Happy National Espresso Day

A large majority of people depend upon their caffeine to make it through the day, myself included, as it is one of the most abused stimulants out there. Now we may not all depend on Espresso necessarily, but we have become a culture addicted to caffeine.

As much as I love my caffeine, I never realized that there was even a National Espresso Day. I learned some interesting things while researching this topic. Did you know that the word espresso comes from the Italian term “e’ spresso” meaning “quick in time” and that it had nothing to do with how the drink was made or the type of bean used? Neither did I!

The espresso machine was invented in 1901 by a guy named Luigi Bezzera, who was looking to minimize the amount of time his employees were taking on their coffee breaks. In one article I was reading, it explained that “High-pressure water comes into contact with the fresh-fine ground coffee beans resulting in a concentrated coffee brew along with the cream (the foam)! The crema is important as it balances the bitterness by adding a slightly sweet taste. The foam consists of oils and concentrated sugars from the beans!”

The article also suggested some ways in which to celebrate National Espresso Day, which included:

  • Having an espresso! (of course)
  • Requesting an espresso demo at your local coffee shop if you’re curious about the process. If they are not too busy that is, I must add.
  • Use espresso powder for baking (which I did not know existed!)
  • Try the espresso balsamic vinegar (again, never heard of it!)
  • Try the ‘caffe affogato’ which is a scoop of vanilla ice cream with a hot shot of espresso poured over it, (sounds delicious!)
  • Share your espresso love on social media, with pictures, recipes, or blogs! Don’t forget to use #NationalEspressoday & #EspressoDay when doing so!
  • Treat a friend, family member, or co-worker is a suggestion that I would like to add to the list. If you don’t think you care for espresso, as I thought, good news is, that it is also the base ingredient in cappuccino, lattes, and macchiatos, so enjoy!

And here are some interesting facts about National Espresso Day the article mentioned:

  • Your one espresso shot needs 50 coffee beans
  • You need to consume ground coffee freshly brewed as it loses its flavor within an hour! That’s why it’s consumed like shots!
  • Espresso was not invented as a type of coffee, but rather a process of brewing coffee using high-pressure hot water and ground coffee beans for about 30 seconds
  • If you want your Espresso to have the perfect flavor, gently stir it before consuming it!
  • Italians like their espresso with medium roast coffee beans while Americans like it dark roast!
  • After oil, the largest traded commodity across the world is coffee!
  • Espresso contains less caffeine and more fat per cup than your regular black coffee
  • International space station astronauts can enjoy freshly brewed espresso since 2015!
  • The prices of espresso are regulated by the government in Italy just like wine in France

While the espresso machine was invented to speed up the worker’s coffee breaks, let us not forget to slow down when needed, always be kind to ourselves as well as others, and to enjoy an espresso on November 23! I know I’ll be enjoying my Iced Carmel Macchiato, have a good week!

Lindsey Crawford
GSC Secretary

National Espresso Day- Things Everyone should know. National Days Today. (2020, November 19). Retrieved November 14, 2021.