What is espresso? How it differs from regular coffee

Espresso is a small, concentrated coffee made by forcing hot water through finely ground, tightly packed beans under pressure. It is a way of brewing, not a kind of bean or a roast, and it is the base of most of the drinks on a cafe board: latte, cappuccino, flat white, mocha and more. Third-party listings name all of those drinks on the menu of Lucid Cafe in Murray Hill, as recorded in November 2026, which makes espresso the place to start when you read it.

What is espresso, exactly?

Espresso is coffee brewed under pressure so that a small amount of water pulls out a lot of flavor in under a minute. Regular brewed coffee uses gravity or a long soak, while espresso uses a pump or a lever to push hot water through a compact puck of ground coffee.

The result is a short drink with a thick body and a layer of foam on top. A single serving is small, often about 30 milliliters (one fluid ounce) in the traditional sense, though cafes vary. Because it is concentrated, it tastes bolder and more bitter-sweet than a mug of filter coffee, and it carries flavors that are closer to syrup than to tea.

Any bean can be used. What makes it espresso is the grind, the pressure and the short brew time, not the label on the bag.

How is espresso made?

An espresso machine grinds coffee fine, packs it into a handled basket, and pushes water at roughly nine bars of pressure through it for about 25 to 30 seconds. Those figures are typical targets that cafes tune from day to day rather than fixed rules.

The steps are the same in almost every cafe:

1. Grind the beans fine, much finer than for drip coffee.
2. Weigh the dose into the basket and level it.
3. Tamp the grounds into an even puck so the water meets equal resistance everywhere.
4. Lock the basket into the machine and start the pump.
5. Stop the shot when the liquid in the cup reaches the target weight or time.

If the water rushes through, the shot tastes thin and sour. If it crawls, the shot tastes harsh and burnt. Much of a barista’s skill is adjusting the grind and dose until the shot lands in the middle.

What is crema, and does it matter?

Crema is the reddish-brown foam that sits on a fresh shot, and it is a sign of fresh beans and good pressure, not a measure of flavor on its own. It forms when pressure dissolves gas from the beans into the water and the coffee oils stabilize the bubbles.

Crema fades within a minute or two, which is why espresso is usually drunk quickly. It tastes slightly bitter by itself, so some people stir it into the shot and others scoop it off. Very dark roasts and some robusta blends make thick crema, and very fresh beans make more of it than stale ones, so a thick layer is a hint rather than proof of quality.

What is the difference between a single, double, ristretto and lungo?

These words describe how much water runs through the same coffee, and how much coffee goes in. A single is the traditional small serving, a double uses roughly twice the coffee, a ristretto is a shorter and sweeter pull, and a lungo is a longer and more bitter one.

The doppio and the double are the same idea under an Italian name. If you ask for a “shot” in a modern cafe, you are most likely to be given a double, so ask if the size matters to you.

Is espresso stronger than regular coffee?

Espresso is stronger in concentration, but a typical cup of brewed coffee often contains more total caffeine because the cup is larger. Strength can mean taste, body or caffeine, and these do not move together.

In general terms, a single shot holds less caffeine than a large mug of filter coffee, and a double shot holds a comparable amount to a small mug. Exact numbers vary with the bean, the dose and the brew method, so treat any quoted figure as approximate. If you are watching your caffeine for any reason, ask a medical professional rather than relying on a general guide like this one.

Roast also confuses the picture. Dark roasts taste stronger, but roasting does not add caffeine, and a lighter roast measured by weight can hold about the same.

What drinks are made with espresso?

Most cafe drinks are espresso plus something: milk, water, chocolate or ice. The ratio of those parts is what separates one drink from another.

Menu details matter when you order. A flat white and a latte are close, but a flat white is usually smaller and more coffee-forward.

What espresso drinks are on the Lucid Cafe menu?

On its menu as recorded in November 2026, third-party listings name a Flat White, a Cappuccino, a Latte and a Mocha, with the Mocha listed with Belgian dark chocolate. An Iced Coffee is named too. The menu is partial because it comes from Spinach.guide and Atly rather than from the cafe itself, and no prices have been published or confirmed.

The specialty lattes the listings name, such as the Lavender Latte, Matcha Latte and Golden Turmeric Latte, are different. The matcha latte is a tea drink and the turmeric latte is a spice drink, so neither is necessarily built on espresso. Ask the staff how a specific drink is made. The cafe’s coffee roaster is not confirmed: a 2013 review named Counter Culture, which is too old to rely on.

Lucid Cafe is a very small, mostly takeout shop, so a short, clear order helps. See the menu page for every item listed and the hours and location page for when it is open.

How do you order espresso so you get what you want?

Name the drink, the size if it has one, the milk and whether it is hot or iced. Baristas work fast, and the default answers differ between cafes, so being specific is the quickest route to the drink you imagined.

• Want it straight: ask for an espresso or a double espresso, and say if you prefer ristretto.
• Want it long and black: ask for an Americano.
• Want milk: pick a latte for mild, a cappuccino for foam, or a flat white for a stronger coffee taste.
• Want plant milk: say oat or almond. Lucid Cafe is reported by Spinach.guide to offer oat milk and house-made almond milk.
• Want to know the details: ask whether the drink uses a single or a double shot. This changes strength more than any other choice.

If you pay by card, remember the $5 minimum reported by a directory listing and a 2013 review, which is easy to reach with a drink and a muffin.

Where does the word espresso come from?

The word is Italian, and it is usually explained as meaning “pressed out” or “made just for you, quickly”. Sources offer both readings, and it is not settled which sense came first, so both appear in guides.

The first machines that forced steam or hot water through coffee appeared in Italy in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and the spread of the modern pump machine came after the middle of the twentieth century. Different histories credit different inventors and dates, so be cautious with any single “inventor of espresso” claim. What is not disputed is that the method turned a slow drink into one that can be made to order in under a minute, which is why it suits a busy counter.

How do you taste espresso properly?

Taste it fresh, hot and in small sips, and look for balance between sweetness, acidity and bitterness. A good shot has a sweet center, some brightness at the front and a short, clean finish.

Three quick checks help:

• Sour and thin usually means the shot ran too fast or the grind was too coarse.
• Harsh and drying usually means it ran too slow or too long.
• Flat and muddy can mean old beans or a dirty machine.

You do not need to fix any of this yourself at a cafe. If a shot tastes wrong, you can mention it politely, and many baristas will remake it.

Common questions

This article is general information from an independent guide, not from Lucid Cafe itself. For the store’s current details see hours and location.