Did you ever walk into a specialty coffee shop and look at all those menu options and have no idea what you were going to get? Well, we’re going to clear up some of that stuff for you.

The first and most basic thing that you’re probably going to see on any specialty coffee shop menu is either listed as an espresso or a double espresso. What that is is just simply a really intense, flavorful, sweet hopefully, cup of coffee. It’s usually about one and a half to two ounces.

It’s brewed right in the espresso machine, and when you get it, you might get it served with a little bit of sparkling water on the side, which just really highlights a lot of the great flavors that are in an espresso.

An espresso is going to be intense with a lot of flavor, and there’s no milk added to it, but if you’ve never had just a straight-up espresso or double espresso, definitely recommend you try it, check it out. Any good specialty shop, it’s going to be a fantastic cup of coffee for you.

When you order your espresso, be sure to ask the barista what they’re using to brew the espresso. Espresso isn’t a type of bean, it’s a brewing method. The shop you’re at might have a single origin espresso (the beans are all from one country or farm). Or, they might be using an espresso blend – which is made up of coffee beans from all different areas. If you’re curious, our Forte Espresso blend is currently made up with coffee from Honduras and Sumatra.