Espresso Beans vs. Coffee Beans – What’s The Difference?

Are you a coffee lover? Want to make some delicious coffee at home? All you need to do is to buy good quality coffee beans. But selecting the right coffee beans for your kitchen can be tricky, especially when you have numerous options available.

To help you solve this problem, we will guide you related to two main coffee bean types: espresso beans and coffee beans. Understanding the basics of beans and their properties will help you select better. The right way to start would be by knowing the difference between the two of these.

The main difference between the beans includes how these beans are prepared and roasted. The coffee beans are lighter and less strong as compared to espresso beans which are darker and richer. Both of the beans are made from Robusta or Arabic beans.

Now, let us discuss Espresso beans and coffee beans in detail.

Espresso Beans

Espresso beans are made from darker roasted coffee beans into espresso beans maker, making them shiny and oily and giving robust flavor. Talking about the logic behind dark roasted beans, they are less acidic so that a strong flavor is enhanced in a small dose of espresso beans.

The expresso beans are the richest source of natural oils, and these oils emulsify during the brewing process as they help produce crema. These beans are placed in very hot water, which helps to ground the beans at high pressure.

1. Taste

The taste of espresso beans is bolder and with well-finished bodies. It contains less acidic as compared to rest of the coffees. Some people find its taste stronger, while others find it perfectly fine. The natural oils add a different richness to espresso, making them heavier in taste.

2. Grind

Espresso beans are grounded in the start so that one can easily utilize them in the drink. The espresso grinds are tightly sealed together so that during processing, water can be added with high pressure making beans grounded in no time. The water added for grinding is added for a short time.

3. Brewing

Coffee beans can be brewed in many ways, out of which one is a French press, which includes pressing the espresso beans to the right consistency. Espresso beans are grounded in fine thickness and are brewed through the aero press or espresso machine.  The brewing is simple and quick, and the beans are grounded into small fine pieces.

4. Amount of caffeine

The amount of caffeine present in espresso beans is less because during the processing, especially when espresso beans are roasted, the caffeine is burned or lost. So, we can say that heavily roasted beans like espresso beans contain less caffeine.

As we have discussed espresso beans in detail, let us talk about coffee beans.

Coffee Beans

Coffee beans are roasted, and soon after roasting, they are brewed. Roasting takes place in three ways light, medium and dark; therefore, coffee beans are lightly roasted, unlike espresso beans. They are lightly roasted, so they don’t have oil shines present.

Another thing you should know about coffee beans because their roasting process also depends upon the county it is manufactured in. so we can say that we can have three types of coffee beans lightly roasted, medium roasted and dark roasted.

1. Taste

The taste of coffee beans depends totally on the roasted degree it contains, such as lightly roasted coffee beans will not have a strong flavor but will be normally mild. On the other hand, the medium roasted coffee beans have a stronger flavor and will be more milder. Lastly, the heavily roasted coffee beans are very strong in flavor.

2. Grind

Coffee beans are grounded at different levels with a different consistency. One can also grind coffee beans at home, or you can buy pre-grounded beans from the store. The finely grounded coffee beans will be brewed for a longer time.

3. Brewing

The coffee bean brewing system is also various at some levels. There would be different brewing degrees, including making cappuccino, latte and macchiato. So, it’s important to know which coffee you want, and then you have to decide its brewing time.

4. Amount of Caffeine

As coffee beans are mostly lighted roasted or medium roasted, they contain a lot of caffeine. This is because the caffeine amount is not lost during the roasting process, but it remains preserved due to less roasting. But if coffee beans are highly roasted, the caffeine amount would be reduced.

Can Coffee Beans be utilized as Espresso Beans?

Yes, you can use coffee beans to prepare espresso. Although it is recommended to use espresso beans to make a stronger coffee, in case of emergency, one can use coffee beans. You have to ground-press the coffee beans for a longer time.

As expresso beans have a darker, stronger taste, you will have to brew the coffee beans for a longer time period to get the same taste. The taste might not be the same but can be used as an alternative.  Make sure you brew and roast your coffee beans for a longer time.

What’s the difference between Espresso beans and Coffee Beans?

We have mentioned all the details above related to Espresso beans and Coffee beans. Now let us summarize it into key points.

1. Espresso beans are mostly dark roasted beans, while coffee beans are mostly lightly roasted beans.
2. As espresso beans are darkly roasted, it means that they have an oily sheen and are an enriched source of natural oils, while coffee beans don’t have oil traces in them.
3. Espresso beans have a stronger flavor, and little dose gives a milder and stronger taste, while coffee beans have a creamier texture and are less strong in taste.
4. The brewing method of coffee beans and espresso beans is also different as coffee beans are lightly roasted while espresso beans are pressed by the AeroPress method.
5. Espresso beans are roasted for a longer time than coffee beans.
6. The caffeine content in espresso beans is less than the amount found in coffee beans.

Sources:

• Foodsguy
• Eldoradcoffee
• Fullcoffeeroast