A Short Video on the History of Espresso
The discovery of coffee changed the face of the earth. Learn about the history of one of the most popular beverages in the world and the most traded commodity in the world behind oil.
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How to make an Espresso
Entire volumes have been written about espresso preparation. Rather than a step-by-step guide, what’s appropriate here is a handful of general principles, a bibliography, and sincere good wishes.
While the type of machine that you have is important, the grind is a critical part of the process in creating a tasty espresso. You must have a burr grinder that grinds evenly, and it must be easily adjustable.
The single most often repeated error in both home and professional situations is overextraction – too much water through the coffee. In a professional capacity machine, a 17 gram dose of coffee (double shot)should get you no more than 1.5 ounces of intensely flavorful espresso – any more than that and the syrupy goodness that is possible in a great espresso gives way to harsh, thin, brownish water. In a home machine shot volumes should be kept closer to one once.
The tamp should be firm – 30-50 pounds of pressure. The water must work hard to evenly extract the maximum flavor from each speck of coffee in the portafilter.
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My First Home-Made Espresso
Congratulations, so you have decided to make your own espressos at home! It is a good decision that is a lot easier than you think. In fact, super automatic espresso machines will have a hot steaming cup of espresso complete with milk froth ready for you from bean to cup in 20 to 25 seconds. And although semi-automatics do require more attention, skill, and time, it is all worth it for the perfect cup of espresso.
In the next few paragraphs, I will happily explain everything that you will need to make your own espresso. Since a super automatic espresso machine does everything for you with the push of a button, I will be covering espresso making using a semi-automatic espresso machine.
First, you will need an espresso machine! “Pump” and “steam” machines are the two most common personal use machines. “Pump” machines create their internal pressure from an electrical pump, while the less popular “steam” machines well, use steam. Steam machines are cheaper, but the espresso produced is also weaker. Generally more features mean more convenience and speed, so do your homework and choose a machine that fits your budget and needs.
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