Short simple answer.

Coffee beans are all the same!

The different coffee drinks are made by different grinding and brewing techniques.

Q. Is there any basis for such a claim?
A. Yes!

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The beans are the same, the roast and grind are different. YOu can use espresso roast coffee beans to make normal coffee, just grind them medium to fine. If you want to make espresso, you will need an espresso grinder that can grind the beans very fine and to a consistent sized particle.

Coffee is made from any single origin or blend of coffee beans. Roast varies flavor, as does brewing method.

Espresso is just coffee brewed under pressure. You can use an espresso machine or stove-top Moka pot to brew it. Espresso machines require much finer & more consistent grind of the beans. I prefer city to full city roast (still has origin flavors).

Most espressos are made with a blend of several beans (often including Robust beans for bite & crema), Contrary to popular belief, espresso is not made with a darker roast. You can use the same roasts as regular coffee. In fact “espresso roast” is actually too dark for a good espresso.

The term espresso refers to the method of making the coffee, not the beans or how they are roasted. Nevertheless, espresso normally employs beans that are roasted more than regular coffee beans and then finely ground. The espresso part of the equation is injecting very hot, pressurized water through the grind to produce a dark, rich cup of coffee in a fraction of the time of regular coffee. A cup of espresso has about the same amount of caffeine as a regular cup of coffee BUT a “cup” of espresso is approximately 2 oz. as compared to a 6 oz. cup of regular coffee. Thus, ounce for ounce, espresso has notably more caffeine.

Espresso is ground much finer than regular coffee. It also is a darker roast.