Espresso is the shortest and strongest drink on the coffee horizon. As small as the cup is, the myths, traditions, and expectations surrounding the perfect espresso are just as diverse.
This article is about preparing espresso. We will set history aside and focus entirely on how to brew good espresso using simple means.
Preparing espresso is best learned by standing in front of the espresso machine with someone, trying it out together, and then tasting the coffee. For this, we recommend our barista courses. Since not everyone wants to come to Basel, we have recorded some videos that also help with brewing good espresso. You can find them embedded here in this article.
Are you just coming from a capsule machine and want to know if switching is worth it? Our beginner's guide for capsule switchers answers that — with a comparison, budget recommendation, and your first recipe.
What type of espresso drinker are you?
The experience of a good espresso is very, very subjective. This is mainly due to the pronounced strength of espresso. There are between 7% and 10% dissolved coffee particles in that small cup, making the drink a concentrated explosion of flavor notes. If the espresso were ten times less strong, it would be less challenging. But in this concentration, the bitterness will knock your socks off if you are sensitive to it. If acidity bothers you, then an espresso with pronounced acidity is something to run away from.
Without going into too much detail, as that would bring us back to the context and history of espresso: the success of capsule coffee is explained not only by the convenience principle but also by the fact that the "espresso" from a capsule is less concentrated and therefore appeals to more people more easily.
The classic, traditional espresso from (southern) Italian coffee culture leans more into the bitter facets of coffee. Central European or Northern Italian coffee is more balanced between sweetness, acidity, and bitterness. The Third Wave movement and modern espresso bars that favor lighter roasts use beans that convey more pronounced acidity and many origin notes.
The principle of preparation is similar. Our article "Which coffee tastes best?" can help you with your own classification. This will help you find out what kind of coffee drinker you are.
This distinction is very important. If the espresso you prepared is too sour or bitter for you, it doesn't necessarily have to be due to your preparation. The reason often lies in the selection of the roasted coffee.
Do you want to prepare a cappuccino with latte art based on your 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 thoroughly confuse you when you start dialing in your espresso. That is why I recommend: fix one thing first, namely the amount of ground coffee used.
Your basket – this article assumes you are working with an espresso machine – is designed for a specific amount of coffee. Sometimes the coffee amount is indicated, e.g., for a 17g VST basket. If it is not indicated, you can figure it out. With an appropriate grind size, the portafilter should be easy to lock in without the coffee grounds touching the shower screen. There should still be about 2 – 5 ml of space between the coffee bed and the shower screen so that the powder can expand when moistened. If the grind is significantly too coarse, the volume of the coffee is larger, which is why I specify "appropriate grind size."
In this guide, we always brew using the double basket for two espresso portions. We generally advise using the double basket because the taste result is always better. The geometry of the single basket simply doesn't fit the espresso machine well and prevents even extraction of all the coffee grounds.
If you have no information and are unsure about your basket size, start with 17 grams of coffee if you are using an espresso machine with a Faema E61 brew group. For machines like the Delonghi Dedica EC 685, that would be at least 2-3 grams too much, which you will notice immediately when you try to put in the 17 grams.
We will fix these 17 grams for the time being. Starting from there, we aim for a drink amount that is in a specific ratio to the amount of coffee grounds used. You definitely need a scale to make the following adjustments. A letter scale also works. It is good if the scale reacts relatively quickly to weight changes. Because in the next steps, we will also measure the amount of espresso, which naturally changes over the extraction time.
Next, you need to clarify for yourself whether you like thick, strong espressos or slightly weaker ones that are easier to balance. If you decide on the strong version No. 1, we will brew in a 1:2 ratio, meaning, following the example above, 17 grams of coffee in the basket and a target weight of 34 grams of espresso in the cup. The weaker balance would be a ratio of 1:2.5, i.e., using 17 grams of coffee and yielding 42.5 grams in the espresso cups.
If you are used to espresso from capsule machines or fully automatic coffee machines, you can also work with a 1:3 ratio. The result will still be strong compared to the espressos you are used to.
Weighing the coffee and the espresso process
You unclamp the portafilter, which is well preheated by the machine. It is best to leave portafilters clamped in while the machine is running so they don't cool down. Cold portafilters pull the temperature of the brewing water down.
Use a measuring cup to grind 17 grams of coffee or your chosen amount into the measuring cup. This amount should be precisely corrected; for example, you can adjust the weight afterward using a small spoon.
Later on, you can adjust the grinding time of your grinder. However, it makes no sense right now because, with the inevitable adjustment of the grind size, the grind amount will change again. Therefore, the simplest method is to weigh the coffee amount. Those working with a grinder like the Sette 270 or an Etzinger have it easy, as the scale is already built in.
We usually recommend starting with the status quo regarding grind size. Just use whatever the grinder is currently giving you. If you know for sure that you are way too fine or way too coarse, you can of course make adjustments to the grind size now. Otherwise, more on that further down in the text.
Next, put the coffee amount into your portafilter. Ensure the coffee powder is distributed evenly before compressing it by tamping. Otherwise, there is a danger that the brew water will look for the path of least resistance. This channeling leads to uneven extraction of the coffee. We have recorded a detailed video on the topic of "channeling" and also covered the topic in an article. It is important!
Compress the coffee with a firm, even press. It is not critical whether you press with 8, 12, or 15 kg of force. It is more important that you press with roughly the same force each time. If you are somewhere in that range, it will be fine.
Now lock in the portafilter, place an espresso cup on the scale under the spout and the other one next to it, and start the extraction. Keep an eye on the scale's timer or count the seconds in your head.
Stop the extraction just before the targeted beverage ratio is reached, i.e., 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 flowed too fast. If the extraction lasted longer than 40 seconds, it is highly likely too slow. In these cases, we must make corrections to the grind size. If you are within a closer range, the fine-tuning begins.
Finding the grind size for espresso
Coffee powder in the basket creates a natural resistance to the water flowing through it. The finer you grind, the greater the resistance and the harder it is for the water to flow through the coffee powder. A good example of a very fine grind is flour. If we make a hole in a pile of flour while baking, we can even pour water into the hole without it finding a way out—unless we pour it too hard and a channel is formed, which brings us back to channeling.
The coarser the coffee is ground, the easier it is for the water to flow through the coffee. If we do the pile example with millet or rice, the water breaks through immediately and floods the countertop. No matter how hard we press, the grain is too coarse.
The correct grind size for espresso creates a suitable resistance so that the brew water is not held back too little and not too much. And we search for this grind size in the next steps.
Of course, the espresso grinder used also plays an important role, which we will not go into further here. But what is important is that not every coffee grinder is suitable for grinding "espresso-fine."
Did your espresso run too fast?
If your espresso ran significantly too fast, set the grinder finer. Depending on the grinder, adjusting by 1 to 2 numbers can have a major effect. Start slowly to develop a feel for your grinder.
Important: When setting the grinder finer, never set it many steps finer at once without grinding in between. Otherwise, there is a risk that your burrs will seize.
After you have set it finer (for many grinders, "finer" means the numbers decrease, e.g., from grind setting 5 to 4), grind at least one dose into your measuring cup and discard it. This coffee does not yet correspond to your "new grind size," but rather the grind size somewhere between the old and the new.
Now grind 17 grams of coffee into the portafilter again and follow the same procedure as above. If everything went correctly, your espresso should now flow slower. Did it work?
Did your espresso run too slowly?
If your espresso ran significantly too slowly, the grind size was too fine. We must set the grinder coarser. For most grinders, "coarser" means the numbers on the grind indicator increase, e.g., from grind setting 5 to 6.
Grind at least one measuring cup of coffee and discard it. This amount of coffee does not correspond to your new target grind size, but to a mixture between the old and new grind sizes.
Grind another 17 grams of coffee 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 have not gone into further detail in this article. A good brew temperature is around 94 degrees and can also be adjusted depending on the roast.Does your espresso taste sour? Here we explain what the reasons for that might be!
Fine-tuning the espresso
By changing the grind size, the resistance in the basket and the speed of the water flow have changed. Since you have 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 is balanced. When balanced, an espresso tastes sweet on its own.
With darker roasts, the balance of the espresso is often found at shorter extraction times of 20 – 25 seconds. With lighter roasts, a good target range is more around 25 – 30 seconds. I am sticking my neck out with such numbers, because coffee can taste so different. This cannot be diagnosed from a distance down to the second or the gram. Ultimately, you find the truth in the cup.
To make the fine adjustments, you have various options. Here are a few guidelines:
- Shorter extractions tend to emphasize the acidity of the coffee. Therefore, this is often not the right way for coffees that already have a lot of fruit acidity (lighter roasts, coffees from Ethiopia or Kenya).
- Longer extractions emphasize the bitterness and the heaviness of the mouthfeel (body). Therefore, a long extraction is often not well suited for reaching a balance with coffees that are inherently more bitter.
- If your coffee is too watery, you can change the drink-to-coffee ratio. If you brewed with 1:2.5, you can reduce the amount in the cup step by step. Caution: to land in a suitable brew time, the grind size must of course also be adjusted (set it finer).
- If your coffee is too strong (concentrated), you can increase the drink-to-coffee ratio, e.g., switch to 1:3. The grinder should then be set coarser so that the larger amount of water still flows through the coffee puck in a reasonable amount of time.
Once you have brewed your "perfect espresso," you can program the grind amount on your grinder. Because then, for the time being, no further adjustment is necessary.
Then have fun tasting and experimenting with espresso. In almost all cases, you have to adjust the grinder when you change coffee, and fluctuations can also occur from day to day. Don't be surprised – that's normal!
If you haven't reached your goal yet or 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, and instructions, and will also give courses in various locations in the future.
Actually, preparing espresso is not that difficult. You can really learn it well. But of course, mistakes can happen. We have summarized the 20 most important mistakes in espresso preparation for you.
A special alternative to the espresso machine is the stovetop espresso maker – also called a Moka pot. It brews without a pump and electronics but delivers similar drink strengths as a long espresso. With the right technique and good coffee, you can get an amazingly good result from a 30-franc device.
