Espresso is the shortest and strongest drink on the coffee horizon. As small as the cup is, so varied are the myths, traditions, and expectations surrounding the perfect espresso.
This article is about making espresso. We'll set history aside and focus entirely on how to brew good espresso with simple means.
The best way to learn how to make espresso is to stand in front of an espresso machine with someone and experiment together, then taste the coffee. For that, we recommend our Barista courses. Since not everyone wants to come to Basel, we have some Videos recorded that also help you make good espresso. You'll find them embedded here in this article.
What type of espresso person are you?
The experience of a good espresso is very, very subjective. This is mainly due to espresso's pronounced strength. Between 7 and 10% dissolved coffee particles are in the small cup, making the drink a concentrated explosion of flavors. If espresso were ten times less strong, it would be less challenging. But in this concentration, bitterness will knock your socks off if you're sensitive to it. If acidity bothers you, then an espresso with pronounced acidity is something to run away from.
Without going further into this, since we're already back to the context and history of espresso: the success of capsule coffee can be explained, besides the convenience factor, by the fact that the "espresso" from the capsule is less concentrated and therefore appeals to more people.
The classic, traditional espresso from the (southern) italienischen coffee culture plays on the bitter facets of coffee. Central European, northern Italian coffee is more balanced between sweetness, acidity, and bitterness. The Third Wave movement and more modern espresso bars that focus on lighter roasts use roasts that transport more pronounced acidity and many origin notes.
The preparation principle is similar. Our article «Welcher tastes best?» can help with your own classification. That way you'll find out what kind of coffee person you are.
This distinction is very important. If your prepared espresso is too sour or bitter for you, it doesn't necessarily mean your preparation is the problem. The reason often lies in the choice of roasted coffee.
Want to prepare a cappuccino with latte art based on espresso? Here we explain step-by-step how you can do it at home too.
The starting point is the basket – the espresso-to-coffee ratio
There are various variables that can really confuse you when you start adjusting espresso. That's why I recommend you: fix one variable first, namely the amount of ground coffee used.
Your basket – this article assumes you're working with a Espressomaschine machine – is made for a specific amount of coffee. Sometimes the amount of coffee is specified, for example with a 17-gram VST basket. If it's not specified, you can figure it out. The portafilter should fit snugly into the group head at an appropriate grind size, without the ground coffee touching the shower screen. There should still be about 2-5 ml of space between the coffee bed and the shower so the grounds can wet and expand. If the grind is too coarse, the volume of coffee is larger, which is why I say appropriate grind size.
In this guide, we always brew with the double basket for two espresso servings. We generally recommend using the double basket because the taste result is always better. The geometry of the single basket just doesn't work well with the espresso machine and prevents even extraction of all the ground coffee.
If you have no information and are unsure about your basket size, start with an espresso machine with a Faema E61 group head using 17 grams of coffee. With machines like the Delonghi Dedica EC 685, that would be at least 2-3 grams too much, which you'll notice right away when you try to use 17 grams.
We'll fix these 17 grams for now. Based on that, we aim for a drink amount that is in Verhältnis to the amount of ground coffee used. You definitely need a scale to make the following adjustments. It also works with a postal scale. It's good if the scale reacts relatively quickly to weight changes. Because in the next steps, we'll also measure the amount of espresso, which of course changes over the extraction time.
Next, you need to decide for yourself whether you like thick, strong espressos or something weaker that's easier to balance. If you choose the strong option No. 1, we brew in a ratio of 1:2, so following the example above, 17 grams of ground coffee in the basket and a target amount of 34 grams of espresso in the cup. The weaker balance would be a ratio of 1:2.5, so 17 grams of ground coffee used and 42.5 grams in the espresso cups.
If you're used to espresso from capsule machines or fully automatic coffee machines, you can also work with a ratio of 1:3. The result is still strong compared to the espressos you're used to.
Weighing the coffee and the espresso process
You remove the portafilter, which is well preheated by the machine. Portafilters are best kept locked in the group head during machine use so they don't cool down. Cold portafilters will pull the temperature of the brew water down.
Use a measuring cup to grind 17 grams of coffee or your chosen amount of coffee into the measuring cup. This amount should be corrected precisely, which can be done, for example, with a small spoon to adjust the weight afterward.
Later you can adjust the grind of your grinder. However, it doesn't make sense to do that now, since changing the grind size, which will inevitably happen, will also change the grind amount again. That's why the simplest option is to weigh the coffee. If you work with a grinder like the Sette 270 Wi or an Etzinger, it's easy now. The scale is already built in there.
We usually recommend starting with the grind from the status quo. Just use whatever the grinder gives you right now. If you know for sure that you're grinding much too fine or much too coarse, you can of course make grind adjustments right now. Otherwise, more on that further down in the text.
Then add the amount of coffee to your portafilter. Make sure the ground coffee is distributed evenly before you compress it by tamping. Otherwise, there's a risk that the brew water will take the path of least resistance. This channeling means the coffee won't be extracted evenly. We've recorded a detailed video on the topic of "Channeling» and also covered the topic in an article. It's important!
With a firm, even pressure, compress the coffee. It's not decisive whether you press with 8, 12, or 15 kg of force. More important is that you press with roughly the same pressure each time. And if you're roughly in this range, that's fine.
Now lock the portafilter in, place an espresso cup on the scale under the spout and another one next to it, and start the extraction. Keep an eye on the scale's timer or count the seconds in your head.
You stop the extraction just before reaching your target drink ratio, so the desired 34 or 42.5 grams have landed in the cup. The speed at which the water flowed through the coffee gives you a reference for your grind size and the next steps.
If your espresso was in the cup in less than 15 seconds, the coffee definitely ran too fast. If the extraction took longer than 40 seconds, it's very likely too slow. In these cases, we need to adjust the grind size. If you're in a narrower range, fine-tuning begins.
Finding the grind size for espresso
Ground coffee in the basket creates natural resistance for the water flowing through. The finer the grind, the greater the resistance and the harder it is for water to flow through the coffee. A good example of a very fine grind is flour. When baking, if we form a hollow in a pile of flour, we can even pour water into it without it finding a way out. Unless we pour it too hard and a channel forms – which brings us back to channeling.
The coarser the coffee is ground, the easier it is for water to flow through. If we do the pile example with millet or rice, the water breaks right through and floods the countertop. No matter how hard we press, the grind is too coarse.
The correct grind size for espresso creates appropriate resistance so that the brew water is neither held back too little nor too much. And this is the grind size we're looking for in the next steps.
The verwendete espresso grinder also plays an important role, which we don't want to discuss further here. What's important, however, is: not every coffee grinder is suitable for grinding "espresso-fine."
Did your espresso run too fast?
If your espresso ran significantly too fast, we'll set the grinder finer. Depending on the grinder, adjusting by 1 to 2 numbers can have a big impact. Start slowly to get a feel for your grinder.
Important: when you set the grinder finer, never set too many steps finer at once without grinding in between. Otherwise, there's a risk that your burrs will jam.
After you've set it finer (on many grinders, finer means the grinder's numbers decrease, so for example from grind setting 5 to 4), grind at least one dose into your measuring cup and discard it. This coffee doesn't yet correspond to your "new grind size," but rather the grind size somewhere between the old and new.
Now grind the 17 grams of coffee into the portafilter again and follow the same procedure as above. If all went well, your espresso should now run slower. Did it work?
Did your espresso run too slowly?
If your espresso ran significantly too slowly, the grind was too fine. We need to set the grinder coarser. On most grinders, coarser means the grind numbers on the display get larger, so for example from grind setting 5 to 6.
Grind at least one measuring cup of coffee that you won't use. This amount of coffee doesn't correspond to your new target grind size, but rather a mixture of old and new grind size.
Grind 17 grams of coffee again and brew an espresso following the procedure above. The coffee should now run faster.
Of course, the brew temperature also plays an important role. However, since this is fixed on most portafilter machines under 2000 CHF/Euro, we haven't gone into further detail in this article. A good brew temperature is around 94 degrees and can be adjusted depending on the roast.Does your espresso taste sour? Here we explain what could be the reasons!
Fine-tuning your espresso
By changing the grind size, the resistance in the basket has changed and the speed of water flow. Since you've mastered this adjustment, we can now move on to fine-tuning.
Perhaps your espresso has already reached an extraction time of 20-30 seconds. Most coffees taste good in this range. Espresso tastes good when it's balanced. In a balanced state, espresso tastes sweet on its own.
With darker roasts, you often find the balance of espresso at shorter extraction times of 20-25 seconds. With lighter roasts, a good target range is more like 25-30 seconds. With such numbers, I'm sticking my neck out, because coffee can taste so different. That can't be diagnosed from a distance down to the second or the gram. Ultimately, you'll find the truth in the cup.
To make fine adjustments, you have various options. Here are some guidelines:
- Shorter extractions emphasize the acidity of the coffee. That's why it's often not the right approach for coffees that already have a lot of fruit acidity on their own (light roasts, coffees from Äthiopien or Kenya).
- Longer extractions emphasize bitterness and the weight of the mouthfeel (body). That's why long extraction often isn't good for coffees that are already bitter on their own in order to achieve balance.
- If your coffee is too watery, you can change the drink-to-coffee ratio. If you brewed at 1:2.5, you can gradually reduce the amount in the cup. Be careful – to still end up with an appropriate brew time, the grind size also needs to be adjusted (set finer).
- If your coffee is too strong (concentrated), you can increase the drink-to-coffee ratio, so for example switch to 1:3. The grinder should then be set coarser so the larger amount of water can still flow through the coffee cake in an appropriate time.
Once you've brewed your "perfect espresso," you can program the grind amount on your grinder. Because then there's initially no further adjustment needed.
Then have fun tasting and experimenting with espresso. In almost all cases, you'll need to adjust the grinder when you change coffee, and there can be fluctuations from day to day. Don't be surprised – that's normal!
If you haven't reached your goal yet or if you notice fluctuations, definitely watch the video below on the 20 reasons why an espresso doesn't taste good.
If you get stuck, write to us or subscribe to our coffee info. We regularly send out tips, tricks, guides, and will also offer courses in different locations in the future.
Actually, making espresso isn't that difficult. You can really learn it well. Of course, mistakes can happen. We've compiled the 20 most common mistakes in espresso preparation for you.
A special alternative to the espresso machine is the espresso maker – also called a Moka pot. It brews without a pump or electronics, but delivers drink strengths similar to a long espresso. With the right technique and good coffee, an surprisingly good result from a 30-franc device.
