Although making good quality espresso is an art, it doesn’t mean that only baristas can make great espresso worthy of your palate. What you really need to know is to understand the steps involved in making a very delicious tasting espresso. Basically, that involves a lot of groundwork and practice to produce the best results. In this article, we will look into the basic steps of making espresso with an espresso machine.
The best kind of espresso is the ones that are made fresh. Ideally, espressos made close to the roast date will produce the most desirable tasting espresso. If you have freshly roasted coffee beans you will need to grind the beans on your own which can be easily done using an inexpensive coffee grinder. A great coffee grinder to consider is the Krups Fast Touch Coffee Grinder. However, choosing one with an electric blade can leave a burnt taste to it this making it harder to obtain a consistent grind quality.
Other alternatives include Capresso’s Infinity Burr Grinder which is a bit more expensive. A good grind must be about the thickness of sugar. This should be a coarse grind with water running through quickly to get the correct components. Take care that the grind consistency is not too fine. When it is too fine, brewing will take longer and the coffee will taste bitter. In some cases, espresso machines will get jammed if the grind consistency is too fine.
When making espresso with an espresso machine, a good brew must not be bitter. Make sure that the water you use is purified and free of pollutants or minerals. The temperature of the water should be roughly 90 degrees C or 200 degrees F. Boiling water should not be used because it can interfere with making good quality coffee. The correct amount of ground coffee bean is around 7 grams for a single shot or 14 grams for a double shot.
Besides the right temperature, grind quality, you need to consider the pressure, the grind and the time it takes for the espresso to deliver your espresso. Once you are happy with the grind, it can be packed into a portafilter of your espresso machine with a tamper. The tamper is actually a flat object that is specially designed to fit into the interior section of your portafilter. It is made to shrink the grounds to a thickness to create the right portion of water resistance when it is pushed through the grind by the machine’s pressure.
Once you’ve done that, put your cup beneath the brew basket and it should take about five to ten seconds to get the first few drops and twenty to twenty-five seconds to get one or even two ounces. The grinding and tamping will allow you to meet the right time to get all your shots ready. A little too fast will make your brew too bitter while a little too slow will make it too dilute. A great looking espresso will appear hazel brown in colour with a layer of crema on top once it is finished.
Here’s A Video On How To Make Espresso
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post. Leave a comment and tell me what you think!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Interesting information! Thanks!
Glad you like it.. See you around
{ 1 trackback }