Making good quality espresso is an art and needs a lot of groundwork and practice in order to produce the best results. The following are some basic steps to make espresso with a coffee machine.
It is important to make fresh espresso. So, its better when it’s close to the roast date which ideally should not be more than three weeks the maximum. It’s best to grind the beans on your own, but this should not be done with an inexpensive coffee grinder with electric blade. Doing this could cause the coffee to burn and makes it harder to get a grind that is consistent.
You can use a good quality espresso grinding machine or buy the fresh roasted/ground beans from one of the reliable espresso shops. A good grind must be about the thickness of sugar. This should be a coarse grind with water running through quickly to get the correct components. When it’s too fine much like powder and is packed densely, brewing will take longer and it will give the coffee a bitter taste.
When making espresso with an espresso machine, a good brew must not be bitter. Make sure that the water you use is purified and free of pollutants or minerals. The temperature of the water should be roughly 90 degrees C or 200 degrees F. Boiling water should not be used because it can interfere with making good quality coffee. The correct amount of ground coffee bean is around 7 grams for a single shot or 14 grams for a double shot.
The grind mentioned earlier also affects the quality of your brew. When you are happy with the grind, pack it into the portafilter of the machine with a tamper. If you don’t know what a tamper is try searching for RSVP Terry’s Tamper. It is one of the bestselling tampers currently now. Basically, a tamper is a flat object which is about the size of the interior section of the portafilter. It is used to shrink the grounds to a specific thickness so that the right amount of water resistance is created to push through the grind.
Now that you’ve come so far, you’ll realize that there are quite a few components and variables to consider when making your espresso. But wait, the last step would be to create your brew! A good brew will take up to twenty-five seconds for two ounces. All you need to do is to place your cup beneath the brew/ group basket while ensuring that it sits securely. A great looking espresso will have that hazel brown colour appearing on top of the coffee once it’s finished.
Learn more about the lello ariete cafe coffee maker here. Stop by Angelica Hoffmann’s site where you can find out all about choosing a cheap espresso machine.