The attractive aroma and rich flavor of espresso motivate many people every morning. Many people own espresso machines because they are convenient and can instantly make an ideal drink right at home. Do you have an espresso machine at home? You don’t know about: “Can normal coffee be made in an espresso machine?’’ Let’s learn about the characteristics of espresso coffee and find the answer to the question through the article below!
Can Normal Coffee Be Made In An Espresso Machine?
This is a common question among people new to espresso machines. They worry about whether the espresso coffee will taste good or not.
The espresso machine compresses finely ground coffee at high pressure. Hot water is then forced through this compacted coffee to produce a rich, aromatic extract.
If you use regular coffee, the final product may be too bitter or watery. You can improve this by changing the type of coffee you use and increasing the temperature and the pressure of the machine. However, in general, regular coffee will not taste right when brewed with an espresso machine.
So, if you want to use regular coffee for the machine, you can still do it. However, don’t expect too much from their flavor.
The Difference Between Machine Brewing And Drip Brewing
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between espresso and drip brewing? Drip coffee and espresso are two types of drinks. They differ in many factors, such as flavor, richness, and how they are brewed.
Type of Coffee Used
With an espresso machine, the coffee used is mainly finely ground coffee. Meanwhile, a regular machine grinds drip coffee and raw coffee ingredients, so the size of the coffee will be larger than machine-brewed coffee. The structure of the ground coffee beans will affect the flavor of the drink according to each method.
Brewing Method
With an espresso machine, high temperature and pressure will be used to extract the rich coffee essence, which is the usual espresso. The filter brewing method will let hot water flow through the coarse coffee grounds, using gravity and high temperature to extract the most concentrated coffee liquid with a lighter bitter taste.
Thus, with the machine brewing method, espresso coffee is often strong, with a concentrated bitter taste, creating a more alert feeling for the user. Meanwhile, regular coffee with a more significant coffee powder size brewed in the traditional way creates a moderately bitter taste and a characteristic aroma.
Notes When Using Roasted and Ground Coffee with an Espresso Machine
If you still decide to use regular coffee with an espresso machine, don’t expect too much from the quality and richness of the finished product. Some notes when using regular coffee brewed with a machine to make the finished product more delicious:
Grind The Coffee Finely For Use In The Machine
The espresso machine is designed to use with grind finely ground coffee. Grinding helps the coffee powder to have maximum contact with hot water under high pressure. This will help the extracted coffee water contain the most essence. Therefore, if you buy raw coffee at the shop, you should grind it first to make it smooth.
Increase The Water Temperature
Higher water temperatures can make your coffee stronger. However, if the water is too hot, it will burn the coffee. Therefore, you should experiment a few times to find the ideal temperature for the type of coffee you are using.
Adjusting the Tamp
Increasing the tamp will essentially result in a richer output as the hot water passes through the coarse grounds. But tamping regular coffee too tightly on an espresso machine can result in a sour brew.
What Type of Coffee Should You Choose For Your Espresso Machine?
Instead of spending a lot of effort grinding coarse coffee grounds bought at the store, use specialized coffee for espresso machines. This type of coffee is designed to be suitable for popular espresso machines, helping you get a delicious, standard cup of espresso.
So, what type of coffee should you choose for your espresso machine? Do you have to use a special kind of coffee for an espresso machine?
You should know that coffee used for an espresso machine is also regular coffee beans, but they are roasted and ground finely to suit the machine. The fineness of the coffee is the factor that contributes to creating the characteristic rich flavor as desired. Therefore, you should choose coffee labeled espresso for the machine.
Some other factors to pay attention to when choosing coffee for an espresso machine that affects the flavor of your drink:
- Roast level: You should choose coffee beans roasted from medium to rich to highlight the characteristic flavor of an espresso cup.
- Type of coffee bean: Normally, Arabica coffee is preferred for making machine coffee. However, Robusta will bring a richer flavor and higher caffeine concentration. You can also choose other rare coffee beans such as Peaberry, Catimor (a hybrid between Arabica and Robusta), Moka coffee, or Geisha coffee with the flavor of the tree.
- The freshness of coffee beans: Freshly roasted coffee will give the best espresso flavor.
Thus, testing many types of coffee or combining many types ensures the necessary fineness for machine-brewed coffee, roast level, and temperature. This is the best way for you to find the best type of coffee and how to make espresso coffee with a machine according to your taste. Those who love coffee must pay attention to the interesting experiences with an espresso machine to create the ideal daily drink.
Final Thought
Perhaps with the above information, you have the right answer to the question: “Can normal coffee be made in an espresso machine?”. Distinguish between regular coffee and espresso. Also, I hope you know how to make regular coffee with the best espresso machine. Wish you have a great experience with your coffee machine every day.
