Making espresso – the quick guide

Reading time: 4 minutes. This article is a short blog post. You can find the detailed blog article here.

Step-by-step to the perfect espresso

Many myths surround espresso, the most concentrated coffee beverage. To ensure successful preparation, it is worth getting instruction from an experienced barista, as numerous pitfalls await on the way to the perfect result in the cup. To give you a quick overview, we have created a series of videos as a guide.

What's your taste profile?

Espresso is a highly concentrated beverage that amplifies all the aromas in the coffee and from the roast. Thus, acidity or bitterness can dominate. You can control a large part of this through extraction.

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, Third Wave Coffee emphasizes enzymatic fruity aromas 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 set a constant with the amount of coffee used. Baskets usually indicate the optimal filling quantity – you should deviate from this by +/- 1g. If there is no indication on the basket, proceed as follows: Clamp the portafilter with espresso-fine ground coffee. This should happen without resistance and no imprint 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 allows us to produce better sensory results.

Ground coffee and extracted coffee in the cup should be in a ratio to each other. For this, we weigh the coffee grounds and the extracted result. A scale that responds quickly to changes in weight is essential.

For a strong result, use a ratio of 1 to 2 (e.g., 17g coffee "in" and 34g coffee "out") – a more balanced result would be 1 to 2.5, and for a result close to your previous automatic or capsule machine, a ratio of 1 to 3 also works.

Preparation

Remove the portafilter preheated by the brewing group, weigh the portafilter or use a measuring cup for weighing – add the coffee grounds and distribute evenly and tamp straight.

Video guide - proper tamping

Based on your observations, you can adjust the grinder's running time, but be careful – every grind adjustment 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.

Attach the portafilter, place a scale with a 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 the grind finer), it will be sour; if it runs too long (set the grind coarser), it will be bitter.

The right grind size

The grind size determines the resistance during extraction. The right grind size in relation to our brewing recipe results in a delicious extraction.

Fast extraction -> set grinder finer

In small steps and always grinding out of the grinder, as there is still ground coffee between the burrs.

Caution: Home grinders should only be adjusted finer when the burrs are running

Slow extraction -> set grinder coarser

Observe 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 an optimal extraction time – there are no fixed rules, but a few pointers. The result in the cup is crucial.

• 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, quickly program the grinder and check your recipe every few extractions. Especially in the morning, the coffee behaves differently due to weather conditions. Small corrections usually help here.

If it's still not working out for you, check out the video again:

20 mistakes when preparing espresso