Espresso Machine: at home
Guide to help you brew the best espresso possible using your machine at home.
Just got your machine and you’ve put it in auto mode, but the drinks are coming out like service station coffee? Or you want more control over the perfect latte at home? Well, we’re here to help!
Remember, this is just a baseline guide and we encourage you to experiment and find out what tastes right for you!
What You Need
Burr Grinder: Crucial for espresso! We recommend against blade grinders as they create inconsistent grounds. We need even, fine grounds. We recommend a handheld Comandante as an affordable option.
Digital Scale (to the gram): If you can, we suggest getting a scale for consistent espresso.
Timer: On your phone is more than fine, if it’s not built into your machine.
Tamper: Usually comes with your machine. This is for compressing the coffee grounds.
Coffee Beans: Obviously. Excellent quality specialty beans no less. Keep an eye on flavour notes or any direct references to espresso brewing. (Church St is a great staple for espresso - we aim for nutty, caramel notes for our espresso beans for that silky, Snicker bar, style latte)
The machine: Most home espresso machines will have 9 bars of pressure, that is what we’re aiming for.
The Steps
Prep:
Turn on your machine and let it preheat. This is important for temperature stability and a good extraction. Most machines have an indicator light.
Warm your cup (optional): Rinsing your cup with hot water keeps your espresso hotter for longer. Sometimes keeping it on top of the preheated machine is a good warming option. A small touch if you have the time (or the energy first thing in the morning).
Grind the coffee:
Dose your beans: For a standard double shot, start with 18 grams of coffee beans. Use your scale to be precise!
Grind fresh, and grind fine: Grind your beans right before brewing. We're aiming for a grind size that's fine, like sand. You might need to experiment with your grinder settings to get this right – we'll talk about adjusting later. If you’re using the Wilfa, use the
The Fundamentals: Cheat Sheet (Guidelines)
Rule of thumb is to work towards a 1:2 ratio of coffee in the portafilter to extracted coffee. Start with 18g coffee, working to 36g extracted coffee.
Work to around 30s extraction time and adjust the grind size and time as needed. The shot should start to extract after around 8 seconds.
(you can see more detailed explanation of home brewing fundamentals in our home brewing guide here)
Tamp it (Even Pressure is the Secret):
Dose your ground coffee into your portafilter. Distribute the grounds evenly in the basket by gently tapping the portafilter on the counter a few times.
Tamp firmly and evenly: Place the portafilter on a flat surface. Using your tamper, apply firm, even pressure straight down. Aim for pressure of a firm handshake weight. You want a level, compacted coffee puck.
Brew & Extract:
Lock the portafilter into the machine.
Place your warmed cup under the spout.
Start the brew cycle.
Watch the extraction: Ideally, you want to see a beautiful, honey-like stream of espresso flowing into your cup. No spitting, gushing or stream too thin.
as a general rule you should expect the stream to start after around 8 seconds. Much later and you’re likely too fine with the grind which will result in an under extracted, sour shot.
Time your shot: Aim for an extraction time of 25-30 seconds from when you press the brew button until the flow starts.
Stop the brew cycle. You should have roughly 36 grams of espresso in your cup (a 1:2 ratio – 18g coffee in, 36g espresso out). Again, use your scale for accuracy.
Taste & Adjust to your taste:
Give your espresso a taste straight. If you love a milky drink maybe this is a bit intense but helps gauge what your preferred taste is with the milk:
Too Sour/Acidic? (Underextracted):
Your coffee is likely underextracted. This means the water didn't extract enough flavour.
Grind courser: Make your grind a little courser.
Brew for longer: If your machine allows, try brewing for a slightly longer time, within the 25-30 second range.
Too Bitter/Astringent? (Overextracted):
Your coffee is likely overextracted. The water extracted too much and pulled out bitter flavours.
Grind finer: Make your grind a little finer.
Brew for shorter: If your machine allows, try brewing for a slightly shorter time, within the 25-30 second range.
Weak or Watery? You might not be using enough coffee or your grind is too coarse.
Increase coffee dose: Try using 19 or 20 grams of coffee.
Grind finer: As above, try a finer grind.
Too Strong or Intense? You might be using too much coffee or your grind is too fine.
Decrease coffee dose: Try using 17 or 16 grams of coffee.
Grind coarser: As above, try a coarser grind.
There it is, your espresso! Once you get the recipe right your morning will be a lot simpler.
A few things to consider:
Whenever you get a new bag of beans, you’ll find you need to dial in the right settings each time, so be patient. Generally grind size points can go up/down more often as opposed to extraction time.
a sneaky variable that you may find can be affecting your meticulous measuring is the age of the beans, if they’ve been sitting in the hopper than can slowly dry so looking at a slightly finer grind setting may help with the balance.