The Great Expresso Debate
Filed under Peeves
I feel stupid almost every time I enter a coffee shop.
“Yes, I’d like a 16oz latte with 4 shots of espresso.”
“Sure.” the barista says.
He continues, talking to one of his co-workers, “Medium latte with four shots of expresso.”
“Got it, four shots of expresso.”
I always thought that the term was espresso (as in ES), but it turns out I’m wrong. The correct terminology for ordering my intense caffeine fix is not Espresso, but rather EXpresso (like expressway).
Ask just about anyone on the street: “Hey, what are those caffeine shots they put in coffee beverages?”
“Dude, everyone knows it’s expresso.”
Damn! How could I have been so freakin’ clueless this whole time?
You mean, every since I started experiencing the joy of overpriced coffee, I’ve been an idiot? Yep.
So next time you’re in that coffee shop, order your expresso with style and enunciate your sentence as if you were in slow motion, “Hi, I’d like an expresso.”
End of Sarcasm
You see, according to the Wiktionary (weird name, but okay), EXpresso is an alternate spelling of ESpresso.
Yep, you just read that right. For people who have trouble with putting the letter S after the E, there’s an alternative where you can put the X after the E (this could very well be the same situation where people replace the SK in ASK with an X). Convenient, right?
So the next time, someone says, “I’d like an expresso”, they’re right. They’re just using the “alternate” word that is technically correct.
However, I can still scoff and secretly call the person an idiot while I order my espresso.
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Aug06
Post Info
- Ronald Huereca
- 12:05 AM
- 12 Comments
- Permalink
August 6, 2010 at 12:04 pm
Here is a thought since you mentioned it. the original word for ask was AX. people think it is a mispronunciation when some say ax rather than ask (which it is) but they could be using the first original spelling. ha ha yea right. Strange but true!
August 7, 2010 at 8:35 am
It’s kind of like grey and gray – both are correct. Most preople spell the shade gray, I spell the shade grey.
August 9, 2010 at 10:44 pm
Just like color and colour. Both are correct. Or jewelry and jewellery.
August 12, 2010 at 8:27 am
This will be an ending spelling debate if they don’t know about this. But there’s a lot of word in English dictionary that got alternate spelling and if you’re not aware, you’ll surely think others are ‘idiot’ even they’ve used it correctly and vis versa. They will think the same way when they know a different correct spelling. I am thinking right now what the barista is thinking about you, Ron.
August 19, 2010 at 8:17 am
Hahaha.
There were a couple of times when I overheard someone having a problem with the EX and the ES. I always order a Frap but it’s a good thing you shared this.
August 25, 2010 at 4:44 am
It is a difficult one and Italian for sure, experts in coffee and coffee machines!!
That is why the confusion…in Italian the “X” is pronounced as “ks” so we are fortunate that the word espresso or expresso is not actually EKSPRESSO!!
August 25, 2010 at 3:05 pm
Why not just skip all the spelling hype..and order a good ol plain large coffee! EX or ES won’t matter and you get the same benefit without the hassle. I guess I’m just to “out of it” to understand.
Thanks.
August 25, 2010 at 8:54 pm
Coffee is like beer, wine or any other beverage.
There are those like my Wife who don’t understand why I’m not real fond of Maxwell House out of the larger #10 tin cans. To her coffee is coffee and she’s perfectly happy with whatever she gets from the local drive through.
But then there are those like me who like the flavor and aroma of really fresh coffee. To me a just opened can of Maxwell House is really great coffee but the moment air gets to the fresh grounds that wonderful aroma starts going away. And by the time you get 20% into the can, it’s just coffee!
I guess you would call someone like me a coffee snob. I can order a cup of coffee at a restaraunt and tell you from the aroma if the grounds are stale. If it’s not a “good cup of coffee” it’s going back and I’m ordering a diet soda or a beer. I’ve even had the waiter or waitress tell me “are you shure, we just made it fresh”. The pot may have just been made but the grounds were far from fresh.
I also like Expresso drinks for the same reason. The beans are ground fresh and a good machine extracts as much flavor and aroma as possible while leaving most of the bitterness behind.
Tom
September 18, 2010 at 6:16 am
keep it up. Thanks for sharing!
October 7, 2010 at 10:42 am
I guess the issue is Americans have their own version of the English language.
October 25, 2010 at 2:57 am
Ronald, you’re right. I heard “expresso” everywhere — mostly mispronounced by people who don’t have a feeling for language.
It is a very common thing though: Language gets less precise due to more and more people using it very carelessly.
It is Italian, it is espresso. And I like it best in Rome, where no one would say “expresso”.
-Frank
December 13, 2010 at 2:22 pm
Quite right!
“Espresso literally has three meanings: prepared ‘under pressure’, prepared ‘expressly’ for a person, or prepared ‘quickly’. ” – How to Make Really Good Coffee (Jessica Godfrey)
So if the above is correct according to the book, then “expresso” is also valid if you want it made quickly.