pleasant aromas, such as nutty and chocolatey notes.

Specialty coffees are characterized by a light to medium roast profile, which is intended to have higher acidity and delicate fruitiness. The idea of preparing espresso from specialty coffee is to achieve a balance of acidity, bitterness, and sweetness, as well as fruity, floral, chocolatey, or nutty aromas.

Preparation process

Dark roasted coffee forgives a lot, which is why the standards of the Italian National Institute of Espresso do not impose the use of a scale or a timer when preparing espresso. Italian coffee is very stable and repeatable. One important thing is that the yield of Italian espresso should be about 25 ml, unless the guest specifically requests an espresso lungo.

Baristas working with specialty coffee must be very careful when preparing this coffee, as it can be easily ruined. Therefore, the Specialty Coffee Association states in its standards to adhere as closely as possible to the recipe. The recipe should consist of a dose of dry coffee, a dose of brewed coffee, and the brewing time. A specialty barista should thus use a scale and a timer.

Drinking style

Italians, despite sweetening their espresso, do not stir it too vigorously. They drink espresso in three sips, with each sip having a different taste: the first is bitter, the second is acidic, and the last is sweet. Each sip is preceded by a sip of water to cleanse the palate and clearly experience each flavor.

Specialty coffee enthusiasts mix their espresso thoroughly to make it as homogeneous as possible. Each sip should be balanced and contain sweetness, bitterness, and acidity. The number of sips does not matter here, but it is worth spacing them out over time, as the flavor of espresso changes as time passes.

Espresso Brewing Method according to SCAE, SCAA and WBC

According tothe Specialty Coffee Association of Europe or Americaandthe World Barista Championshipbrewingespresso significantly differs from the Italian standard.

The fundamental difference lies in the use of a scale to measure the amount of ground coffee, and then to measure the extraction obtained from it, meaning that weight is significantly more important than volume in the Italian standard.

Essential equipment for a Barista:

A scale accurate to 0.1 grams, a timer (stopwatch), and a tamper appropriately matched to the given portafilter.

Below are important parameters to remember when brewing espresso:

- Conventional extraction time: from 20 to 30 seconds, but in reality, the extraction time can be longer, as the technique of pre-infusion can be used to brew espresso.

- The amount of coffee used is flexible. However, remember that the portafilter can hold between14 and a maximum of 22 gramsof ground coffee for a double espresso, depending on the type of portafilter.

- The obtained extraction should weigh abouttwice as muchas the ground portion of coffee used to obtain the espresso.

- Extraction temperature: 89 to 96˚C- From our experience, we can suggest that the darker the roast profile of the coffee used, the lower the brewing temperature should be; if you use too high a temperature for dark roast coffee, the espresso may have excessive bitterness and leave a significant sharpness on the tongue.

In the case of light roast coffee, the brewing temperature should be higher, allowing you to extract more flavors and aromas from the espresso.

- Extraction pressure: 8 to 9.5 bars,

- A properly calibrated grinder –with the appropriately chosen grind size, we can connect the brewing time ratio to the weight of the espresso extraction.

Espresso Brewing Method according to the Italian Standard

According to the National Italian Institute of Espresso (it.Istituto Nazionale Espresso Italiano),

the prepared espresso should meet the following standards:

- Prepare 7-9 grams of ground coffee per serving

- Water temperature during brewing 88-92˚ C

- Pressure generated by the pump during extraction 8-9 bar

- Brewing time about 25 seconds

- Brew volume about 25 ml

- Espresso should be served at 67˚ C in preheated cups

- The extract flowing from the machine to the cup should have the consistency of warm honey

- The fat content in the brew should not exceed 2 mg/ml

- The caffeine content should not be less than 100 mg per single espresso.

- Properly calibrated grinder–with the appropriately chosen grind size, we can connect the brewing time ratio to the volume of espresso extraction obtained.

In the Italian standard, we only need a scale to measure the coffee portion from which we will prepare the espresso.

The extraction itself is measured in milliliters and is dependent on time.

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