What is Espresso?

a brewing method.

a blend of beans.

a roast color.

a beverage.

A BREWING METHOD

First and foremost, espresso is a rapid method of brewing that uses pressure, not gravity, to brew.

A BLEND OF BEANS

Espresso also refers to a blend of beans specifically formulated for use in espresso machines. Starbucks Espresso Roast is a unique blend of the very best Latin American and Indonesian coffees, and yields a thick, caramelly sweet and highly aromatic espresso.

Many other coffees, from elegant Guatemala Antigua to exotic Arabian Mocha Java, also make superb espresso.

A ROAST COLOR

In addition, espresso refers to a roast color. Starbucks Espresso Roast is the lightest of our dark roasts, bittersweet-chocolate brown in color, with Italian Roast being the next darkest and French Roast the darkest of all.

A BEVERAGE

Finally, espresso (or more properly, caffe espresso) refers to the concentrated, flavorful “essence” brewed from the beans. The amount of coffee used is roughly 2/3 the amount used for a single serving of drip coffee, but with far less water (45ml vs. 180ml for a cup of drip coffee).