espresso

/ɛsˈprɛsoʊ/

/ɛˈsprɛsəʊ/

Other forms: espressos

Espresso is an Italian style of coffee that's brewed very strong and served in a small cup. When you add steamed milk to espresso, you get a latte or a cappuccino.

Espresso is different from regular American coffee in many ways. It's typically made using dark roasted coffee beans that are very finely ground and brewed in a special espresso machine that forces hot water at high pressure through the ground coffee. The resulting espresso is dark, ideally with a layer of creamy-colored "crema" on the top. In Italian, espresso means "pressed out," from the Latin exprimere, "squeeze out."

Definitions of espresso

1. noun

   strong black coffee brewed by forcing hot water under pressure through finely ground coffee beans
   types:

   caffe latte, latte

   strong espresso coffee with a topping of frothed steamed milk

   type of:

   coffee, java

   a beverage consisting of an infusion of ground coffee beans