The Benefits of Drinking Espresso Coffee at Home
Did you know that espresso coffee takes, on average, 30 seconds to prepare? This figure is impressive compared to the amount of time it takes to prepare a cup of regular coffee (about 2-4 minutes per cup). Additionally, the time it takes to prepare espresso is one of the reasons it is so popular today. Cleaning is much quicker and easier as well.
What is espresso?
Espresso is a concentrated form of coffee. Preparing espresso involves applying 15 bars of pressure to hot water, pushing it through finely grounded dark roast coffee beans. Sometimes the pressure is more, but 15 bars are the industry standard. This process extracts a dark brown liquid with crema, known as espresso.
Fine grind is essential because it increases the surface area in which hot water comes into contact with the coffee. Increased surface area enhances the extraction of heavy compounds from the coffee. These compounds are responsible for espresso’s rich aroma and flavor, otherwise known as the bold flavor.
The benefits of drinking espresso at home
Making espresso the traditional way requires knowledge of coffee beans, roasting, and the process. However, for someone that simply wants to enjoy a quick shot of espresso on their way out to work, there is a simplified way of doing it.
Machines, commonly called Nespresso machines, are used to simplify the process. These machines use espresso coffee capsules to make espresso shots, also known as Nespresso, quickly. The Nespresso name comes from the company that first invented the concept of using pods and capsules to make espresso quickly.
Let’s get into the benefits of drinking espresso coffee at home.
1. Saves you money
Making your espresso at home can save you a lot of money in the long term. Assuming you drink $5 coffee daily (plus tips), the total cost per year is about $1,825. A functional domestic coffee machine can cost you a one-off fee of a few hundred dollars. On average, an espresso coffee capsule costs $0.87. Three hundred sixty-five servings a year will cost $317.55, much cheaper than buying a ready-to-go beans-to-cup at home.
Additionally, for the first year, you save about $1,507.45, which recovers your investment in a Nespresso machine. You get to spend less on espresso for the following years and redirect that money into other investments. Private label capsules are cheaper by 30% than Nespresso capsules.
2. Increased physical performance
Caffeine in espresso gets your adrenaline pumping. Increased adrenaline levels in your blood lead to enhanced physical strength. Physical strength helps improve your field performance during sports or other physical activities.
3. Saves you time
You know how sometimes you want a shot of espresso before you kick off your day, but you’re also late for work? The last thing you want to find is a queue at your favorite coffee place. With your espresso machine at home, all of this is avoidable. An espresso machine can get you a hot shot of espresso in less than one minute, giving you that energy boost you need to kick off your day conveniently.
4. Less caloric intake
We all love sugar. Sugar is the life of most beverages, but it always brings along with it the pesky guilt at the back of your mind that reminds you about how you are weakening your body.
On average, an ounce of espresso only comes with about three calories. You no longer have to worry about consuming a worrying number of calories every morning unless you are pairing your espresso with a high-calorie snack.
5. Helps with weight loss
If you want to lose weight, an espresso every morning before working out is a great addition to your routine. Espresso gives you a strong energy boost by stimulating your body to release adrenaline.
More adrenaline in your system helps you fly through your workout routine, losing weight faster. The energy boost and the few calories you ingest through a serving of espresso play a big role in helping you lose weight much faster.
6. Improved mood
The main ingredient of a shot of espresso is caffeine, a known stimulant. Caffeine stimulates you to be more active, helping you get rid of moody phases of your day. When you are active at work, you become more productive and achieve more goals, which helps improve your mood, and the cycle continues; you get the gist!
A daily dose of espresso does more for your body to set you up for success than you can imagine. Ensure you get the right tools to make your espresso to guarantee the best quality because you deserve it.
Coffee pods or espresso coffee capsules, which are better?
Most people use these terms interchangeably. That is fine for a regular person whose interest is purely in the espresso shot and not the process behind preparing it. Experts, in contrast, understand and appreciate the difference between these two options.
Depending on which ones you prefer, they can drastically change the quality and flavor of your espresso. Visually, the first difference you notice is the material used to make them and maybe their shapes.
While coffee pods are round and commonly made from paper, coffee capsules are mostly oval and made from plastic or aluminum.
Their shapes do not influence the quality of espresso you can get from them, but the material does. Aluminum enables coffee capsules to be vacuum-sealed, allowing them to preserve the taste of the coffee inside for longer than the coffee pods.
Additionally, coffee capsules are much easier to customize in terms of branding. Customization makes them a popular choice for private-label companies which print their brand name on the capsules.
Your choice between these two is determined by, among other things, your coffee budget, taste preference, and environmental conservation awareness. Coffee capsules, especially aluminum ones, are much better in all three considerations but might cost a little more.
Conclusion
Should you make your espresso at home? Absolutely! There is no reason you shouldn’t. An espresso machine requires little maintenance since cleaning takes less than five minutes and happens infrequently. More importantly, it saves you money and tremendously benefits your health.
The traditional espresso-making process requires more investment upfront in terms of money and time. You need to buy a machine for grinding coffee beans and another for processing the espresso. Despite these, the approach gives you more control over the quality of the espresso, like the taste, color, acidity, gas, etc.
The home barista method (Nespresso machine) is standardized and provides little control over the quality and quantity of espresso you prepare.
