Espresso

Espresso beans and coffee beans are both terms for roasted coffee, however the two names do point towards subtle differences in how the coffee was roasted and how it’s meant to be brewed.

For coffee roasters, there are specific coffees and roast profiles that stand out as especially delicious candidates for a flavorful shot of espresso—which is one of several different ways to brew coffee, at home or in a café. Due to its high concentration of coffee to water, espresso is a rich and intense brew method that often accentuates specific characteristics of a coffee.

The way in which that coffee combines with milk (both dairy or non-dairy) is also exceptionally important, as classic espresso-based drinks like latte or cappuccino are among the world’s most popular ways to enjoy coffee.

So when you see an Equator coffee bag with “espresso” on the label—like our Jaguar Espresso or Tigerwalk Espresso—that’s our way of signaling to you that this coffee was roasted with espresso in mind and will taste especially tasty in your home espresso machine or moka pot. We also include detailed sourcing information and quotes from our expert coffee team on what they like most about the coffee—or “espresso”—in question.

Moka Pot, sometimes called “Stovetop Espresso,” refers to a manual Italian coffee brewer pioneered by Alfonso Bialetti in 1933: the Moka Express. Named after the famed Port of Mokha in Yemen, this now iconic brewer completely revolutionized the way that Italian households prepared their morning coffee. Nearly a century later, it captivates coffee drinkers globally with its stylishly efficient design and ability to brew a rich and concentrated cup of coffee that closely resembles espresso.

Generally speaking, coffee beans that have been selected and roasted with espresso in mind will also be the best candidates for your moka pot. Much like an espresso machine, the pressurized brewing approach of the moka pot accentuates the natural flavors of the coffee used to brew. Our Espresso collection—including Jaguar Espresso and Tigerwalk Espresso—are common favorites for fans of the moka pot.

Additionally, the moka pot calls for a very similar coffee grind size as an espresso machine. We call this a fine grind—typically the second to finest setting on most grinders—as it’s one step coarser than the “espresso grind.”

For detailed instructions on how to select, grind, and brew coffee with your moka pot, see our Moka Pot brew guide.

We should also mention that the Moka Pot is the primary method for making the delicious cuban espresso (Cafe cubano), which is discussed below.

Cafe cubano, or “Cuban espresso”, is a historic coffee beverage from Cuba brewed with a stovetop Moka Pot, known for its strong flavors and sweet, creamy foam known as espuma. Deriving its origins from the island’s production of both coffee and sugar cane, Cafe cubano combines its two key ingredients in a unique way. The sugar is vigorously whipped together with drizzles of coffee to form a thick and creamy espuma, which is then combined with the rest of the brewed coffee for a lively, sweet, and powerfully rich result.

Given the degree of external sweetness, it’s recommended to use a dark roast coffee for your Cafe cubano. French Roast (along with our Jaguar Espresso) are our darkest roasts here at Equator, although many cuban espresso aficionados would recommend the even-darker Italian Roast.

We recommend a fine grind with your favorite dark roast coffee for a flavorful Cafe cubano, but not quite as fine as we’d go for an espresso machine.

When one talks about making espresso, they likely have access to an espresso machine, which are coffee brewers specialize in brewing espresso. Although several sub-categories exist, all espresso machines run hot water at a high pressure through a compact puck of finely ground coffee to yield a highly concentrated coffee beverage that we all know as espresso. These machines also possess a steam wand that is capable of steaming and frothing milk, which is a fundamental step for making a latte, cappuccino, flat white, etc.

We wrote an article on how to choose the perfect espresso machine for your home, which is a great resource for getting to know the types of espresso machines and what features to look for. We typically recommend Breville as the most reliable and accessible manufacturer in the game, offering everything from the entry-level Bambino to the automated, touch-screen powerhouse of the Oracle Jet.

Lovers of a strong and rich cup of coffee that prefer a more manual and economic approach should check out the Bialetti Moka Express, which is the quintessential “stovetop espresso maker.” Its three-chamber design allows you to brew an espresso-like cup of coffee without the espresso machine price tag.