What is the difference between an espresso bean and a regular coffee bean?

Answer 1

Roasting brings out the flavor of the coffee and develops the characteristics of a coffee. During the roasting process, coffee undergoes many chemical and physical changes. Light bodied and sweet coffees are roasted lighter than full-bodied dark coffees.

Reg coffee - In a light roast, the characteristics and faults of the coffee are not masked by roast flavor. Coffee is roasted just to the first crack and no oils appear on the surface of the bean

Espresso - In this level, coffee is roasted beyond the second crack. In this roast level, the surface of the beans will have an oily appearance. Coffees roasted to this level are generally blends where the roast flavor is the predominate characteristic of the coffee. Some common types of Dark Roast are Full City Roast, French Roast, Espresso Roast, Italian Roast and Cuban Espresso. These coffees tend to be full to heavy bodied with a strong roast flavor.


Hope this makes everything a little clearer for you.

Answer 2

The common misconception is that espresso refers to a different type of coffee.

Espresso actually refers to the method by which the coffee is made and not the actual bean. The method is forcing steam through the coffee. They do make a finer grind of coffee specifically for espresso but again, it is not the grind that bore the original name but the process.

Chef Mark

Answer 3

Espresso Beans are roasted longer than coffee beans, They have a bolder flavor, but less caffeine

Answer 4

Actually, you all forgot there are two different types of coffe beans used widely...arabica and robusta SO you should ask your barrista what type of beans they use...flavor can differ between the types of beans and as others said espresso refers to the roasting style and method of making the coffee....

Answer 5

It's just the roast. "Espresso" is just one of the many roast recipes, albeit a very popular one around the world.