Over the past decade the humble espresso has become a love affair for baristas and coffee aficionados around the globe. With a plethora of affordable, high quality domestic machines on the market there’s now no excuse not to try this at home.
- Finely grind some fresh Green Cauldron bean. Try to use a conical burr grinder for best results.
- Dose your portafilter basket with 14gms or around two tablespoons of freshly ground coffee
- Gently tap the portafilter basket to remove any air bubbles or gaps. Press down the coffee with your tamper (preferably one with a metallic base). Try to maintain a level pressure, applying around 22 -33lbs (10 – 15kg) of force. As you release the pressure, with just the weight of the tamper on the compacted coffee, give it a twist to polish the surface.
- Prior to fitting the portafilter flush the group head on the espresso machine to ensure there are no coffee particles left over from a previous extraction.
- Place you cup under the portafilter and start the extraction.
- Stop the extraction when the stream becomes paler in colour; called “blonding.” This will stop the espresso shot from becoming overly bitter.
Quick tip: The golden rule of a good extraction is to produce a single shot (1 ounce / 30ml) in around 25-30sec. Grinding, dosing and tamping are the three crucial parts to this puzzle. Don’t be afraid to make slight adjustments to any of these variables. The prefect espresso may be just around the corner.