An Introduction
Espresso is a strong drink that is usually consumed in small shots. If you like dark roasts, Espresso may be the best drink for you.
Espresso is a beverage that is brewed differently from regular coffee. You use pressurized hot water that is forced through the coffee beans.
As always, be sure to read the directions that come with your equipment carefully as the brewing steps may differ from brand to brand.
What you’ll Need
Coffee, finely ground
Espresso Machine
Coffee Whole Beans
Burr Grinder (Optional)
Kettle
Brew Time
1 min
Step 1
CLEAN THE PORTAFILTER
Before dosing the coffee, make sure that the portafilter is clean. Both moisture and leftover grounds might affect the taste of your espresso.
Step 2
DOSE the correct amount
This should be pretty easy. With on-demand grinders you just need to push a button and the grinder will dose your pre-set dose.
Step 3
DISTRIBUTE YOUR COFFEE GROUNDS IN THE PORTAFILTER
If your grinder doses the grounds to the portafilter’s basket in a mountain or a pyramid shape, this means that you have uneven distribution of the grounds so some parts of the basket will have more coffee and some parts less if you don’t distribute them before tamping.
Step 4
TAMP EVENLY AND CONSISTENTLY
Tamp the coffee grounds to remove any air pockets in the coffee puck so that the puck is completely leveled. Tamp until the grounds are level. Pay attention that the puck is horizontally leveled so that you make sure to avoid channelling and uneven extraction.
Step 5
RINSE YOUR GROUP HEAD
Before putting the portafilter into the group head, you might want to rinse the group head to remove any old coffee. Rinsing will also make sure that your group head is properly heated.
Step 6
INSERT THE PORTAFILTER AND START BREWING IMMEDIATELY
After rinsing, insert the portafilter to the group head and start brewing RIGHT AWAY! If you don’t start brewing immediately, the heat from the group head might “burn” the surface of your coffee which can cause the coffee to taste bitter.
Step 7
KEEP AN EYE ON THE YIELD AND BREW TIME
Now you are brewing your espresso. If you are using a volumetric machine, watch the brew time. If the extraction time is too short (under-extraction) or too long (over-extraction) you might want to make a new espresso and check your grind size and dose. If you are using a manual espresso machine, pay attention to the yield … if your espresso is running a bit too fast, you are just diluting (making it milder) your and maybe over-extracting at the same time.
Step 8
DISCARD THE PUCK, CLEAN THE BASKET AND RINSE THE GROUP HEAD.
Clean the basket from any old coffee and moisture, rinse the group head and insert the portafilter back to the group head. It is much easier, and faster to make the next espresso when pieces are in order.
Contact
leigh.groundbreakerscoffee@gmail.com
PO Box 5273
Shreveport, LA 71135