Is Espresso Better For Your Stomach Than Coffee? Myth Busted


For some people, Espresso and coffee are interchangeable. After all, they’re both made from coffee beans, so what’s the difference? Well, there are several differences. 

The parts of a coffee bean are considered healthy and better for your stomach, like the oils and minerals, don’t get filtered out like they do in traditional coffee. As a result, Espresso gives you a much more concentrated health boost and is much better for you’re stomach than regular coffee.

What follows is a thorough breakdown of the differences between Espresso and coffee. Read on for how to make Espresso, all the health benefits of Espresso, and learn which has more caffeine: Espresso or coffee.

What Makes Espresso Different From Coffee?

Espresso and coffee come largely from the same coffee beans. The biggest difference is in the brewing method, which technically makes the drink Espresso instead of coffee. 

This leads to differences in taste, caffeine content, and nutritional profile.

How Do You Brew Espresso?

Espresso beans are usually ground much more finely than regular coffee beans. 

This means that when the Espresso is brewed (by forcing hot water through the grounds very quickly), the finer grounds allow plenty of the coffee content to end up in your cup. 

The shot of Espresso will be thicker and richer than coffee brewed by traditional methods.

Making Espresso does require a machine specifically designed for this purpose. 

The end result (because of how forcefully the water moves through the coffee grounds) is a coffee (Espresso) shot with a thin layer of foam on top (also known as crema).

It’s thick, rich, and has more flavor. Regular coffee, on the other hand, can be made in a variety of ways.

Water is rarely forced through the beans quite like it is with Espresso, and you can make coffee using just about whatever tools are at your disposal.

A standard cup of drip coffee simply lets the hot water move through the coffee grounds, brewing your cup of coffee in the process.

What Does Espresso Taste Like?

Because Espresso is so much more concentrated than standard coffee, it really enhances the flavors. 

Espresso is rich, creamy, and has a lot of depth of flavor. If you really like the qualities of a dark roast, you should give Espresso a try. 

Like dark roast, the beans used for Espresso are usually roasted for a long time, so they have some similar notes.

Very dark roasts are sometimes marketed specifically as espresso beans rather than as general coffee beans. 

This is because they work well for this purpose. The beans might also already be ground, using the finer texture that works well for Espresso.

What Is the Best Type of Coffee Bean For Espresso?

As discussed above, Espresso is often made with dark roasts, but there’s a little more to it than that. 

Espresso is generally made from Arabica coffee beans. Arabica beans (as opposed to Robusta coffee beans) are valued for their rich, smooth taste. 

Since this is exactly what should be enhanced in Espresso, it makes sense that Espresso uses Arabica beans.

Any time you’re looking for a really rich, fresh taste, you’ll want to use freshly ground beans if possible. 

You can either grind them yourself prior to brewing your coffee, or you can get them from a trusted or local supplier. 

The latter works especially well if you drink a lot of coffee and go through coffee grounds very quickly.

What Are the Health Benefits of Espresso?

Just like there are health benefits in coffee, there are also health benefits in Espresso. 

Because the grounds are finer and unfiltered, more of the coffee beans end up in the cup. 

This means that there are also a lot more benefits per ounce than there are for normal coffee.

Does Espresso Improve Long-Term Memory?

Espresso has been shown to help with long-term memory formation and recall. 

Specifically, people were given coffee while studying, then again during a test of recall. 

This significantly improved the results versus people who had no coffee or people who drank coffee only during the studying portion. 

More studies are needed, but just give it a try, and you can see the benefits for yourself! 

There aren’t too many studies that are safe enough to replicate at home.

Does Espresso Improve Your Focus?

Espresso is a great way to get a concentrated dose of caffeine, and that’s been shown repeatedly to help with concentration. 

When you’re tired, it’s easier for your mind to wander or to become stuck in unproductive circles. 

A slightly caffeinated mind, on the other hand, can keep better focused on a specific task. 

This can sometimes be especially true for people with ADHD, for whom it tends to increase their ability to focus drastically.

Does Espresso Have Antioxidants?

Antioxidants are one of the most beneficial properties of berries, and coffee beans contain plenty of these beneficial substances. 

Antioxidants can protect against things like cancer and diabetes, so they’re very important to include in your diet. 

Therefore, coffee has hydrocinnamic acids, polyphenols, and chlorogenic acid, which is a way of saying “really helpful antioxidants.” 

Espresso contains more of these compounds than regular coffee as a result of the grinding and brewing processes.

Does Espresso Have More Calories Than Coffee?

Espresso usually has less added to it (and often nothing added!) than the average cup of coffee. 

This makes it a fantastic choice for people watching their calorie intake since the average shot of Espresso has just a few calories for the entire drink. 

With a single ounce of Espresso, you can get a jumpstart from caffeine, a ton of flavor, and an insignificant number of calories. 

This is a great start to the day for most people, but especially people who are trying to watch their net calories.

Is Espresso Good For Digestion?

Espresso has anti-inflammatory properties, largely from the antioxidants. This means it can help you be less bloated. 

In addition, coffee can get things moving if your digestive system has slowed down. 

Many people use it as a regular, daily way to aid their digestion, drinking coffee at the same time every day.

Is Espresso A Mood Stabilizer?

Caffeine is a stimulant. This means it can help with things like mild depression or mild brain fog. 

It is not by any means a replacement for professional help or medication as needed, but it can be a temporary or mild boost. 

Often the simple presence of increased energy can be enough to help a slightly sour mood, especially after a rough night’s sleep.

What Are The Side Effects Of Espresso?

Any potential downsides to Espresso come back to the brewing method. 

Because there’s so much more concentrated coffee content, the negative effects of coffee can be magnified in some ways.

For instance, because more of the oils are included, there’s a higher risk of increased cholesterol. 

However, because Espresso is usually consumed in small amounts, that’s rarely a problem.

There is also the potential for overconsumption of caffeine with Espresso. Again, though, since it’s usually consumed just a shot at a time, that’s not too common a problem. 

Keep in mind your total caffeine intake if you have more than one espresso shot at a time.

On a more practical note, instead of on a health-related note, Espresso needs specific machinery to get just right. 

This means that your average coffee maker or the popular standard Keurig won’t give you a real cup of Espresso. 

Instead, you need a dedicated machine or you need to visit your local barista.

How Much Caffeine Is In a Shot of Espresso?

The average shot of Espresso has about 65 milligrams of caffeine. In comparison, the average cup of coffee has 95 milligrams of caffeine.

The average cup of tea has 20-47 milligrams of caffeine, depending on whether it’s black or green tea. 

This puts Espresso somewhere right in the middle for an entirely average serving when it comes to caffeine content.

Is There More Caffeine in Espresso Than in Coffee?

Whether there’s more caffeine in coffee or Espresso is a common question, and that’s partly because the answer is a little complicated. 

As discussed above, in the average serving of each, coffee has more caffeine. 

However, an average cup of coffee is eight ounces, whereas a shot of Espresso is just a single ounce. 

This means that, by the ounce, if you were to consume the same amount of each, Espresso would have more caffeine.

Since Espresso is essentially a concentrated coffee, this makes sense. As long as you’re sticking to standard servings, coffee has more caffeine, but ounce for ounce, Espresso has more caffeine as a result of its concentrated status.

What Is Espresso’s Acidity Level?

The acidity level of any cup of coffee varies according to what type of bean is used and how long the coffee beans were roasted. 

That said, since Espresso tends to be made with dark roasted Arabica coffee beans, the acidity is relatively low in a standard or traditional shot of Espresso. 

Some people, however, prefer more acidic, fruity Espresso made from a lighter roast. 

If you encounter a shot of Espresso that seems sour, this is probably what’s going on, and that shot of Espresso will have a higher acidity level than a traditional espresso shot.

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