Espresso is a popular caffeinated drink that is essentially concentrated coffee. It is usually consumed in 1oz - 2oz espresso cups, which is much smaller than a coffee cup. For reference, a typical Canadian coffee is a 2-cup (8oz) mug.

Most people don't realize that there is no such thing as an "Espresso Bean", just an espresso roast. Espresso can be made from the same coffee bean as a regular coffee. What defines an Espresso is that it is roasted very dark, usually ground quite fine, and consumed concentrated (high grounds:water ratio). Because Espresso is concentrated, serving sizes are typically smaller than coffee serving sizes.

Most automatic or semi-automatic espresso machines have built-in burr grinders, which lets you order whole bean espresso and grind it yourself. Reducing the amount of time between grinding your espresso beans and actually using it to make an espresso results in a higher quality cup of espresso.

Espresso is a key ingredient in Lattes, when it is combined with frothed milk. Flavoured syrups are a popular addition to add distinctive flavours, and create holiday-themed drinks. Other hand-crafted drinks are made using Espresso as well, some of the more popular being Capuccinos, Macchiatos and Americanos.

The amount of caffeine in Espresso is generally lower than coffee because there is less water run through the grounds to extract the caffeine. Most single servings of Espresso will have anywhere from 30mg-45mg of caffeine compared to 80mg-120mg for a full coffee.

If you'd like to use a Fair Trade Organic bean for your lattes, you can head over to the Fair Trade Organic Coffee page and pick out the country of your choice, then select "Espresso Roast" and "Espresso Grind" (or whole bean) and we'll roast it dark for you.