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Step by step to the perfect espresso
Many myths surround espresso, the most concentrated coffee beverage. To get the preparation right, it's worth getting instruction from an experienced barista, as there are several pitfalls on the way to the perfect result in your cup. To give you a brief overview, we've created a series of videos as a guide.
What's your taste type?
Espresso is a highly concentrated beverage that intensifies all the flavors in the coffee and from the roasting. This means acidity or bitterness can dominate. Through extraction, you can control much of this.
This explains the success of capsule coffee - the brewing process is taken out of the consumer's hands – so the coffee always turns out the same.
Southern Italian roasts usually emphasize bitterness, northern Italian roasts are balanced, and Third Wave Coffee emphasizes enzymatic fruit flavors with pronounced acidity.
In our article "Which coffee tastes best?" we explore the topic and help you find your coffee type and select the right beans for you.
The brewing recipe
Various variables influence espresso preparation. You should establish one constant by fixing the amount of coffee you use. Baskets usually indicate the optimal fill amount – you should deviate from this by +/- 1g. If there's no indication on the basket, proceed as follows: Insert the portafilter with espresso-fine ground coffee. This should happen without resistance and no impression should be visible in the coffee bed before extraction begins (e.g. E61 brewing groups often 17g, DeLonghi Dedica 14-15g).
We use the portafilter with a double spout because it produces better sensory results.
Ground coffee and extracted coffee in the cup should be in a certain ratio to each other. For this, we weigh the coffee grounds and the extracted result. A scale that responds quickly to weight changes is essential.
For a strong result, use a ratio of 1 to 2 (e.g. 17g coffee "in" and 34g coffee "out") – a ratio of 1 to 2.5 would be more balanced, and for a result close to your previous fully automatic or capsule machine, a ratio of 1 to 3 also works.
The preparation
Remove the portafilter preheated by the brew group – weigh the portafilter or use a measuring cup for weighing – add the ground coffee and distribute it evenly and tamp straight.
Video guide - tamping correctly
Based on your observations, you can adjust the grinder's running time, but be careful – every change in grind size also changes the amount of coffee!
If the coffee bed is not perfectly prepared, the water will find the path of least resistance. This leads to channeling and sour/thin espresso.
Insert the portafilter, place the scale with cup underneath and extract. A scale with a timer is helpful so you can measure the extraction time. Depending on the bean used, the extraction should take a certain amount of time – if it runs too short (set grind finer), it will be sour, if it runs too long (set grind coarser) it will be bitter.
The right grind size
Grind size determines the resistance during extraction. The right grind size in relation to our brewing recipe produces a delicious extraction.
Fast extraction -> Set grinder finer
In small steps and always grinding out from the grinder, because there is already ground coffee sitting between the grinding discs.
Caution: Home grinders should only be set finer when the discs are running
Slow extraction -> Set grinder coarser
Follow the same procedure as when setting finer.
Fine-tuning
If your result is acceptable, it's time for tuning.
Every coffee has a different grind size and optimal extraction time – there are no fixed rules, but a few guidelines. What matters most is the result in the cup.
- Dark roasts – 20-25 seconds
- Medium roasts – 25-30 seconds
- Shorter extractions emphasize acidity
- Longer extractions emphasize bitterness/body
- Too watery -> Adjust brewing recipe e.g. from 1 to 3 to 1 to 2.5
- Too concentrated -> Adjust brewing recipe e.g. from 1 to 2 to 1 to 2.5
Once you've achieved a perfect result for you, quickly program the grinder and check your recipe every few extractions. Especially in the morning, the coffee behaves differently due to weather conditions. Small adjustments usually help here.
If things still don't go smoothly, take another look at the video:
