It really didn't dawn on me until I had purchased my first espresso coffee machine that the vernacular similar to that used among traditional coffee drinkers and baristas well versed in the art of brewing espresso coffee had an entirely different meaning. For example, the word 'cup' used among traditional Starbucks coffee drinkers and an average lay person is normally associated with a 6-8 ounce cup of coffee not to mention the majority of people consider a cup equal to 8-ounces of liquid whereas an espresso coffee aficionado defines a cup to be a single shot of espresso consisting of one fluid ounce of liquid. As for the word 'crema', it denotes the thick foam sitting atop an espresso regardless of the number of shots brewed. Needless to say, I can almost assure you that unless you happen to be a barista well versed in the art of brewing an espresso, the average person who patronizes Starbucks for the occasional espresso based coffee beverage as well as the individual who recently transitioned from traditional coffee to an espresso based coffee beverage such as a Caffe Latte or Americano, is not going to be privy to the meaning of the word 'cup' as it pertains to an espresso much less familiar with coffee to water ratios nor capable of converting grams to tablespoons when it comes to adding dry ground coffee to a portafilter basket. Portafilter what you ask? The point is, whether you happen to be a new or occasional espresso coffee drinker or one who has recently transitioned to drinking or contemplating brewing an espresso, you need to forget everything you've learned to date about traditional coffee and learn everything you can about the art of brewing an espresso especially if you ever hope to brew your own.

To simplify the process, all one really needs to know is the exact amount of dry ground coffee required in tablespoons and amount of hot water required in ounces to brew a single cup/shot or double cup/shot of espresso whereby a single cup/shot requires 1/2 tbsp of dry ground coffee plus one fluid ounce of hot water. This being the case, simply double the amount of coffee to 1-tbsp and hot water to 2-fluid ounces to brew a double shot of espresso while preserving a coffee to water ratio of 1:2 transparently without having to verify the amount of coffee to water in grams, a real conundrum at best attempting to convert a liquid, water into grams. On the other hand, to increase/decrease the strength of an espresso, simply add more dry ground coffee maintaining the same amount of hot water in ounces or add more hot water while maintaining the same amount of coffee in tablespoons or fraction thereof.