What Are Espresso Coffee Cups?

By Wenona Crudd

Espresso coffee cups aren't really coffee cups at all. In reality, they're more like coffee shot glasses, which makes sense considering they're not meant to hold coffee, but espresso. Although they do look like tiny coffee cups, your average coffee drinker would probably become quite irritated trying to get their buzz from a container so tiny. After all, don't most people drink coffee in order to feel energized without the need for sleep?

Differences Between Espresso Coffee Cups And Other Coffee Cups

Espresso coffee cups are much smaller than your standard coffee cup. Although there doesn't seem to be any set standard that espresso coffee cups follow as far as size. In fact, espresso coffee cups are often mixed in with cappuccino cups, latte cups, and other coffee cup type things, with only the manufacturer labels separating them. All of these cups have one thing in common: they all come with little matching saucers.

Why Espresso Coffee Cups Are So Tiny

The reason that espresso coffee cups are so very small in comparison to normal coffee cups is because the espresso that they are intended to hold is a lot stronger than normal coffee. As a matter of fact, espresso generally has about three times as much caffeine as normal coffee. Since how much caffeine is in any cup of coffee is highly dependent on the bean and the manner of grinding, this is just an estimate. If you try various brands and coffee blends, including espresso, you're sure to get different results from each one.

How Is Espresso Different Than Normal Coffee

Espresso is a type of coffee, but the difference isn't in the bean so much as the preparation. The biggest difference between regular coffee and espresso is density. To make espresso, a machine forces highly pressurized water through very fine coffee grounds, creating a denser, stronger coffee than normal. The result is almost like a coffee syrup and, when you experience it, it becomes very obvious why one would not want to drink a standard coffee cup of the stuff at once.

Can One Cup Coffee Makers Make Espresso?

Although there are some facsimiles, one cup coffee makers can't really make true espresso. Espresso requires a lot of water pressure, and a one cup coffee maker isn't really designed for that. An espresso coffee pod will generally fit just fine, it just won't come out quite right. With K-Cups coffee, you can purchase blends that are labeled as espresso and are stronger than most. Although these solutions will produce stronger coffee, they're not really worth getting the espresso coffee cups out since you'll probably still want a regular coffee cup worth of the stuff. ESE coffee pods, ironically, usually don't work all that well with 1 cup coffee makers, preferring espresso machines with adapters instead. - 30543

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