With the culinary industry blooming and opening its arms to experimentation and modern needs, the position of coffee has also elevated from being "just a beverage" to "The beverage". People are now waking up to different ways of drinking coffee. In fact according to the coffee statistics from ICO, around the world, we pour about 1.4 billion cups of coffee in a day, and India is among the world’s fastest-growing markets for packaged coffee.
Every caffeine lover has his preferential method to brew his favorite cup of coffee. Over the last few years, filter coffee has again become “the cool way to drink coffee” in the busy modern world and is often deemed by many as the “best” way to drink coffee, whereas, Espresso has its own loyal fan base of coffee drinkers.
But what’s the real difference between these two, if any? From taste to texture and the method of brewing, let's find out.
One surprising fact is that both Filter coffee and Espresso come from the same coffee bean. It's just the difference in the quality of their grinds and in their brewing times that makes them enjoyable in different ways.
1. The Brewing Method
The brewing of Filter coffee involves pouring hot water over coffee grounds which drains through the grounds, facilitating extraction, and dispenses it into a carafe placed below.
There is no pressure to quicken the extraction, so it takes more time and water to produce a rich, smooth, and balanced mug of filter coffee.
The brewing of Espresso involves forcing near-boiling water through fine coffee grounds using intense pressure of 8-10 bars.
This pressure causes the water to extract sugars, oils, solids, and other flavourful compounds from the grounds producing a flavor-dense shot of espresso.
2. The Brewing Time
Wondering how long will your coffee take?
The process to make Filter Coffee begins with wetting the grounds and letting the coffee “bloom” for at least 30 seconds. This allows the release of carbon dioxide and stimulates better water flow during the process. The remainder of the post-bloom process takes about 11/2 to 2 minutes. So you will most likely get your coffee within 15-20 minutes.
The Italians stand firm to the name as Espresso means Express, and a shot can be prepared within 25 to 30 seconds. While making a milk-based coffee, steaming and pouring that milk takes mere seconds which places our preparation time at about a minute.
3. Texture & Flavour
Filter coffee has a smooth, light texture and can be prepared in 15-20 minutes. It is less concentrated than espresso, which makes the drink less intense.
Espresso has an intense but balanced flavor. It has crisp acidity, a pleasant sweetness, and gives a syrupy feel to the mouth. Each shot of espresso has a symphony of bold flavors and aromas.
Filter or Espresso: Which coffee is better?
With a clean, smooth, and less acidic taste, filter coffee is a more precise way to taste the different nuances of a coffee whereas, because of the thick, syrupy nature of espresso, it is a wonderfully quick way to achieve your necessary caffeine intake.
Try our authentic South Indian Trelish Filter Coffee to make amazing recipes with it apart from a cup of filter coffee! Check out our recipes section and try them out with Trelish!