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Even the most ardent espresso loyalists can't argue with the fact that making espresso at home is a lot of work without a machine. Though various forms of equipment can help you make a shot of espresso, like a moka pot or a drip maker, it needs good quality coffee beans (or coffee grounds), a good brewing recipe, knowledge of ratio and a good technique, which can often frustrate novices.
What if you had a ready-to-use decoction which you could blend in with milk or water? That's essentially what coffee concentrates are. Both espressos and concentrates are concentrated forms of coffee but differ in taste and profile.
Coffee concentrate is made by placing coarsely ground coffee beans in cold water following which they are left to brew. It results in a highly concentrated liquid, which when diluted can be easily used to replace a shot of espresso. Not to mention it's stronger than espresso and does not have the bitterness.
Coffee concentrates tend to have a higher caffeine content. They are made with cold water and go through a slow brewing process, whereas espresso is made with a faster technique. It uses pressurised steam to force hot water through closely packed coffee grounds; it's a fast process but the slow brewing technique leaves concentrates more potent.
How To Use Coffee Concentrates?
Coffee concentrates usually come in liquid form in bottles or capped packs and you can also get flavoured varieties. Simply mix it in with cold milk and sugar if you’re trying to make a cold coffee. For hot coffee, use warm milk and water and for black coffee, use one part coffee to four parts water. If you’re making coffee concentrate at home, making it in a large batch could save you time.
The trick to moderating the strength of your coffee concentrate is adjusting the water ratio. The less the water, the stronger the concentrate, Cover the whole mixture and let it steep for around 24 hours, and use a fine mesh sieve or filter to strain. It takes roughly thirty minutes for the coffee concentrate to seep through. You will notice that coffee concentrates taste noticeably less bitter than espressos, in spite of being more potent than them. Coffee concentrates are healthier than espressos as well since the filtering process gets rid of substances known as diterpenes, which can increase your LDL cholesterol.
