Introduction
So sipping on a delicious espresso at your favourite coffee shop is one of your best things? If yes, and you want to have that high-quality espresso at home, this comprehensive guide is a perfect match for you. Making an excellent espresso doesn’t have to be a challenging task.
With delicious coffee beans, a correct recipe, and an excellent, clean espresso machine and grinder, you’ll pull great shots in the comfort of your kitchen in no time. Here are the steps you need to create high-quality espresso at home.
Choose Good Quality Coffee
High-quality espresso starts with good coffee beans. Make sure you have fresh, lately roasted coffee. Fresh coffee is less acidic which always comes to the forefront in high-quality espresso. The roast profile of coffee is also vital.
Too dark roasts can taste bitter, while too light may taste acidic, both resulting in a lack of the required sweetness for a high-quality espresso. After buying your coffee beans, be sure to store them away from sunlight, oxygen and fluctuating or too much heat.
Use High-Quality Equipment
While high-quality equipment doesn’t guarantee good-quality espresso, it does help make it. You will require a good espresso machine and grinder. The grinder helps determine what you’ll have from that high-quality coffee. It’s necessary to have a consistent grind of coffee particles ranging from coarse to fine.
For a good espresso machine, consider stability in the volume of water, temperature and pressure. An excellent machine always provides the same outcome from the first to the last coffee. Don’t forget to take good care of your espresso machine. Clean it every time after use, as this will help it work properly for many years while delivering high-quality espresso.
Grind Your Coffee Perfectly
Remember, a fresh taste results from fresh coffee beans, and that is why whole beans are recommended. Consider grind size since it significantly impacts the extraction process and rate of the aroma and flavour the beans provide. If the grind size is finer, you’ll only experience a quicker extraction process.
Controlling the extraction degree is important since the first elements to be extracted create fruity/acidic flavours while the subsequent ones are responsible for sweetness, and the next and final ones result in astringency and bitterness. When brewing daily coffee, the objective is to obtain well-balanced espresso with enough sweetness and some bitterness and acidity.
Decide on Your Coffee and Water Brew Ratio
Determine the amount of water to use, which depends on how stronger you want the final coffee to be. It’s recommended to start with a 1:3 ratio. Use 3 ml of water for every gram of dry coffee. For a stronger espresso, use a ratio of 1:2 or try 1:4 or 1:5 for something more dilute.
Consider Water Quality and Temperature
It isn’t all about the amount of water you use; the type of water also matters. Poor quality water can easily damage your equipment, especially hard water can result in limescale build-ups that can negatively impact the performance of your machine.
Also, the quality of the water determines the taste of the espresso. Tap water with chlorine can lead to a dull espresso, while soft water can leave your coffee flat. Use water with a neutral pH and a minerality of between 100 and 150 mg per litre.
Tamp Evenly Distributed Coffee
Before tamping, ensure the coffee elements are evenly distributed. Doing so helps prevent the under and over-extraction of coffee compounds.
Once your coffee compounds are distributed correctly, proceed to tamp. Tamp the coffee consistently and evenly to extract sugars and flavours into the cup. That’s all you need to create high-quality espresso.
