Every cup of coffee has a tale to tell.

An intriguing tale that begins with the growing and picking of coffee beans in very diverse countries and parts of the world. From these countries the coffee then travels in order to continue the saga of how it is blended, roasted, and ground.

However true it may be that behind every cup of coffee there lies an evocative and charming tale, behind every cup of "espresso" there lies a good deal more! Espresso is coffee that is made "expressly for you", quickly and individually. It is the coffee that "cannot wait" but is meant to be drunk right away. And you only have to wait a few seconds while the coffee is being prepared in order to appreciate all the freshness of its flavor and aroma.

Espresso coffee is brewed by means of a special technique that uses very high water pressure, making it possible to obtain a beverage that is at one and the same time concentrated, full in body, and rich in flavor and aroma. This brewing technique brings out the best from the coffee itself, extracting 25% of the substance of the ground coffee beans as opposed to 20% for filtered coffee.

The most important advantage of this extraordinary process stems from the capacity, which is unique to espresso, of obtaining an emulsion of the oils present in the ground coffee.

Thanks to this emulsion process espresso coffee delights us with its three unmistakable traits: a) its cream: namely, the foam that characteristically tops every good cup of espresso; b) its body: the emulsion of the oils gives the coffee a fullness of body that cannot be obtained with any other coffee brewing technique; c) its aroma: the greater richness in the aroma of espresso is due to the presence of the cream which prevents the volatile substances from dispersing into the air immediately after the preparation of the coffee.

In addition, when compared to other methods of coffee preparation, espresso also turns out to have a lower concentration of caffeine thanks to the shorter contact between the water and the ground coffee (20 to 30 seconds as opposed to 4-5 minutes for filtered coffee) as well as to the smaller amount of water that is used.

Espresso coffee was born in the second half of the last century. According to legend, it was actually dreamt up by a Neapolitan who grew impatient at the long wait for coffee brewed at home in the traditional way. The first prototype of the espresso machine was presented in Paris in 1855. Since that time the design of espresso makers has undergone a constant evolution along the road to arriving at its contemporary commercial and domestic forms, which enable any and all to brew an excellent cup of espresso coffee.

The best proof of the superiority of espresso coffee is to be found in the commercial success that this product has claimed the world over. Today in the best restaurants, hotels, and bars throughout the world it is possible to enjoy an "espresso", and more and more consumers have also chosen this type of coffee maker for use at home.

Italy is the homeland of espresso coffee and Naples is its privileged birthplace. In fact, with the passing of time the Neapolitan tradition has developed a very specific and recognized ability in the selection of raw coffee beans, in the knowledgeable blending of the best coffees from different lands, and in the roasting and grinding of coffee in order to brew an espresso that is especially rich in flavor and aroma, graced with a delicate but well-defined body.

The Secretes of an Excellent Neapolitan "Espresso"

An excellent cup of espresso is the result of the perfect combination of at least five factors:

1. The blend must reflect a fine balance between flavor and aroma, which is obtained by mixing the best coffees from different parts of the world (for example, Brazilian coffees are more balanced but have less aroma, whereas those from Central America have more aroma but are also more acidic). The Kimbo blends are obtained by carefully proportioning the best strains in order to offer you coffees with an unique and unmistakable flavour that represent the essence of the long famed Neapolitan taste in espresso coffee.

2. The level of roasting is crucial in bringing out the aroma of the coffee. If the coffee beans are over-roasted it will have a burnt flavor, whereas if the coffee is roasted too lightly it will have less body and will be more acidic. The roasting of Kimbo coffee, based on the Neapolitan style of roasting, is its true strong point, striking a perfect balance between body and aroma.

3. The grinding of the coffee beans, also a factor of crucial importance, makes for a greater contact between water and coffee and thus enhances the dissolving of the soluble substances, without however making the powder so fine as to impede the flow of the water through the coffee and the filter. At Kimbo, the process of grinding the roasted coffee is carried out with an extremely high degree of attention and quality control.

4. The coffee brewer : Two kinds of machine may be used for the preparation of a good Neapolitan espresso:

5. The Right Touch: the role of the person who makes the coffee is crucial in making sure that all of the above mentioned steps are correctly followed in preparing the coffee.