How to make espresso

How to make espresso (by "Raf")

1. What is espresso?

Espresso is commonly defined as 7g + 90°C + 9bar + 25s + 30ml. (with a 5% tolerance). This means:

• 7 grams of coffee
• with water of 90 degrees Celsius
• forced through the grounds at a pressure of 9 bar
• in 25 seconds

to get a 30 ml. cup.

Note: a lot of coffee afficionados use a double filter basket and pull what is really a double ristretto: some 30 -40 ml. of espresso, made with 14 grams (or even more) of coffee, with the other variables unchanged (9 bar, 90 Celsius, 25 seconds).

2. What do I need to make a decent espresso?

• An espresso machine that can deliver 9 bar of pressure on the grounds.
• Ideally, a burr grinder (for these requirements, see "FAQ on machines").
• Fresh coffee: roasted within a week or two of preparing the drink, freshly ground.

3. How do I go about it?

<ol style="list-style: lower-roman; list-style-type: decimal;">

grind coffee

loosely overfill the filter basket

gently shake the filter basket to distribute the grounds evenly in the filter basket. If necessary, use your fingers or the back of a measuring spoon to distribute the grounds.

sweep off the excessive grounds (you can sweep them back into the doser if you will pull another shot soon)

knock the portafilter on your counter and tamp. Use some 20 pounds of pressure (practise with a bathroom scale if necessary).

remove any stray grounds from the portafilter: these will wear out your gaskets.

lock the portafilter.

press button / switch lever. The stream(s) from your portafilter should be thick and wobbly, and look like foamy honey. If your shot comes out too fast, grind finer. Do not try to compensate by tamping harder, as this is much harder to do.

Test your espresso by pouring a small spoon of sugar on the crema: it should stay on top of the crema for a while.

Editorial footnote

How to pull espresso shots is a matter about which there is a variety of opinions concerning variations in technique. This is one man's attempt to provide some simple instructions for the beginner. As you become more experenced no doubt you will become more opinionated. Enjoy the journey!

Print this | Hits: 159594