It’s hump day, meaning two more day left. Sometimes, those two days are easy. Sometimes…not so much. If you need a pick-me-up but aren’t sure if a black coffee or a caramel latte is better suited for you needs (and taste buds), here’s a quick little snippet about the difference between the coffee and espresso.

Espresso is a blend of several different coffee beans roasted until they are dark, almost oily looking. They are then finely ground, almost like powdered sugar. The more finely ground the beans are, the slower the espresso comes out. A “perfect” shot of espresso should take about 25 seconds to brew.

Drip coffee, what is made by most coffee machines, is made with coarsely ground coffee beans. Boiling water is poured over the grounds, water filters through the coffee grinds then falls into the pot. Depending on the type of coffee machines, it can take anywhere from a minute to ten minutes for a fresh cup or pot of coffee.

What’s the one thing often misunderstood about the coffee vs espresso debate: who has more caffeine. By
volume, coffee does. More specifically, the lighter the roast, the higher the caffeine levels. To give you a better idea, here’s a little summary of the coffee/espresso caffeine levels per volume.

• From a drink perspective, drip coffee has approximately 65-200 mg of caffeine/8 fl. oz.
• From a volume perspective, espresso has approximately 30-50 mg of caffeine/1 single fl. oz. shot.
• Even with the highest caffeine amounts for each, you get 200 mg for an 8 oz. cup of drip coffee and 200 mg (exactly the same), for 4 (1 oz.) shots of espresso