Coffee Guide
What is an Espresso Con Panna?
The Espresso con Panna means “espresso with cream” in Italian. Before baristas everywhere were putting whipped cream on lattes, Espresso con Panna was served in Europe with real whipped cream on an espresso shot in a demitasse. This drink is also popular in France and Budapest. We would recommend this drink for quite times and a good book.
Espresso Con Panna Recipe
This simple Espresso Con Panna recipe will add some sweetness and energy to your day. Enjoy this italian-inspired drink on a break or weekend.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Whipped cream
- 2 oz Long or short shot of espresso
How to Make
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Pull your espresso shot
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Whip cream until stiff peaks form
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Dollop whipped cream on your espresso
Recipe Notes
The whipped cream you can whisk by hand or an electric mixer until it is light and fluffy. It can be sweetened or flavored with vanilla, maple syrup or sugar and it is often called by the name of Chantilly cream or the French version creme Chantilly.
Beating on high for about one minute will give you a moderate to stiff peaks. For the most traditional Espresso con Panna you can make, use a heavy cream but we won't blame if you for using a low-fat version.
The Espresso
The Espresso con Panna depends on a high quality, straight up great espresso. We would suggest you use a silver espresso roast with its smooth aftertaste and low acidity. It can be created using a long espresso shot, regular or short. The long espresso or Luongo has a coarser grind which decreases the dose and increases the flow of the espresso.
The volume is 60 ml, twice that of an average espresso shot which is 30 ml. The short espresso or ristretto has a finer grind to it, this increases the dose and restricts the flow, the volume will be half that of an espresso shot or 15 ml. What you make will depend on your preference.
Once you have chosen a high-quality bean for your espresso and decided what kind of shot you would like to pull there are other things to consider for a great espresso shot such as; quality of water, correct tamping of the espresso and water pressure. Always use filtered water in your espresso machine for a clean, crisp taste.
When tamping, ensure the portafilter is clean and use about 30 lbs of pressure to tamp the espresso firmly and give it a little twist at the end to catch the stray grinds. Tamping in this way will ensure the hot water runs through the entire portafilter evenly leading to a smooth taste.
Espresso Con Panna with Coffee
While the original recipe calls for espresso, you can also make this with a strong-brewed coffee, as an Coffee Con Panna. Brewers like the My Cafe from Bunn allow you to control the strength of the brew by filling the reservoir with each drink. That means if you only put in 60 ml of water, it will only brew 60 ml of drink.
Some models also have a pulse brew option, allowing more contact time with the water and beans, and extracting more coffee solubles.
Coffee Con Panna Recipe
Instead of 2 oz (60 ml) of espresso, this recipe can be made with 4 oz (120 ml) hot brewed coffee.
Ingredients
- 4 oz Coffee hot brewed
- 4 tbsp Whipped cream
How to Make
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Brew your coffee
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Whip cream until stiff peaks form
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Spoon whipped cream onto coffee
Recipe Notes
This is a scaled-up version of the Espresso Con Panna, but the ratios remain the same.
