Making the Perfect Espresso

Making the Perfect Espresso

Beans

You should select the type of beans that are suitable for you. Coffee beans that are roasted to medium-dark colour are the most flavoursome because they have a lower acidity. The only way to find out is to try different varieties and learn which ones you like and which ones you don't. It is not recommended to buy pre-ground coffee, as the flavours will escape too quickly resulting a bland coffee. Always buy freshly roasted coffee and grind it at home when needed.

Grind

Investing in a good grinder is more important than the actual coffee machine. Freshly-ground coffee makes the world of difference.

There are 2 types of grinders, being flat-blade and conical-blade. Flat-blade grinders are cheaper and more commonly used. The circular grinding blades rotate in opposite directions, grinding the coffee beans into fine particles, releasing the aroma and essential oils from the beans. Conical grinders (cone-shaped blades) are hardier and longer lasting.

Once coffee is ground, it is important to use it straight away, as the increased exposed surface area of ground coffee allows the air to oxidise it and therefore the flavours to escape.

The correct grind is very important. An incorrect grind will result in either under extraction, which means a lack of flavour or sourness (grinding too coarse), or over extraction, which means a bitter coffee that everyone hates (grinding too fine). To measure extraction rate:

  1. Preheat the portafilter (group handle/ basket)
  2. Measure 10-24g coffee into a double group handle and tamp securely (check the size of the filter basket in your manual).
  3. Activate the extraction and time from the moment the espresso flows through.
  4. Stop the extraction at 28 seconds.
  5. Measure the volume of espresso (more than 35mL, the grind is too coarse; less than 30mL, the grind is too fine)

The grind should be adjusted to 1 person because the tamp strength between a man and a woman can vary a lot. Grind might have to be adjusted 4 times a day due to different atmospheric environment. When humidity increases, coffee absorbs moisture and changes the extraction rate (grind finer, or coarse in dry conditions).

When the espresso comes out right, you should be able to taste the full flavour of the coffee, from aroma to acidity and body. There should be a nice, thick hazelnut-coloured crema when it is right. When too fine, crema will come out dark brown. When too coarse, crema will come out thin and pale.

Dosing

Check your manual to see how much your filter basket fits. A correct dose allows for a level packed group handle with no gaps in the surface of the coffee. A under-dosed filter basket results in a weak extraction, and coffee flows through too quickly. An over-dosed filter basket's group handle might not fit into the group head at all, or will be very hard to put in. The water will take a lot longer to get through all that coffee and the prolonged contact time with the coffee results in burnt oils and dark bitter and burnt taste.

A correct does is when the filter basket is full of loose ground coffee.

  1. Pull the dosing lever until the filter basket is overfilled (or spoon in the coffee if you don't have a doser on your grinder).
  2. Tap the basket with your tamper or tap the bottom of the basket against the counter so the coffee sits tighter.
  3. If coffee sits under the rim of the basket, add more coffee so that the basket overfills.
  4. Level off excess coffee with a clean implement (handle of spoon) or with your fingers so that coffee is level with the rim and then tamp.
  5. Check your rate of extraction and adjust grind or dose if needed.

Tamping

Tamp with a bit of force. Everyone has different strength, therefore tamps differently. When coffee is tamped properly you can turn the handle upside down and the coffee should stay in the basket and will not fall out.

You should never use the tampers attached to the grinders, as you have to tamp upwards and it doesn't allow you to use your force properly and consistently. Always get a tamper that fits into the filter basket snugly. If your basket's diameter is 58mm, get a tamper that has a diameter of 58mm. Do not get a smaller tamper because you cannot compact the coffee properly.

Adjust your grind to your tamp (tamp hard = coarse grind; tamp soft = fine grind).

Perfect extraction:

  • Extraction time 25-30seconds.
  • Thick hazelnut-honey colour crema will come out.
  • When you take out the handle there should be a good imprint of the group head on the used coffee cake. If it's under-dosed the coffee cake surface would be rippled and bumpy.
  • When you bang the coffee cake out it will come out as 1 nice puck/cake. If under-dosed it will come out and collapse and some coffee grinds left in the basket. If over-dosed there will be coffee oil left in the basket.
 
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