How to Make a Perfect Espresso? Complete Guide to Espresso Extraction Details

How to Extract a Perfect Espresso

Extraction of a perfect espresso is the foundation for making popular coffee beverages such as Americano, latte, cappuccino, and more. So how do you make a good espresso coffee? Espresso, commonly referred to as "Espresso," is a high-concentration coffee extracted in an extremely short time, with a typical serving of about 30ml. The rich, dark coffee liquid has a thick, delicate golden crema floating on the surface. The key factors for extracting espresso include dose, ratio, time, grind size, water temperature, and pressure.

Water temperature and pressure are typically pre-set on most machines, so the final parameters we need to determine are dose, ratio, time, and grind size.

Determining the Dose

First is determining the dose, which is the easiest parameter to establish among the four. This is related to the capacity of the portafilter basket. You can check the capacity manual of your purchased machine's portafilter basket. If unavailable, you can fill the portafilter basket with espresso-ground coffee and tamp firmly with a tamper until the coffee reaches the ridge line of the basket, then weigh the coffee in the basket to determine your basket's maximum capacity.

Determining the Ratio

Next is determining the ratio, which refers to the water-to-coffee ratio - the proportion between coffee grounds and extracted espresso liquid. Common espresso ratios range from 1:1.5 to 1:2.5. FrontStreet Coffee suggests starting with a 1:2 coffee-to-liquid ratio for extraction, meaning 20g of coffee grounds would extract 40g of coffee liquid.

Determining the Time

Then there's the time factor. It's easier to extract delicious espresso when controlling the extraction time within 20-30 seconds. Espresso extracted in less than 20 seconds will likely taste thin and watery. Conversely, espresso extracted beyond 30 seconds tends to develop burnt and bitter flavors.

Grind Size

Finally, the grind size. The grind size used for making espresso is very fine, as fine as flour. Grind size is a parameter that frequently needs adjustment in espresso making. Espresso machines are very sensitive to coffee grind size. If the grind is slightly too coarse, it will lead to too fast flow and shorter extraction time; if the grind is slightly too fine, it will result in too slow flow and longer extraction time. Therefore, grind size is typically adjusted slightly to achieve extraction time within the 20-30 second range.

Important Notice :

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