Espresso Making Steps: What's the Optimal Time for Brewing Espresso

Nowadays, coffee culture is thriving in China. Friends often gather at comfortable coffee shops for leisurely conversations, and espresso-based drinks have become essential beverages at almost every café. FrontStreet Coffee offers classic beverages such as Americano, latte, cappuccino, and flat white, while many other establishments create specialty drinks by adding various ingredients. However, all of these beverages depend on one perfectly extracted shot of espresso.

When we watch baristas making espresso, their movements appear remarkably efficient and simple, as if they can prepare a rich coffee base in just two minutes. In reality, an ideal espresso requires careful control of the proportions and balance between various parameters to achieve the best flavor profile. Mastering these proportions takes extensive exploration and experience.

The Principles of Espresso Extraction

Espresso is extracted using the percolation method with precision metal filters. Compared to pour-over drip extraction, the biggest difference is the addition of pressure. The espresso machine was invented in the early 19th century. To extract a rich cup of coffee in a short time, Italians conceived the idea of using steam pressure to force hot, high-pressure water through the coffee puck, thereby accelerating the extraction rate of traditional drip methods. Through continuous improvements and updates, this evolved into the semi-automatic and fully automatic espresso machines we commonly see today.

The high pressure inside an espresso machine forces hot water through the coffee puck, meaning that even when the coffee grounds are extremely fine, it can still ensure proper percolation and balanced extraction. The finer the coffee grounds, the larger their surface area grows exponentially. Therefore, one major advantage of extremely fine grounds is their exceptionally fast extraction speed. Not only is it fast, but the quality is also superior. High pressure can force water into the internal cell walls of the coffee grounds, releasing rich oils and aromatic flavor compounds.

When we brew coffee using any method, our goal is to extract the positive flavor compounds from the coffee using water, thereby obtaining delicious coffee liquid. Coffee beans consist of various substances, with about 30% of their components being water-soluble, such as fruit acids, caffeine, oils, and carbohydrates. Among these, only about 20% are aromatic small molecules with positive flavors that are extracted first; the remaining large molecular substances with woody and bitter flavors require longer extraction times. Therefore, our task is to adjust corresponding parameters to extract more high-quality components from the coffee.

Espresso represents coffee with complex and concentrated flavors—no other brewing method can present such richness and texture. To obtain a delicious cup of coffee, excellent extraction is essential, achieving a balance between aromatic and taste compounds in the cup. Simply put, the acidity, sweetness, and bitterness should all be pleasant. Therefore, it's necessary to judge the state of espresso through tasting, determining how to adjust parameters to produce qualified espresso liquid.

In terms of operation, many factors influence the flavor from coffee beans to a cup of espresso, including grind size, machine boiler pressure, water temperature, distribution and tamping pressure, dose, extraction time, and liquid weight. Typically, the machine's pressure and water temperature are preset and not easily changed. Distribution and tamping pressure depend on the barista's technique. The four main factors commonly adjusted for extraction in daily practice are dose, time, liquid weight, and grind size. As the saying goes, "Even the most skilled housewife can't cook a meal without rice"—for a dish to be delicious, the ingredients must be carefully selected, making the quality of coffee beans extremely crucial.

Steps for Making Espresso

FrontStreet Coffee's daily espresso offerings use the "Sunflower Warm Sunshine Blend." FrontStreet Coffee's baristas calibrate the espresso extraction parameters before opening each day, only beginning formal service after these adjustments are complete.

FrontStreet Coffee uses double basket capacity, with a dose of approximately 18-20 grams, and uses 20 grams of coffee for their service. Frontsteet's extraction ratio is 1:2, meaning 20 grams of coffee grounds extracts 40 grams of coffee liquid. Time relates to the flow rate of the coffee—typically, single extraction time is controlled within 20-35 seconds, because coffee extracted within 20 seconds tends to taste thin, while extraction exceeding 35 seconds can easily become over-extracted and develop burnt bitterness. Most of Frontsteet's espressos fall within the 28-30 second range.

Before extraction, the portafilter needs to be wiped dry. Turn on the grinder and grind a double dose of coffee, placing it on an electronic scale to add or subtract until reaching 20 grams. Next, use a distribution tool to level the coffee grounds, then press vertically downward with firm force using a tamper to compact the coffee puck, ensuring more stable extraction.

Then activate the extraction switch for 1-2 seconds to wet the brew head while also washing away any residual coffee grounds. Place an electronic scale under the espresso cup and zero it, positioning both under the brew head during extraction.

Gently lock the portafilter into the brew head and begin extraction by pulling the shot. Observe the changes in the extraction liquid. When the electronic scale shows 40 grams of coffee liquid extracted and the time is approximately 30 seconds, stop the extraction. Brewing parameters may vary subtly based on daily air humidity and coffee bean conditions, requiring adjustments to coffee dose, grind setting, and extraction yield.

The extracted espresso can be consumed directly. Paired with a glass of water to cleanse the palate, you can taste the dense crema and the rich texture of the underlying coffee liquid. If the intense bitterness is overwhelming, you can also add water or milk according to your preference to dilute and soften the strong flavors.

Recommended Espresso Beans

Because espresso is extracted under fine grinding, high water temperature, and high pressure, it concentrates multiple flavors, with various flavor compounds impacting our palate exponentially. Therefore, if we use light roast single-origin coffee beans for extraction, the taste might be too intense and overwhelm the coffee's aroma. Coffee, as an agricultural product, varies with climate, soil, and other factors. Even beans from the same region will have different flavors in each batch. Blended coffee beans use the principle of complementing strengths and weaknesses to ensure each batch presents balanced and stable aroma and flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee recommends their own roasted "Sunflower Warm Sunshine Blend Coffee Beans," composed of 30% Ethiopian natural processed Red Cherry coffee beans and 70% Honduras Sherry Cask coffee beans. When brewed as espresso, it presents rich dark chocolate flavors with strong caramel notes. The aftertaste that emerges after swallowing is truly memorable. Whether diluted with water for an Americano or enhanced with milk for a latte, both display rich aromatic qualities.

A freshly prepared espresso is covered with a thick, dense golden-brown foam called crema. This is the result of carbon dioxide from freshly roasted coffee beans creating bubbles under the high pressure inside the espresso machine. To ensure everyone can enjoy the full aroma of coffee and experience the most complete flavor profile, FrontStreet Coffee only ships coffee beans roasted within 5 days.

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style). For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee's private WeChat account: qjcoffeex

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473