Can you make espresso with regular coffee

That was a question asked in the server log today. By "regular coffee" I'm presuming the questioner meant coffee beans that aren't specifically an espresso roast, such as say "French Roast".

Well you can certainly grind the beans and pull a shot, but it's not likely you will get good crema production, or any crema at all, and that's what espresso is all about, right? I have tried it myself, of course, and normally end up with a cup of black coffee without crema which is very unsatisfying when you are hoping for that elixar of espresso coffee. I have managed to squeeze a little crema out by grinding the beans more finely than I normally would and tamping with my full body weight.

So, answer to the question is basically "No, you can't use regular coffee beans to make espresso". Buy espresso roast beans from a premium roaster such as Espresso Vivace Rosteria in Seattle. You can order online.