How to Make Espresso at Home: What Key Aspects You Need to Know

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How to Make a Good Espresso at Home

FrontStreet Coffee provides a brief overview of how to make a good espresso at home. What key points require special attention?

Coffee Beans

Always purchase coffee from reliable specialty coffee suppliers, because only they know how long the coffee beans have been stored, how they were processed, and how they were roasted. Generally, the fresher the coffee beans, the better the quality of the espresso produced, as the freshness of the beans determines whether the crema will be full and whether the flavor will be balanced. Lower-quality coffee tastes one-dimensional and has a very thin mouthfeel. Also, always buy unground whole coffee beans. You don't need to store coffee beans in the freezer. The best method is to place them in a cupboard, away from heat sources. At the same time, ensure that the storage time for coffee beans does not exceed 3 weeks. Finally, always store coffee beans in an airtight container.

Roasting

Before purchasing, check that the packaging has a roast date. Coffee tastes best between day 5 and 3 weeks (day 21) after roasting.

Grinding

The degree of grinding directly affects the extraction time of the coffee, thereby determining the taste of the coffee. If the coffee is ground too finely, it will have a burnt and ashy taste; if the coffee is ground too coarsely, it will be too weak and have a very thin mouthfeel, because the water flow rate is too fast, and the essence of the coffee has not been fully extracted.

The fineness of coffee grounds used for making espresso should "feel like coarse salt or sand mixed into flour." When rubbed between the thumb and index finger, the coffee grounds should clump appropriately, but not be too dense. He also told us that the texture of coffee grounds used for making drip coffee should feel like breadcrumbs.

Portafilter

Before making coffee, ensure that the portafilter is completely dry. Once the coffee grounds come into contact with moisture, the extraction process begins, so always wipe the portafilter and filter basket dry with a paper towel before making coffee.

Tamping

If you are a meticulous person, you should spend some money to purchase a high-quality tamper to ensure that the coffee grounds are uniform and level after being tamped. Fill the portafilter 3/4 full with coffee grounds and tap the portafilter lightly with your hand to loosen the grounds and ensure even distribution. Continue adding coffee grounds to the portafilter until it is full. Be careful not to add too much.

Important Notice :

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