HOW TO MAKE ESPRESSO COFFEE
Espresso: What it is and why we love it
An espresso machine forces pressurised, nearly boiling water through ground coffee, in order to produce a strong cup of coffee, quickly. Espresso packs a lot of flavour into a small drink, and it suits milk-based coffees really well, so if you want a delicious cappuccino or latte, brewing espresso at home is the way to go!
What you'll need
– Espresso machine
– Espresso grinder
– Scales and tamper
– Timer– Coffee (roasted for espresso)
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you.
Recipe
Makes one strong coffee, or two weak coffees
– Ground coffee weight: 22grams*
– Beverage weight: 38-42g yield*
– Brew (extraction) time: 28-32 seconds
– Water temperature: 93.3°C
– Grind size: fine
*Note: Our recipe for espresso at Smugglers Run varies from coffee to coffee, but it is typically within these parameters. As each machine is different, start with an amount of coffee that comfortably fits in your basket. Weigh how much coffee this is, and then aim to brew an espresso that is double that weight. This will give you a rough idea. ]
Steps
1. Prepare the portafilter
Remove portafilter. Clean and dry the basket.
Purge the group head by allowing hot water to flow through. This clears the screen of any built-up coffee grounds.
Place the portafilter on the scale and tare the scale to zero, then place the portafilter under the grinder to receive the coffee.
2. Grind, dose and tamp
Grind enough coffee to fill your portafilter basket and then check the weight on the scales.
Make sure coffee is distributed evenly in the basket and use a tamper to press down the bed of coffee.
There should be 3-4mm of space at the top of the portafilter after tamping.
3. Brew
Insert the portafilter into the espresso machine.
Place scales and cup below the portafilter, tare to zero and immediately start to brew.
Stop the shot when the espresso is roughly double the weight of the ground coffee in the basket.
4. Serve
Serve your coffee immediately.
Remove portafilter and knock out spent grounds.
Pop the clean portafilter back into the machine to maintain its temperature.
