P.C.: HACKER FINANCE

People around the world often start their days with a nice cup of coffee. Some prefer to get a freshly brewed cup of regular coffee while others, tend to enjoy a shot of espresso to begin their day with a jolt.

But when it comes down to the difference in caffeine content between an espresso shot and regular drip coffee, even a coffee aficionado like you may sometimes get confused.

To clear the air of confusion for all the coffee lovers. We are here to discuss and figure out what exactly the differences are between espresso and regular coffee.

So- sit back and relax, grab a cup of your favourite joe and let us hop right into it.

What is espresso?

When we look at the Italian word espresso, it actually comes from the root meaning express or fast. It also usually means the use of pressure.

Espresso is just another method of coffee preparation. So, instead of using your coffee pot or a pour-over, you use an espresso machine.

Preparation style

An espresso machine uses pressure to extract all the flavour of coffee quickly in 25 to 30 seconds. Whereas, when you are preparing a regular pot of coffee or a pour-over- you are allowing the gravity to pull the water through the grounds as you pour it over in the cup. This preparation style generally takes three and a half or four minutes.

The main difference is- by using the force and pressure of an espresso machine going through the coffee, you can extract a lot more flavour, a lot faster, and in a smaller volume.

Caffeine content

We always get confused about how much espresso equals how much brewed coffee.

To understand more clearly, eight ounces of brewed coffee comprises 95-165 milligrams of caffeine. That is roughly 12-21 milligrams per ounce. On the contrary, espresso has 47-64 milligrams of caffeine per ounce.

So, our espresso VS coffee debate closes with this: your one cup of coffee has more caffeine than one shot of espresso. But espresso is more caffeinated because it’s more concentrated.

The difference in the bean

The caffeine content of the coffee does not depend on the way the beans were roasted; caffeine content depends on the type of beans as well. There are two major- types of coffee beans around the world: Arabica and Robusta.

Arabica

Arabica bean is the most highly produced species of its kind. Its origin is from the plant Coffee Arabica and is often considered superior in taste, despite containing less caffeine than Robusta. It tends to have a sweeter, softer taste, with a little note of sugar, fruit, and berries.

Robusta 

Robusta is a common variety of Coffee Canephora. It has a more bitter taste, with rubbery or grainy overtones, making it less refined than Arabica in taste.

Despite the lack of refinement, Robusta bean is widely incorporated in espresso blends as it- produces a better crema (a creamy tan foam that forms on the top of the freshly made espresso).

Robusta bean tends to have higher caffeine content than Arabica, making it notoriously bitter.

The serving size

Another difference between an espresso and the coffee shows up in the serving size. Espresso tends to be thicker and more concentrated than regular brewed coffee. Hence, a typical espresso shot is only one ounce. On the contrary, the average size- of a regular brewed coffee is eight ounces.

So, coffee VS espresso. Espresso is just a preparation style. And when it comes to which is stronger? An espresso shot or coffee? Ounce for ounce a shot of espresso is much stronger than the regular drip coffee. But when it comes down to numbers, regular drip coffee has more caffeine than a shot of espresso.