![]() ![]() It may be too thin, too bitter, too sour. It’s unlikely you’ll nail a perfect shot to begin with. Here’s where your earlier consistency pays off. Taste your espresso and see what you think. This usually takes around 30 seconds, and you should time your shots to ensure you're taking a similar amount of time to pour each one. If you’re using a set of coffee scales, which we would recommend, place these under your glass or cup and pour until you reach double the weight of coffee you put in. You may need to adjust your tamping pressure based on how your espresso pulls later down the line.Ĭonsider investing in a tamping mat to ensure your portafilter remains stable and so that you don’t damage either it or your worktop when tamping.īefore you start, ensure you have a knock box or food waste bin close by to dispose of your grounds afterwards, and treat the hot puck with care to avoid burning yourself.Ī good shot will pour with the viscosity of runny honey and should be golden brown in colour. Again, this affects the resistance of the puck, so you should ensure you apply even pressure across for consistency between shots. Use a coffee tamp - frequently supplied with machines - to firmly press your coffee and turn it into a puck. Look for one which says it is accurate to 0.1g. A good set of highly accurate espresso scales is useful here to keep things consistent, and coffee scales which include a shot timer are readily available for under $20. A common starting point is 0.32 oz (9g) for a single shot and 0.64 oz (18g) for a double, although if your coffee machine suggests a weight, use that. It’s a good idea to weigh the coffee you put in to ensure you’re taking a consistent approach for each shot, and because the amount of coffee will also affect your puck’s pressure resistance. Once you’ve ground some beans, you’ll need to put them into the basket of the portafilter which came with your coffee machine. Handily, though, some espresso machines come with pressurised dual wall baskets to help increase the pressure the coffee puck is subjected to, allowing for coarser grinds - these will make a great brew, but will not produce the texture or taste to match ‘true’ espresso. Grocery store pre-ground is usually too coarse for pump espresso, resulting in thin, watery coffee without crema. ![]() If you don’t own a grinder, many local coffee shops will grind beans for you, although usually only for beans you buy from them. We’ll cover that trial and error a bit more later on. Getting the right grind (A.K.A 'dialling in') essentially boils down to trial and error, and the grinder settings required will change for different beans and even separate batches of the same beans. If you have a coffee grinder, aim initially for a grind coarser than dust (like Turkish coffee), but finer than for filter or French press. ![]() Many espresso machines come with a built-in grinder, but it’s also common to own a standalone one, too. It’s important that your coffee is ground evenly throughout to ensure consistent extraction and results. A finer grind will provide more resistance, resulting in greater extraction of the coffee’s compounds as it spends a longer time exposed to heat, water and pressure. The level your coffee is ground to dictates its resistance to your machine’s pump, varying the time the coffee is exposed to and cooked by the pressure and hot water - this affects the taste, texture and strength of brewed espresso. Just make sure you buy a bean that has been roasted for espresso, rather than for filter or French press.Ģ. Generally, darker roasts yield a more bitter end result with rich, chocolatey notes, while medium and light roasts will produce a sweeter and more acidic profile with fruity and floral flavours. Check out any tasting notes on the back of the pack to find out what flavors the coffee will yield when prepared. You’ll need to choose what flavor profile you want from your beans, which is based on the type, origin and roast. Pre-ground from the grocery store will often be too coarse for espresso, which we’ll cover a bit later, and unless the pack features a roast date, there's no way of knowing how fresh the coffee is. Just ensure you choose either whole beans or pre-ground beans that have been ground for espresso. But, while it's true that higher quality beans often produce a better product, it's perfectly fine to use less premium beans which will still make a great coffee. If you're new to this, you'll likely run into people telling you that expensive specialty beans are a must. Which coffee beans are the best for espresso? ![]()
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