Espresso Recipe and Brew Guide: 6 Simple Steps to the Perfect Espresso (2024)

Always use a coffee grinder built for the brewing you intend to do. There is a big difference between a coffee grinder meant for drip coffee versus one for espresso. Espresso grinding needs to be very fine and many grinders cannot reach the level of fineness to properly extract an espresso.

When looking for thebest grinder for espressoyou first need to find a grinder that can grind fine enough to properly pull an espresso shot.

Attributes to look for include:

1. Flat burrset at 55mm or larger
2. Stepless grind settings for infinite number of grind settings
3. Digital control for grind volumetrics and settings for single and double shots
4. Low coffee retention, what you put in you should get back out without too much or any retention
5. A powerful motor capable of reaching at least 1000 RPMs

Visually, your espresso grinds should look almost like confectionary sugar, but the real test, if you ground correctly, will be running it through your espresso machine.

If your espresso puck preparation is performed well, pulling an espresso shot that runs too fast or too slow could be contributed to less-than-ideal grind size. If your espresso pulls too quickly, you may need to grind finer, and the opposite would be true if your espresso brewed too fast.

The grind settings needed for espresso change as a coffee ages and what may have worked a day ago may not work today. Finding the ideal grind setting for your espresso is called “dialing in” your grinder.

Dialing in your espresso refers to the fine-tuning process that a barista carries out by adjusting the grind size of the coffee beans, preparing the puck, and tamping to achieve the optimal extraction time for the best-tasting shot. This process involves finding the right balance between coarser or finer grinds, puck preparation, and tamping to produce the perfect shot.

Steps would include:

1. Set your grinder to the intended grind size.
2. Purge a small amount of coffee as the coffee in the grinder previously may impact the new grind size setting.
3. Your grinder is either set by time or volume. Grind and weigh your coffee and ensure you are hitting the total intended volume. If you weigh your grounds and the weight is too high, adjust the timer function on your grinder.
4. Prepare your puck for brewing, using an even 30 pounds tamping force to ensure this part of the equation is not factored in when dialing in your espresso.
5. Pull your espresso shot based on your intended recipe.
6. If your brew takes too long or too short, it is time to repeat the above steps by changing your grind settings to either finer or coarser. Always purge coffee first before using the new grind settings.
7. Repeat the above process until your coffee weight and espresso extraction is where you intended it to be. This is an exercise that should occur daily, especially if you switch coffees.

A single shot basket typically holds between 7-12 grams of ground coffee and is used to prepare a single serving of espresso. The basket has a funnel-like shape and is typically paired with a single spouted portafilter. This combination allows for the optimal extraction of flavor from the ground coffee for a rich and full-bodied espresso shot.

A double basket typically ranges in size from 14 to 21 grams and is commonly used for brewing double shots of espresso. It is characterized by straight or slightly tapered walls. This basket is ideal for preparing espresso-based drinks with milk, such as lattes, as it provides a consistent and balanced extraction for a rich and full-bodied flavor.

The process of preparing the coffee grounds for espresso brewing, from grinding the coffee beans to loading them into the portafilter, is referred to as espresso puck preparation. Some of the steps involved in this process include using a WDT (Weight Distribution Tool) to spread out the grounds, incorporating puck screens, and tamping the coffee before brewing.

Puck preparation is an iterative process as flaws spotted in your espresso brew and drink quality often fall back on improper or inconsistent puck preparation.

The optimal tamping pressure is roughly 30 pounds of pressure which is where you hit “maximum density” where the coffee grounds can be compacted no further.

The reason why 30 pounds of pressure is suggested is due to the “maximum density” concept. Once you reach maximum density, your job is complete. Further, tamping at 35 or 40 pounds of pressure just puts added stress on your joints and doesn’t further impact your brew.

Issues arise when you tamp too soft which creates inconsistencies in the puck, often causing channeling. You want to take tamping pressure out of the equation on why your espresso brews like “x” or tastes like “y”. Always tamp to 30 pounds of pressure or use a spring-loaded tamper which always hits the same amount of force each time.

It is entirely possible to tamp too soft which can lead to under-extracted sour-tasting shots but it is impossible to tamp coffee beyond the standard 30 pounds of pressure.

The reason why 30 pounds of pressure is suggested is due to the “maximum density” concept. Once you reach maximum density, your job is complete. Further, tamping at 35 or 40 pounds of pressure just puts added stress on your joints and doesn’t further impact your brew.

Issues arise when you tamp too soft which creates inconsistencies in the puck, often causing channeling. You want to take tamping pressure out of the equation on why your espresso brews like “x” or tastes like “y”. Always tamp to 30 pounds of pressure or use a spring-loaded tamper which always hits the same amount of force each time.

There are other tools besides the traditional tamper that compresses coffee grounds to the needed 30 pounds of pressure. That said, with espresso brewing, tamping, or compression is needed to tightly compact the coffee grounds in preparation for high-pressurized brewing.

Tamping tools include:

1. Traditional tamper
2. Distribution tool with built-in tamper
3. Palm tamper
4. Automatic tamper like the Puqpress
5. Spring-loaded traditional tamper