It seems that the folks who love expresso really really love expresso and for me it is the Shangrila of coffee roasting. I have always had the impression that expresso is just very strong coffee and since I like a medium roast I have never been brave enough to try it. Also, I am not sure that my IRoast can roast the beans long enough for the vienna roast.

Maybe the expresso aficionados can weigh in here. What is good about expresso and can you recommend it to everyone?
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I stop most of my roasts for espresso at FC or FC+, sometimes I will try a little further into 2nd crack but that is rare.
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I always thought expresso was pig-italian for a fast moving train.
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FTW!!!!:-)
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To me second crack is a full roast and full + is well into the second crack. I usually roast up to the end of the first crack and just at the beginning of the second.

I would think a vienna roast would be well into the second crack. Is this the bean for expresso? What makes a coffee an expresso?
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Espresso is a brew method not a roast or a bean. What makes a brew an espresso is the pressure that the water is pushed through the grind. You can pull a shot with city roast or burnt beans all depends on what you like. Not every bean will work for brewing as espresso but most espresso blends could be used for other brew methods. SO espresso shots are fantastic!

FC is just before 2nd crack, FC+ is first audible cracks of 2nd, Vienna is the start of rolling 2nd crack.
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where would you place city and city+ then?
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City would be when 1st crack ends, City+ will be in between first crack ending and 2nd crack starting.
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Can't help myself.

Rob, I think you'd agree it's not a roast, nor a bean, NOR a brew method, rather it's a drink, which occurs by combining the three.:-)

Carry on
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Goll danged lifestyle is what it is when you're bothering to roast your own coffee and commit your sacred honor to repeatable 28-second shots.

C'gal - a good straight espresso, which is not a terribly common thing out there on the street, is a lovely slug or sip, with or without sugar. Your favorite homeroast oozed through a $30 AeroPress is an approximation of a good shot and, probably, better than what you'll get at 9-out-of-10 coffeeshops. :-)
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:-) and that be the truth!
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I have one of these...

http://www.amazon.com/Krups-XP1500-E...188781&sr=1-15

So the shot this makes is an expresso??? We use the machine to make mochas...you guys just drink the shot straight? Pretty intense.
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Try my AeroPress for a month or two if you wish; pm addy.
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Thanks Moo, but I am not sure we like our coffee that strong. i have to think about it and maybe try my krups first.
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Hey M - you really should take Moo up on his offer. Thing about the Aeropress....it'll give a vague approximation of a true espresso shot, BUT just simply filling the cup up the rest of the way with hot water will give you an Americano that is a quite good cup in it's own right. And the Aeropress cup strength can be easily regulated at the onset.

Don't be a coffee sissy :-)
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Dude... she's standing at the pier and the AeroPress boat is ready to sail.
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Cigargal, I would try the Aeropress, it makes a wonderful cup of coffee, I like the 2oz shot straight but it is great for latte, cappuccino, mocha, americano, whatever else. You could use your krups for steaming the milk, it may turn out to be a better taste and simpler then pulling shots on your machine. The aeropress is so simple to use and even easier to clean plus it travels well. What's not to like? :-)
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x2 :-)
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Okay okay okay, pm sent
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Depends how you like your roast. Espresso has no defined roast. Some are just medium roasted at best. I think it's the mixture of beans and roasting that makes an ideal blend. Brasil and Guatamala are beans I love in my espresso blends, perhaps with no cracking in them? I do not like the smoky notes in espresso from a dark roast.

Just look at all the big brands both bagged and fresh roasted, the color runs the spectrum for depth of roasting from oily-black to smooth brown...
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