Espresso coffee, espresso or espresso, are some of the names that we usually use to refer to the most basic and important extraction of the elaboration of quality coffee. The most common thing in bars is to order a single coffee, but from this coffee concentrate, you can prepare other drinks such as cappuccino, coffee with milk or latte. Although it seems simple, there are many factors that influence the production of a perfect espresso coffee: long-lasting creamy cream, without bubbles, with a round and balanced touch.
Ingredients and materials needed to make an espresso
- Quality coffee beans
- Water
- Coffee machine
- Coffee grinder
- Barista press
- Filter holder in good condition
- Cup
Selection of coffee beans
Perhaps it is the most complicated step since most of us do not stop to think about what coffee is being served to us when we approach the bar or table of any bar. There are endless combinations, blends and blends of 100% arabica, robusta, roasted coffee, of different roasts, varieties, etc. That is why it is so important to be clear about the result we want to obtain. The raw material has to be the centre of attention, depending on the tastes of the client or the person who is going to taste our products. If you want to get an idea of the coffees that the coffee shops use, you can take a look at our selection of coffees in beans.
Ground coffee beans
The coffee is ground so that contact with water occurs as intensely as possible, in order to extract its components, in the preparation of the infusion. It is very important to adjust the degree of grinding depending on the coffee machine that we are going to use. The ideal grind for an espresso coffee would be to get a grind that is between the touch of flour and that of sand.
Keep in mind that if the beans are too ground, the surface area will be exposed too much with the hot water, making this taste bitter and harsh. In the opposite case, if the grinding were less, it would produce a weak and watery coffee.
Coffee Maker Maintenance
It is recommended in the morning to open the vaporizers, purge groups and discard one coffee per group not suitable for consumption. Every night we must clean the vaporizers, grids, groups, scoops, slides, tray and bowl, to make sure we don’t get dirty flavors in our coffee and keep the machinery in good condition. Finally, we must leave the slides inserted in the group without tightening to maintain an adequate temperature.
Now that we have the raw material and the tools ready let’s focus on the preparation routine that we should follow to prepare a proper coffee only, either in the bar or in our espresso machine at home.
Step by step routine
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- Load the coffee beans into the grinder and grind.
- Dose 8-9 grams of ground coffee in the clean filter holder
- Equalize the load by compact and horizontal pressing
- We clean the edges of the saucepan by gently passing the hand
- We purge the shower from the coffee maker to remove traces of the previous coffee
- We introduce the Filter Holder with the load, and we press the button
- We deliver coffee. The ideal would be to obtain 25-30ml of espresso extracted in 30 seconds.