An espresso machine brews coffee by forcing pressurised water near boiling point through a "puck" of ground coffee and a filter in order to produce a thick, concentrated coffee called espresso... espresso machines may be steam-driven, piston-driven, pump-driven, or air-pump-driven.

Espresso has 63 mg of caffeine in 1 ounce (the amount in one shot), according to nutrition data. Regular coffee, by contrast, has 12 to 16 mg of caffeine in every ounce, on average. That means that ounce for ounce, espresso has more caffeine.

The most important thing to remember is that espresso is not a form of coffee or a coffee bean. It's not a roast either. Espresso is the process of using hot forced water at high pressure to make very fine ground coffee. You don't need anything special and can use any kind of beans to use in your espresso machine.

The Italian word macchiato means “stained” or “marked”, hence the espresso macchiato name is translated to “marked coffee”. This delicious drink is a rich shot (or shots) of espresso marked with a dollop of frothed milk on top.

Espresso does not contain any milk. It is possible to add milk and milk foam to espresso but this will turn an espresso into a latte or cappuccino. Cappuccino and latte are made with espresso and milk but the combination goes by different names. If you order an espresso, it will never contain milk.

Cappuccino. A combination of equal parts espresso, steamed milk and milk froth. This hugely popular coffee drink has become a staple that even the most common of corner coffee shops carries.

Espresso grind needs to be a fine grain and blenders won't do the trick. Mincing them with a knife or crushing them with a mortar and pestle won't work well either. Luckily, we have a solution for you: use a burr grinder.

Macchiato: A shot of espresso with a dollop of milk foam. Macchiato means “mark” as in the espresso is marked with a dab of milk foam

1-2 shots of espresso are in lattes, while flat whites have 2 shots of espresso. Lattes and flat whites have the same type of textured milk—smooth and silky with a thin layer of microfoam. Lattes have more microfoam when you steam them, but that's only because they're bigger drinks and use more milk.

A traditional cappuccino has an even distribution of espresso, steamed milk, and foamed milk. A latte has more steamed milk and a light layer of foam. A cappuccino is distinctly layered, while in a latte the espresso and steamed milk are mixed together.