If you love enjoying a delicious espresso at home just like you enjoy it at your favorite coffee shop, you need to first understand what espresso is. Remember, the word espresso means fast. Therefore, when it comes to coffee, according to the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), "espresso is a 25-35 ml beverage prepared with 7 to 9 grams of coffee through which clean water has been forced at 90.5-96.1°C using 9-10 atmospheres of pressure, and for which the coffee is ground so that the extraction time is between 20 and 30 seconds.
These 20-30 seconds represent a good parameter, however, you should keep in mind that there is no concrete rule for setting this time. The coffee's behavior during extraction depends on many factors, including grind size, coffee origin, roast profile, and your personal preferences, among others. So, let's move on to the experts' recommendations so you can learn how to make a delicious espresso at home with the right coffee.
Use good coffee
When preparing a good espresso, the first thing you should consider is good coffee, with quality beans, a specialty coffee , fresh, freshly roasted, and with notes of chocolate, red fruits, sugars, and caramel. The acidity should be slightly lower because in an espresso, the acidity always rises.
The roast profile
You should always consider the roast profile. Roasts that are too dark can have a bitter taste, and roasts that are too light can have an overly acidic taste and lack sweetness and balance. A dark color is recommended.
The date of roasting
The roasting date is very important. As an organic product, coffee goes rancid over time, but for espresso, it's also not good for the coffee to be too fresh, because it needs to degas. This slowly releases the carbon dioxide formed during the roasting process. It's not good for the coffee to degas too much, because the flavor will be reduced and it will be difficult to obtain the crema. According to experts, it's best to buy small quantities of coffee beans and store them away from oxygen, sunlight, heat, and humidity, as this will preserve their freshness.
Use good equipment
Good equipment doesn't guarantee the quality of your espresso, but it does make the process easier, which requires two very important elements: a grinder and an espresso machine.
The Mill
Experts recommend a flat burr grinder, which is faster and gives you a more uniform grind size. The grinder determines how much you can extract from a given coffee . Hence the importance of the grinder size, which should be both coarse and fine. This way, you can adjust it to each coffee and get the best out of it.
The Espresso Machine
In an espresso machine, stability in water pressure, temperature, and volume is very important (say experts), since the machine must give you the same result in all the cups you want to prepare.
How to grind coffee
Expert baristas say you should grind your coffee properly. Remember that degassing makes coffee stale. This accelerates after grinding. The fresher the grind, the fresher the flavor. For these reasons, whole bean coffee is better.
When grinding beans, the grind size is important, as it affects the extraction rate of the coffee's aromatic and flavor compounds. The finer the grind, the faster the extraction.
Controlling the degree of extraction is essential for obtaining good-tasting coffee. This is because the first compounds extracted create fruity and acidic flavors. Then, the compounds responsible for sweetness are extracted, and finally, you get bitterness and astringency. When preparing your coffee, the goal is to obtain a balanced cup with plenty of sweetness and an appropriate amount of acidity and bitterness.
The brewing time for your coffee should be between 20 and 30 seconds. For this reason, you should use a fine grind. This way, your espresso won't brew too quickly and you'll be able to extract the sweetness you desire. The finer the grind, the slower the brewing process, and you'll obtain more bitterness and less acidity.
Relationship between water and coffee
According to experts, you should start with a 1:3 water ratio. For every gram of dry coffee, you should get 3ml of espresso in the cup. But you should know that there's no one best recipe because there will always be one that suits each coffee you want to prepare. It's recommended that you measure the coffee and water with a scale. This will allow you to use the exact correct amount to ensure the same delicious coffee every time.
Water temperature and quality
It doesn't matter how much water you use. If it's of poor quality, it can damage your equipment and affect the flavor of your coffee. Experts recommend using water with a neutral pH and a total mineral content between 100 and 150 milligrams per liter. It's best to use bottled water or water that has been filtered with an activated carbon system.
As for temperature, the warmer the water, the faster the aromas will be extracted. For this reason, a water temperature between 90 and 93°C/194-199°F is recommended. A degree or two higher or lower can affect the flavor. Therefore, a stable temperature is very important.
Distribution and tamping of coffee
Distribute and tamp your coffee evenly. Achieving good-tasting coffee depends on whether the ground coffee particles have the same degree of extraction. So before tamping, make sure the grounds are evenly distributed. If you grind the coffee directly into the portafilter, you can move it around a bit while dosing to ensure this uniformity. Once your coffee is evenly distributed, you can tamp it.
Finally, once you've ground the coffee , set the ratio, and tamped it evenly, you're ready to extract a fantastic espresso shot. Enjoy!
- Shot: A measure used to serve drinks and beverages. Equivalent to 45 milliliters or 1 1/2 ounces.