The perfect espresso !!

The perfect espresso


If you are the kind of person that drinks coffee from Starbucks and that couldn’t tell what crema is than you should consider reading something else, this is not a guide for heretics.

Many coffee enthusiasts have fallen in love with their espresso machine, I will attempt further on to give you a few tips on how to best use your espresso machine not to get a good shot, but a perfect one.

It all begins from the very moment when you purchase your espresso machine. You should consider online shopping to get the best deals here. I bought mine from www.coffeemachine.com.au, these guys sure do know their coffee.

When choosing an espresso machine it’s very important to check what type of coffee it requires and further still check on the web to see what dissatisfied customers have to say about it. There are always some cheerleaders for every brand of espresso machine in existence, that’s why you should skip the positive votes and check only the negative ones.

So now you are the proud owner of an espresso machine sitting there looking amazed at all those pretty buttons. Time to tweak it. The first thing you should do is to set the brewing temperature. This should be at around 195 degrees Fahrenheit which will translate to approximately 165 degrees in your cup. Most modern espresso machines will have the temperature pre-set to the correct setting.

The most important part in the tweaking of your espresso machine comes with the following rule: Your double shot of espresso should be made from 2,5 to 3 ounces of coffee and the brewing time shouldn’t be higher than 30 seconds. I know that some people may disagree but this has worked best for my espresso machine. If the espresso machine takes more or less time to deliver the coffee, then you need to adjust the brewing pressure.

There are several methods by which you can reduce or increase the pressure in your espresso machine. The most effective method is to play with the tamp pressure applied to the raw coffee in your filter handle, the more you press the coffee, the longer the delivery time from your espresso machine. As a side note you should be aware that this step can be skipped if your espresso machine has a pressurized filter handle.

Another method to achieve the desired perfect espresso is to play with the degree of grinding that your coffee has. The finer the grinding the more time it will take for the espresso machine to make the espresso shot. If you don’t have a grinder now could be a good time to get a good one.

Of course the last, but most important factor in making that perfect espresso shot, is the choosing of the brand of coffee itself. As a thumb up rule the coffee beans should be a lovely deep caramel colour, without an oily look to them. The beans should be as fresh as possible to get the best flavours.

What are you waiting for now? Go and fire up that espresso machine.