Espresso is a popular caffeinated drink that is essentially concentrated coffee. It is usually consumed in 1oz - 2oz espresso cups, which is much smaller than a coffee cup. For reference, a typical Canadian coffee is a 2-cup (8oz) mug.
Most people don't realize that there is no such thing as an "Espresso Bean", or even an espresso roast, but espressos are typically very dark roasted for additional flavour. The key to making a proper espresso lies in the grind, though most modern machines come with a grinder so that whole coffee beans can be purchased. Espresso can be made from the same coffee bean as a regular coffee. What defines an Espresso is that it is roasted very dark, usually ground quite fine, and consumed concentrated (high grounds:water ratio). Because Espresso is concentrated, serving sizes are typically smaller than coffee serving sizes.
Most automatic or semi-automatic espresso machines have built-in burr grinders, which lets you order whole bean espresso and grind it yourself. Reducing the amount of time between grinding your espresso beans and actually using it to make an espresso results in a higher quality cup of espresso.
Espresso is a key ingredient in Lattes, when it is combined with frothed milk. Other hand-crafted drinks are made using Espresso as well, some of the more popular being Capuccinos, Macchiatos and Americanos.
The amount of caffeine in Espresso is generally lower than coffee because there is less water run through the grounds to extract the caffeine. The process of roasting coffee beans to the point of an espresso also tends to destroy some caffeine, so pound-for-pound there's less caffeine in espresso than regular coffee. While this is debated ad-nauseum, the difference is generally inconsequential. Most single servings of Espresso will have anywhere from 30mg-45mg of caffeine compared to 80mg-120mg for a full coffee, but are stronger per-ounce because of the extraction process.
Espresso typically has more of an oil or sheen on the surface of the bean than coffee roasts, due to the extent that the oils are extracted during the roasting process. The longer the bean is roasted (and darker the bean gets), the more oil moves from inside the bean and to the surface. While not a bad thing in itself, the oils exposed to air from sitting on store shelves for months on end can cause problems with some machines.
Overly oily beans are completely natural and not an issue if the coffee is fresh roasted, as long as they're fresh roasted like ours. Additionally, because espresso is roasted so dark, some roasters use only lower quality beans and are just bad. Our espresso roasts are typically a little lighter (read: not burnt) than other companies because of the quality arabica beans we use. The lighter espresso roasts still offer the same kick you love, but also maintain a lot of the flavour and unique characteristics of the beans so that it doesn't just taste like charcoal.
2 lb bags. Only $8.99/lb!