WhatIsEspresso?AnInvitationtoaCupatJuliusBüyükada

Espresso is a concentrated drink made by forcing hot water — at around 9 bars of pressure — through finely ground coffee. The brew takes about 25–30 seconds and produces a small but powerful 25–30 ml cup.

The creamy, light-brown foam on top is called crema. It's the first sign of a well-made espresso — visually and in terms of flavour. No crema usually means the beans are stale, the grind is off, or the extraction time wasn't right.

Espresso is also the foundation of many other drinks: latte, cappuccino, flat white, americano — all built on espresso. That's why "a place that makes espresso well makes everything else well too" is nearly universal in the specialty coffee world.

A filter coffee uses around 250–300 ml of water; espresso uses just 25–30 ml. Same beans, far less water, much shorter time, much higher pressure. That concentration is what gives espresso its character: dense, slightly bitter, but with fruit, chocolate, and a lingering depth in quality beans.

Worth noting: an overly bitter espresso is a poorly made espresso. Excess bitterness usually comes from over-extraction or stale beans. In a good espresso, bitterness stays in the background while sweetness and body lead.

At Julius Büyükada we work with our own custom espresso profile — balanced, familiar, and built around full body, chocolate-caramel notes, and a gentle but clear depth. It holds up both as a straight shot and as the base for milk drinks.

Our goal isn't just a strong shot; it's an espresso language that belongs to Julius — one you'll remember after the first taste. That's the spirit behind Coffee 101: an invitation to read your cup a little more consciously.

Drinking coffee here feels different from the city. Seven or eight minutes on foot from the pier, you arrive at Julius — no car noise, no horns, just footsteps, sea air, and the occasional gull.

For morning visitors, that first espresso at the end of the walk becomes something of a ritual. The cup arrives; there's no hurry. Büyükada won't allow it. Julius's chocolate, caramel, and slightly nutty profile fits that tempo very well.

There's no universal answer — it depends on your palate. A short guide: if you want something intense, concentrated, and small, espresso is the right call. If you want a longer, more diluted cup with fruit notes in the foreground, filter coffee — especially pour over — is the better choice.

We go deeper on the comparison here: Filter Coffee vs Espresso.