Espresso Cups in Singapore - All You Need to Know About Espresso & Its Health Benefits
If you’ve visited a cafe, it’s likely that you’ve seen those baristas holding those small coffee cups with a dark-coloured brew when making coffee. Well, these are essentially coffee in highly concentrated shots, beautifully grinded from coffee beans, also known as espresso.
With a single shot, it is equivalent to about 30 ml of coffee. While it can be drunk directly (sip them instead of taking a single mouthful), they are also used to create popular coffee beverages such as lattes, americanos and cappuccinos as well. Due to its highly concentrated nature, it is also often rich in aroma and they showcase a beautiful creamy texture.
Why is Espresso so popular?
Espresso is known for their strong fragrance and taste, making it a truly delicious coffee beverage. Besides this, they also help to boost energy due to the high amount of caffeine — yes, it is actually the most caffeinated ingredient in most coffees! This is especially great for coffee lovers who are looking for that extra boost in the morning. But that’s not all… espresso also packs several other health benefits in those lovely morning sips.
Health Benefits of Espresso
1. Helps in weight loss
An average shot contains about 2-3 calories, so you don’t have to worry about consuming excessive calories. Moreover, when you consume it, the caffeine ingredient triggers two hormones in your body, epinephrine and norepinephrine, to quickly break down fat. This can lead to an increase in your metabolism and subsequently loss in weight. Yet, at the same time, it still gives you a boost of energy — this means you can still work hard in physical activities without feeling tired.
2. Improves concentration
As our body naturally produces adenosine, one of the triggers of drowsiness and sleepiness in our body, the caffeine can help to naturally block these effects. This is because caffeine acts as a stimulant to increase your brain activity, which can lead to higher attentiveness, focus and better concentration.
3. Improves your mood
Some of you may have heard the saying that “coffee cures depression”. Well, the same can be said for espresso which can help to boost your mood. Caffeine tends to bind dopamine — a happy chemical in our brain — so that we feel happier. So with a shot in the morning, you can help to create natural feelings of positivity, happiness and motivation to start off your day.
4. Reduces the risk of diabetes
As caffeine influences your body’s response to insulin, it can help to lower your body’s insulin sensitivity. This means your cells will react and absorb lesser sugar than usual, during food consumption. So, drinking it is a way to reduce the risk of diabetes as you learn to control the absorption of sugar in your body with caffeine.
5. Provides high levels of antioxidants
Although small in volume, a shot can pack a punch with its high levels of antioxidants. This is especially important as we have to fight off health concerns such as cancer — they are usually caused by free radicals as they continue to build up daily in our bodies naturally as we consume food and drinks. However, with a cup daily, you can not only enjoy a delicious coffee drink in the morning, but you can also help to lower of risks of health problems associated with free radicals.
Cons of Overdrinking Espresso
While you’re enjoying the benefits and including this beverage in your daily morning routine, you’ll want to keep in mind to not overdrink it as well. Drinking too much may lead to higher cholesterol due to cafestol and kahweol. These ingredients may cause an increase in cholesterol levels, although not in a very large amount. That said, if you’re someone who already has high cholesterol, you might want to watch your intake by decreasing your consumption or stop consuming it entirely.
It’s crucial to also note that for coffee lovers out there, it can be quite bitter on its own. So you may want to add sugar to compensate for the lack of sweetness — but that means you’re increasing your sugar intake. And if you’d like a fancier drink such as lattes and cappuccinos, typically full-fat and cream milk will be used in the brewing, and this means you’re consuming an even higher intake of sugars and fat.
Like with all foods, it is best to drink mindfully to avoid weight gain and health-related complications.
Besides leveraging on the health benefits, you’ll want to also savour and enjoy the drinking experience completely. Yes, we mean espresso is not completed without the proper coffee cups.
After the coffee beans are grinded, it is dripped and commonly served in a Demitasse cup — a French word for half-cup. As a half-cup, the size of espresso cups is usually very small, in fact, half the size of a normal cup. With this unique feature, the layers of cream are compacted well together and will not spread out or become too thin, or else it will affect the coffee taste.
Additionally, a smaller cup would help it to retain heat longer, allowing you to sip your coffee slowly, while still being able to enjoy its rich aroma, creamy texture and deep flavour.
Types of Espresso Cups
While espresso cups can be small, that doesn’t mean we can’t serve them in different materials.
1. Ceramic or porcelain espresso cups
The most common type of espresso cups, as seen in most cafes and coffee shops, are ceramic or porcelain cups. Due to their wide variety of colours and designs, they easily complement any interior design, yet are still the to-go cup option. When paired with a saucer, ceramic and porcelain espresso cups also allow customers to enjoy side bites, or even add extra cubes of sugar to their coffee.
Aesthetics aside, ceramic and porcelain are great for retaining heat and ensuring your drink stays warm for a longer period of time. They are also durable, inexpensive and easy to clean — thus making them the favoured espresso cup for baristas and cafes around the world.
2. Glass espresso cups
Hot on the inside but cool on the outside, another type would be glass espresso cups. They help to retain heat for your coffee, and for an even longer period of time if your cup comes with a double-walled glass. With the double wall, you also need not worry about scalding your hands when making your espresso.
Apart from its heat retention properties, glass espresso cups are also safe to wash in the dishwater and to use in the microwave. Another pro of glass cups is due to its aesthetic appeal. With the transparent walls, you are able to view the beautiful cream and colours of your espresso shot, unlike other opaque cups.
3. Stainless steel espresso cups
The final type would be stainless steel cups. When compared to double-walled glass cups, they do not retain heat as well. However, they are much more durable and definitely less fragile. So if you’re a traveller or often worried about accidentally breaking your cups, you can always opt for a stainless steel cup instead.
For easy cleaning, stainless steel cups are also dishwasher safe, but they can sometimes leave a metallic taste in your coffee after prolonged usage. So to remove any metallic or unwanted taste, make sure your stainless steel cup is of high and good quality, if not, simply keep in mind to change your cups regularly.
Kruve Propel Espresso Cups
You don’t have to look very far for a quality espresso cup because the Kruve Propel Espresso Glass is available on our website! As a set of two, the PROPEL espresso glass comes with an elegant and functional design, providing you with smooth and aromatic coffee-drinking experience.
With the double-walled construction, rest assured that the glass is cool to the touch while keeping the temperature just right. It also features a robust amount of headspace to help capture and circulate the rich aroma of your espresso.
Other features include:
- Dishwasher safe
- Hand-blown glass
- Double to single wall
- But not microwave safe due to the gold leaf logo
If you’re interested in different brewing methods, you might want to check out our V60 brew guide. For those who prefer a cooler coffee experience, our cold brew coffee brew guide and article on the best cold brew coffee method might be of interest.
For espresso lovers, we have a detailed guide on how to enjoy an espresso with Cafelat Robot 101. If you’re new to coffee brewing, our comprehensive guide to coffee brewing is a must-read.
When it comes to grinding coffee, the choice between manual vs electric coffee grinders can make a significant difference in your coffee’s taste. And don’t forget the importance of coffee filter papers in brewing a perfect cup of coffee.
The Brew Therapy distributes wholesale coffee supplies for cafes in Singapore like coffee grinders from brands such as Timemore, Fellow, Sttoke and Hario. Shop for your coffee products today!
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