Espresso Brewing Method: Time, Dose, Grind Size, and Parameter Ratios

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Espresso coffee has been around for quite some time now. It is the pride of Italians and also a global cultural heritage brought by Italian coffee. In nature, it feels similar to the contribution of Ethiopian varieties to specialty coffee.

Italian coffee spread from Italy to the world, becoming a symbol of status. Without espresso, there would be no development of Italian coffee. Because espresso is hailed as the foundation of coffee, like the cappuccino, latte, and mocha at FrontStreet Coffee. These coffees have always been representative of Italian coffee and also a manifestation of culture. In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will explain the extraction ratios of Italian coffee.

Single and Double Shot Ratios

Espresso coffee is very important because it can directly affect the quality of a cup of coffee. The appropriate coffee-to-water ratio is key to making good espresso. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee will briefly explain the production ratio issues of espresso and how to achieve the appropriate coffee-to-water ratio through adjustments.

Espresso is divided into single and double shots. Traditionally, a single shot uses 8-9 grams of coffee grounds and extracts 25-35 milliliters of espresso in 30 seconds. The single shot coffee-to-water ratio is 1:1, which is the traditional ratio and also the one used for the longest time. Single shot espresso has a rich and intense flavor that is generally difficult for ordinary people to drink.

An important step in weighing coffee is to place the portafilter on a scale and zero it, then weigh about 9g of coffee grounds. Extracting 25-35g of espresso liquid between 25-35s is considered an appropriate coffee-to-water ratio. Single shot espresso is commonly used for cappuccino, with equal proportions of milk, espresso, and foam, determined by the cup size, with a traditional ratio of 1:1:1.

Double shot espresso naturally doubles the amount on the basis of a single shot. 18-20g of coffee grounds extracts 55-65g of espresso liquid in the same 25-35s time, which is considered an appropriate coffee-to-water ratio, with a ratio of 1:1. The same operation involves weighing and zeroing. Double shot espresso is the main amount used for making lattes and Americanos. In terms of taste, it is richer and thicker than a single shot. Because milk and water need to be added, the concentration is diluted in exchange for a mellow and smooth taste. A single shot would make the coffee taste insufficient, so double shot espresso should be determined according to the cup capacity.

How to determine how much coffee to use? The above are traditional single and double shot Italian coffee grounds. Coffee portafilter baskets have different specifications. The filling capacity of a single basket can be as much as 14g, adjusted according to the reference line in the basket. There is an indented coffee line in the basket, which is the reference line for the specified amount of coffee. The filled amount can be adjusted according to the reference line. Exceeding the reference line is too much, and it may also be due to too coarse grinding, which causes larger gaps between coffee particles.

Using weighing method can accurately achieve a reasonable coffee-to-water ratio. The grinding degree of espresso coffee is as fine as flour. The grinding setting is usually the smallest number on an Italian grinder, adjusted between 1-1.5. It is mainly adjusted by coffee amount and extraction time, which is an accurate method.

What Coffee Beans to Use for Espresso

In addition, using different Italian coffee beans to make espresso will present different coffee flavors. For example, the Italian coffee beans used at FrontStreet Coffee are a blend of Honduras Sherry coffee and Yirgacheffe natural red cherry coffee, which highlights rich chocolate, caramel, and slightly intoxicating flavors when mixed with milk.

Because Italian coffee machines have a very distinct characteristic of amplifying the original flavor of coffee beans, and lightly roasted coffee beans have more prominent acidity. If extracted with an Italian coffee machine, the acidity will be more obvious, so they are not suitable for making Italian coffee.

What Coffee Beans to Use for Latte Coffee?

Generally speaking, coffee beans for making latte must be suitable for Italian espresso machines, so lightly roasted coffee is not suitable for making latte coffee. The darker the roast of coffee beans, the stronger the coffee flavor (caramel, bitterness) of the latte. And the lighter the coffee beans, the more obvious the milk flavor in the latte. Therefore, the roast degree should be chosen appropriately to allow coffee and milk to better complement each other.

Next, FrontStreet Coffee will recommend the following four Italian coffee beans for everyone to choose from.

FrontStreet Coffee Sunflower Warm Sunshine Blend

Flavor: Obvious fruit acidity, light berry aroma, wine aroma, rich chocolate flavor, obvious aftertaste.

Formula: Honduras Sherry : Yirgacheffe Red Cherry = 7:3

For this blend, FrontStreet Coffee uses Yirgacheffe natural red cherry and Honduras Sherry. FrontStreet's design concept for this blend is that it can be used for both Italian and pour-over. When used to make espresso, it emits a distinct fermented wine aroma. When tasted, the acidity of citrus and berries immediately emerges, with a whiskey aroma, and the aftertaste is dark chocolate.

FrontStreet Coffee Premium Blend

Flavor: Gentle acidity, light sweetness, nutty aftertaste, overall feeling is not too stimulating, balanced, medium crema.

Formula: Colombia : Brazil = 3:7

For this blend, FrontStreet Coffee uses Brazil and Colombia. It tastes light roasted grass aroma, fragrant with a slight bitterness, sweet and smooth, with a pleasant aftertaste. This is because coffee beans from Colombia's Huila region have pleasant acidity, fragrant aroma, moderate acidity, and rich sweetness that is very intriguing. Coffee beans from Brazil's Cerrado region have a comfortable bittersweet taste and are extremely smooth to drink. So the combination is simply wonderful.

FrontStreet Coffee Commercial Blend

Flavor: Caramel sweetness, nutty and cocoa-like, dark chocolate flavors, balanced sweet and sour, slightly bittersweet, persistent aftertaste.

Formula: Colombia : Brazil : Robusta = 3:6:1

For this blend, FrontStreet Coffee uses Brazilian and Colombian coffee beans and 10% Robusta coffee beans. The taste is classic. FrontStreet Coffee thinks this blend tastes rich in crema and texture with caramel sweetness, also has nutty and cocoa-like, dark chocolate flavors, balanced sweet and sour, slightly bittersweet, with a persistent aftertaste. This commercial blend, like FrontStreet Coffee's Premium Blend, uses Colombian and Brazilian coffee beans, but the addition of Robusta provides rich crema, making the coffee texture more mellow.

FrontStreet Coffee Basic Blend

Flavor: Gentle fruit acidity, caramel sweetness, nutty and dark chocolate flavors, smooth and viscous, but the taste is relatively light.

Formula: Yunnan : Brazil = 3:7

For this blend, FrontStreet Coffee uses Brazil and Yunnan. FrontStreet Coffee thinks it tastes gentle fruit acidity and caramel sweetness, as well as nutty and dark chocolate flavors, smooth and viscous, but the taste is relatively light. This is because Yunnan's natural conditions are very similar to Colombia's - high altitude, large temperature difference between day and night, with a mellow flavor type, moderate acidity, rich and mellow taste, uniform particles, high oil content, and with fruity aroma. Its quality and texture are similar to Colombian coffee. But the taste is slightly lighter than Colombian's, while coffee beans from Brazil's Cerrado region have a comfortable bittersweet taste and are extremely smooth to drink. Therefore, the combination of these two coffee beans also has good flavor, and this basic blend coffee bean is very cost-effective, suitable for Italian coffee beginners and small coffee shops.

Milk and Coffee Ratios in Italian Coffee

Just mentioned above, FrontStreet Coffee also noted that the Italian coffees commonly seen on the market are made with espresso and milk in different proportions. So what is the perfect ratio of espresso to milk to make a perfect milk coffee? Next, FrontStreet Coffee will use making mocha coffee as an example to explain.

Latte Coffee Recipe Ratio

FrontStreet Coffee's latte recipe is 1:6.5, meaning 40g of espresso mixed with 260g of steamed milk.

FrontStreet Coffee's espresso extraction plan is to use 20g of coffee grounds to extract 40g of espresso liquid in 27 seconds as the base for latte coffee.

Next is frothing milk. First, we need a steam wand, which is generally equipped with semi-automatic coffee machines. Secondly, we need a container for milk, such as a milk pitcher or latte art pitcher (professional tools will make the job twice as effective).

Finally, there is the choice of milk. Whether it's room temperature or cold milk, whole milk or skim milk, all can be frothed. But if you want better texture, taste, and stability, FrontStreet Coffee still recommends using cold, refrigerated whole fresh milk.

Next is the integration and latte art. After extracting espresso and steaming milk, you can carefully integrate to complete the latte coffee. Integration is also a very important part of making latte coffee. Good integration can make the latte coffee smooth and comfortable to drink, without any miscellaneous feelings. Good integration is what we commonly call latte art presentation. Finally, a cup of latte coffee is completed.

FrontStreet Coffee's recipe latte flavor: Smooth texture, long-lasting chocolate taste, mixed with pleasant wine aroma, persistent aftertaste, obvious sweetness.

The above is the content about how to extract espresso compiled by FrontStreet Coffee. We hope it can help coffee lovers who want to understand related content, so that they can also make milk coffee that satisfies themselves in the future.

Important Notice :

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