Page 4 - Coffee Facts

Fresh coffee beans taste fuller and richer than coffee pods, but pods are quicker and easier. If you love a real espresso, you'll notice the difference straight away. Still, many people choose pods for the convenience and consistent quality. Here you'll read how both options score on flavour, ease of use, price and sustainability, so you know which coffee suits your daily ritual best.

What's the difference between coffee pods and fresh coffee beans?

The difference between coffee pods and fresh coffee beans lies in freshness and the way the coffee is prepared. Coffee pods contain ground coffee that's sealed in an airtight capsule immediately after roasting. That's convenient, but the flavour is less lively than freshly ground beans. Fresh coffee beans are only ground just before brewing, preserving aromas and oils better.

There's also a difference in experience. With coffee pods, you just press a button and your espresso is ready within seconds. With fresh beans, you control the grind size,

The difference between espresso and filter coffee mainly lies in the brewing method. Espresso is made under high pressure, while filter coffee slowly drips through by gravity. This makes espresso taste strong and concentrated, whereas filter coffee is soft and clear. Both brewing methods bring out different flavours, but which one suits you best?

How are espresso and filter coffee brewed?

The biggest difference between espresso and filter coffee is how the water passes through the coffee. Espresso is brewed under high pressure, while filter coffee slowly drips through by gravity.

For an espresso, hot water is forced through finely ground coffee at about 9 bar pressure. This happens in just 25 to 30 seconds. That short extraction time creates an intense, concentrated flavour with a full body and a lovely creamy layer.

With filter coffee, water slowly passes through a filter with coarser ground coffee. The brewing time is between 2 and 4 minutes, allowing the flavours to develop gradually.

An espresso macchiato and a cortado look similar at first glance: small coffee drinks with espresso and milk. Yet the difference lies in the ratio, flavour and even the origin. While the macchiato comes from Italy and contains just a spot of milk, the cortado is Spanish and much smoother due to the almost equal amount of milk and espresso.

What is an espresso macchiato?

An espresso macchiato is an espresso with a small 'spot' of milk or milk foam.

The word macchiato literally means "spotted" in Italian. So the espresso is "spotted" with a dollop of milk foam or a small splash of warm milk. This hardly changes the flavour but softens the sharp edge of the espresso just a little.

In Italy, the macchiato is mainly enjoyed by people who love the intensity of espresso but want just that tiny bit of softness. It's served in a small cup and remains a compact, powerful drink.

What is a cortado?

A cortado is an espresso diluted with almost equal parts warm milk.

The word cortado comes from Spanish

A 60 ml espresso contains on average just 1 calorie. That's almost nothing, as this coffee mainly consists of water with a hint of oil and sugars from the espresso bean. But what about when you order a double espresso? And what happens to the calorie count if you add milk or sugar?

How many calories are in a double espresso (doppio)?

A double espresso contains on average 2 calories. A doppio is simply two shots of espresso in one cup. Because twice as much coffee is used, the calories double too. Still, the amount remains low: even with 2 kcal it's negligible in your daily diet.

The same applies here: as long as you drink the doppio black, it remains one of the "lightest" coffee drinks you can order.

The espresso: a low-calorie coffee

An espresso is not only small and powerful, but also almost calorie-free. With just 1 kilocalorie per shot, it's one of the lightest coffee drinks you can enjoy. Even a double espresso barely adds any calories.

Only when you add milk, sugar or syrups does