An Introduction
You don’t have to venture away from home and spend your money to get the best espresso. More and more speciality coffee lovers have found their inner barista by purchasing an espresso machine to enjoy using in their own kitchens. The home cafe dream can come to life with espresso! As the trend of speciality coffee sweeps across the country, consumers want to be able to take on the upgrade and enjoy espresso coffee at home. No longer are home-based coffee makers limited to the longer drinks that cafetieres and pour over coffee makers unlock, and we have written a guide for you to be able to enjoy espresso coffee at home, below.
Some speciality coffee roasters address the different coffees needed for filter and espresso coffee making. In order to achieve the best espresso, look at coffee packaging to see if they feature the word espresso. Speciality coffee roasted past the point of “dark” are usually referred to as “espresso roast”.
Firstly, you need to make sure that your coffee beans (if you’re a home-grinder) to a very fine consistency – the finest that your coffee grinder will go. Espresso coffee making is built around maximum extraction rates, so the finer the grounds, the more surface area between water and coffee there is… and the more soluble your coffee will be.
you will need:
An espresso maker
The espresso machine’s included portafilter and handle
20g of speciality coffee (try to find a coffee which has the word “espresso” on it, this will usually mean that it is roasted darker and ground finer for maximum extraction and taste!)
Your favourite coffee mug
Brew Time
7 min
Step 1
Turn on your espresso machine so that it is able to warm up with adequate time. Depending on your espresso machine of choice, this shouldn’t take much more than 2 minutes (but with some brands can take 15). Put your speciality coffee of choice into the portafilter, and spend some time flattening the coffee so that its even and filling the portafilter properly. This will ensure that your coffee is all used up, and none wasted in the following steps. You can use a tamper for this if you have one, which will push the coffee down and make the basket contents more compact.
Step 2
Screw the portafilter into the part of the espresso machine that dispenses water. Feel free to run some water through it first in order to understand how your home espresso machine works.
Espresso is the roast type, and brew method for you if you like dark and serious speciality coffee drinking experiences.
Step 3
Now, pull a shot of espresso for approximately 20 to 30 seconds. You should find that the aromas are strong and pleasant, and that the espresso is dark in colour. Espressos are a precise way of brewing your coffee, and making the best espresso isn’t necessarily going to be easy the first time! So persevere, and remember that if you’re embarking on a short period of trial and error, the end goal will be well worth it.
Step 4
If you’re a lover of milky speciality coffee drinks, now is the time to froth up your milk. The best espresso forms the base of the best latte, cappuccino, flat white, or any other milky coffee drink. Espresso by itself is a perfect way to get to know the naturally occurring flavours of new coffees.
Finally, pour the coffee and enjoy with friends and family in your newly-established home cafe!
Enjoy!
We’re avialble 7 days a week
Weekdays
08:00 – 17:00
Weekends
10:00 – 16:00
Contact
Phone
+44 7783 420986
info@categoricallycoffee.co.uk
Address
Kendal, Cumbria, LA9, UK