Dish · italian
Espresso
A small shot of coffee forced through finely ground beans under pressure, dense with crema on top and meant to be drunk in a few sips. It's strong and concentrated rather than diluted.
Where it comes from
The pressurized brewing method developed in Italy in the early 20th century as cafes looked for a faster way to serve coffee to standing customers. Several inventors have competing claims to the design, and no single one is fully settled.
What cooks argue about
Grind size is the whole game: too coarse and the shot runs fast and weak, too fine and it chokes the machine and turns bitter. Cooks argue endlessly over the right extraction time.
Versions
Nobody has published a espresso here yet. When somebody cooks one from a video and publishes it, their version appears in this list, with a link back to the original.
What goes in it
Each one opens everything else made with it.