How to make the perfect Espresso Coffee

You will need:
- Espresso machine
- Grinder
- Whole bean or pre-ground coffee
- Scales and a timer

1. Place the portalfilter onto the scales and zero the scales before grinding and put 17 grams of coffee into the basket.

2. Level off the bed of coffee and tamp. Apply pressure evenly across the bed.

3. Lock the portafilter in nice and tight, and place scales underneath with cup on.

4. Press the double shot button on your espresso machine. You want to start your time at the same time you press this button.

5. You want to start seeing the coffee drip through around ten seconds, the flow should be slow at first and a nice golden brown and this will pale and speed up over the next few seconds. When you get to around 27 grams on the scales you're going to press the button to stop the flow again, and a small amount will continue to drip through and take you to around 34g.

If your shot time is too fast, you will need to find the grind, so make the particle size smaller.
if your shots are running too slowly, you want to make those particles bigger, so you increase the grind size.

If you're buying pre-ground coffee, you obviously can't change the grind size, but you can change the dose. So if your coffee is running much too quickly, then you can try and pack a little bit more coffee into your basket. And if it's running too slowly, you can drop your dose down by gram or two and see if this helps.

Frequently asked questions

What is espresso?

An espresso machine pressurises hot water and pushes it through finely-ground coffee packed into a filter. The result is a creamy (the creamy top is called ‘crema’) caffeine packed short shot of coffee.

How much caffeine is in espresso?

Around 90-100 milligrams per cup. However, due to the size of an espresso shot, aprox 30ml, there is probably more caffeine in an average cup of coffee made using a cafetiere.

What's the best coffee grind size for espresso?

The coffee should be ground very fine, slightly finer than sand but not quite powder like. It should resits the flow of the brew water to produce a thick honey like shot of coffee with good crema in 25-30 seconds

How many grams of coffee for espresso?

On average a double shot of espresso uses Aprox 15 to 20g of dry coffee grounds.

What's the correct brew ratio for a double shot of espresso?

Espresso brew ratio is 1:2. One part coffee to two parts water. An example would be 18g dry coffee to 36g of brew water

What can I do if my espresso is pouring too fast?

If your extraction is too fast, less than 25 seconds, adjust your grind finer. If you are using ground coffee then add more to the basket and/or tamp harder.

What can I do if my espresso is coming out too slow?

If your extraction is too slow, greater than 30 seconds, adjust your grind coarser. If you are using ground coffee then add slightly less to the basket.

How old should be coffee be after roasting for espresso?

You can start to enjoy your coffee from day 5 after roasting but the flavours with further develop in the weeks after this. Before 5 days your espresso may be sour due to degassing after roasting.

My espresso is sour, what do I do?

Sour may be a sign that the coffee is under extracted ie it poured too quickly or is too fresh (less than 5 days from roast date). See FAQ for espresso pouring too fast.

My espresso is bitter, what do I do?

Sour may be a sign that the coffee is over extracted ie it poured too slowly. See FAQ for espresso pouring too slow.