Let us entrust you with the secret of espresso coffee and its preparation at home or in the office. Espresso coffee should always be there quality and in grain, as you have to grind it on the fly, so you also need a quality coffee grinder. Do not buy ground espresso coffee under any circumstances, as this is not possible because no one can pre-ground espresso coffee, as there are too many factors that affect the correct extraction, such as grind level for each machine and humidity. Also, the coffee that is in the store and has a label that it is for espresso, is actually intended for cafeteria.
In order to enjoy espresso at home or in the office, you don't need to buy luxury machines, but they are sufficient automatic espresso machines. However, it is good to know the basics and tricks of espresso preparation in order to make really good coffee for yourself, your loved ones, colleagues or customers and other guests.
How to make espresso at home?
To prepare a real espresso at home, which will compete with the one you would get in a coffee shop, you need an espresso machine. These vary from manual machines where you cook everything yourself to automatic and capsule machines where you press a button and the machine does the rest. While coffee professionals generally prefer manual machines for a certain level of control, automatic, super automatic and capsule machines are the easiest to use for beginners and give consistently good results.
What do you need for good coffee?
Unless you're working with capsules or a machine with a built-in grinder, you'll need four essentials:
- Good coffee grinder for fine espresso grinding.
- Quality roasted coffee.
- Also get a gram scale. If you're serious about learning how to make the perfect espresso, you'll want to have a scale on hand to weigh the ingredients.
- If the device does not have a function for frothing milk and you would like to enjoy milk drinks, then you also need a milk frother.
How to make espresso coffee with an espresso machine?
Choose high-quality roasted coffee beans, as we roast them in our roastery, and use a grinder to grind enough coffee beans to make one or two espressos. For an average espresso, we recommend about 8 grams of ground coffee, although slight deviations plus or minus are possible. For two coffees, we recommend approximately 18 grams of ground coffee.
Grind the coffee until it resembles powder and is finely ground. So use the fine setting on your grinder. If you want to be sure that you have ground the coffee just right, you can weigh the ground coffee on a scale and be sure to subtract the container containing the coffee from the weight.
Once you have the amount of ground coffee you are happy with in the portafilter, distribute it evenly using a shaker or levator. Distribute the coffee in the portafilter and press it down with a press. This way you will have a compact espresso cake in the portafilter.
Before you start, run a little water into the machine to remove the dirt in the head. Then screw the portafilter into the appliance. Press the button to operate the machine and place a coffee cup or glass under the portafilter, because if the brewing button is not lit immediately, the coffee will start to roast further in contact with the hot head, where the water will flow, so it will have an undesirable bitter taste.
The espresso should be ready in 25 to 30 seconds. This is an approximate time, which may be slightly shorter or longer depending on the roasting style and how much coffee is in the portafilter. However, you will need some practice with your coffee machine in the beginning and a lot of coffee taste tests in order to brew the coffee that you like.
Then make sure you clean and dry the portafilter and clean and wipe the milk frother when you're done, if you used one.
Espresso tips to keep in mind
All espresso machines must be cleaned with water before first use, or if they have not been used for more than a month. Brewing most often requires three cycles of clean water sent through the machine (no coffee) to remove any dust or particles that may have accumulated.
Use filtered water for the freshest coffee drinks. Some automatic and super automatic machines are equipped with a water hardness strip that allows you to test the water hardness. Do not use very hard water because it can cause excessive scale build-up and also affect the taste of the coffee.
Use roasted coffee beans for the best flavor and grind them just before brewing. We recommend it coffee blend Poetry.
Use a fine, even grind. The ideal grind size depends on how long your coffee beans will be exposed to water. And not only that, coffee is also ground differently depending on its type, as each variety has specific properties and a different density. Grinding also depends on the current humidity in the room. Since espresso is prepared quickly and under high pressure, a fine grind of coffee is necessary so that the water can flow at the right speed.
