Espresso Brewing Guide
An espresso shot is created with 25-30mls of hot water forced under high pressure through 15-18 grams of very finely ground coffee, over 20-30 seconds. This produces an intense concentrated shot of coffee.
ITEMS
Espresso machine, Espresso grind coffee, Tamp
METHOD
Slightly over-fill the ‘basket’ with espresso grind coffee (slightly coarser than powder), then level off with a light sweep of the finger.
Rest the basket on the edge of the bench, ready for tamping.
Press the tamp firmly and evenly on the coffee to compact it (this forces the water to move through the coffee at a slower rate so maximum flavour is extracted).
Smooth the surface of the tamped coffee by giving the tamp a light twist. Wipe any excess coffee grinds off the basket rim.
Insert basket into coffee machine or group head, and extract for 20-30 seconds. If extracted correctly you will have thick red/brown ‘crema’ on the surface of your shot.
If you like the flavours, but the ‘balance’ is wrong i.e. too bland, too sour or too bitter, you can fix this by adjusting the dose, grind and tamp. If the balance of the shot is good, but you don’t like the flavour, try another coffee blend.
