Espresso as a colour name reflects the cultural centrality of coffee in contemporary life. Espresso coffee was developed in Italy in the early 20th century and its distinctive near-black colour became a design reference point — particularly as coffee culture spread globally from the 1990s onward.

Deep, sophisticated, and grounding. Espresso is black without commitment — it retains the warmth and earthiness of brown while approaching the depth of black. Associated with morning ritual, stimulation, and the particular aesthetic of contemporary coffee culture. Used in design, it conveys seriousness and sophistication without the severity of pure black.

The global spread of espresso coffee culture from Italy through the world created a shared aesthetic language around near-black browns. Starbucks, which standardised a certain corporate coffee aesthetic globally from the 1990s, made espresso-toned interiors and packaging ubiquitous. The "third wave coffee" movement subsequently used espresso brown in more refined, minimal design contexts.