What to look for in a good Espresso

Now that you know how to order an espresso correctly, how can you tell whether your espresso is actually any good?

Espresso, like wine, is complicated, and, like wine, this shows through in its complexity of flavors and aromas. Every aspect of the coffee production process, from bean selection, growth, processing, and roasting to the grinding, and actual coffee-making impacts the final product. Small changes anywhere along this line can result in a coffee that is too bitter, too acidic, too weak, and so on. Making that perfect cup of espresso is both an art and a science, as we'll see in future posts.

But for now, what should you look for in your espresso?

First of all, you almost certainly won't be able to appreciate a good espresso if you haven't built up a 'coffee tolarence' -- the ability to enjoy coffee without adding any sugar or milk. Building up this tolerance may take a few days or weeks of suffering through bitter-tasting coffee, but it's well worth your while. Once you're used to drinking espresso plain, it can be very difficult to go back!

Once you've built up your tolerance and can fully appreciate the range of flavors and aromas in an espresso, here are some guidelines on what to look for (and what to watch out for):