At home, we are free to experiment, to iterate until we find what works for us Espresso troubleshooting can be difficult and challenging, but it is also the key to making a great espresso at home. Commercial espresso machines often produce better results, but at home we have the freedom to experiment and try different things until we find what works best for us.
When you start to learn how to brew espresso, you may get frustrated, and some even give up and return to the mediocre shots at the famous coffee shop chain. This is understandable because making the perfect espresso is a complex, elaborated, sometimes intuitive combination of coffee quality, extraction pressure and time, water temperature, coffee grind, and roast, and more.
Making perfect espresso: The basics
There are strict rules to follow when making coffee in order to create the perfect cup. If the beans are not of good quality, the espresso will not be good. Additionally, a poor grinder will also negatively affect the coffee. Finally, the espresso machine is also important in making a good cup of coffee.
The perfect espresso shot is not objective and varies depending on personal taste and mood.
The common ground for a perfect shot of espresso are a few factors. Let’s see what these factors are and how we can control them.
How to read your espresso
Visuals
If you have a naked portafilter, you can see how the espresso is flowing and if it is running aside, which is a sign of channeling.
Multiple thin streams, watery spurts, and spraying are not good signs. A good espresso shot should flow steadily and thick, like golden lava.
If the puck is un even, that is another issue. Another way of assessing espresso without tasting it is by looking at the puck. If the puck is uneven, that is usually an indication of channeling.
I prefer to serve espresso in a double-walled glass rather than a ceramic cup so that I can check its body. Espresso is the most concentrated coffee drink, made with 1-2 parts water per part coffee grounds. This concentration should be evident in its appearance.
An espresso with no crema or too much crema is an indicator that something went wrong.
Aroma
The addicting smell of freshly ground coffee is one of the most pleasant smells ever. Likewise, the smell of espresso offers a lovely scent, commonly called aroma. Unlike taste and visuals, aroma tends to be a good indicator of problems with coffee beans.
If you smell rubber, burnt chemicals, or any other unpleasant aromas, it is a sign that the coffee beans are defective. Change your coffee beans to avoid these problems.
If your sense of smell is strong, you might notice other signs that the espresso was not extracted properly, like a faint aroma or the lack of aromatic notes that should be present.
Taste
The final judgement on the quality of espresso is a matter of taste. Sourness and bitterness are signs of poor espresso, and can be confusing for most people. There is a range of quality around good espresso, from under- to over-extracted shots. Telling the difference between them will help you improve your espresso-making skills.
In food science, researchers have found that we tend to confuse sourness and bitterness. It is therefore essential to be able to distinguish between the two. Another common confusion is between sour and acidic notes.
The difference between acidic and sour flavors is that sourness is unpleasant and aggressive while acidic notes can be delicate and fragrant.
Under-extracted espresso
Under-extracted coffee will taste sour to most people. If you are new to specialty coffee, you might confuse the taste of sourness with the more pleasant acidic notes. However, keep in mind that pleasant acidic notes are usually fruity and delicate, while sourness is aggressive and will cause an immediate reaction in your mouth.
There are many people who can’t help but pucker their lips when they taste a sour espresso shot.
Additionally, under-extraction results in a dull, overall lack of sweetness, and short finish, with almost no aftertaste.
If you are unsure if something is sour, you can use your sense of taste to determine whether it is or not.
Over-extracted espresso
How can you tell if your espresso is over-extracted? Intense bitterness is the most unambiguous indication. However, it might be challenging to decide when there is excessive bitterness in espresso since a complete lack of it isn’t a good sign either.
Brewing variables
Different methods of brewing coffee exist and each one alters some brewing variables. These variables include water temperature, brew time, grind size, the dose, and the yield (brew volume). When brewing espresso, there is another variable that comes into play: pressure. This is what makes espresso unique among all other coffee drinks. The brewing pressure is a combination of the dose, grind size and tamp.
Grind size
Espresso is known for requiring a very fine grind, finer than most types of table salt. For the best results, I recommend using a good burr grinder that will produce a consistent grind size. Having a consistent grind is crucial to making a good espresso.
If coffee grounds are too fines, this will usually cause over-extraction. Increasing the ground size will usually fix the problem if all other variables are the same.
If the grind size is decreased, the problem of under-extraction will usually be solved.
If you grind the coffee beans more finely, you will create more pressure in the portafilter, and the shot will pour more slowly. If the grind is too coarse, the shot will pour too fast. The grind size is the most important variable that influences the pressure and indirectly the brew time.
Water temperature
The standard for coffee brewing with the SCA is that water is around 195–205°F (90.5–96°C) when it comes in contact with the coffee grounds. When brewing espresso, the additional variable changes the extraction, so you can go a few degrees lower if you like to experiment.
A machine that can make espresso and has a PID is a good investment. This is because it will allow you to perfectly control the brewing temperature and know the water temperature while the espresso is being made. Also, if you want to experiment with your espresso recipe, a PID will let you lower or increase the water temperature.
Brew time
brew time The length of time it takes to brew a cup of espresso coffee is determined by three factors: the coarseness of the grind, the amount of coffee used, and how firmly it is packed. The grind is the most important factor.
If your shot takes more than 30 seconds to make, the heat will extract too much from the coffee and produce a burnt-tasting shot.
If the shot pulls too quickly, the coffee grounds won’t have enough time to fully extract, resulting in an under-extracted shot.
Dose
The amount of coffee you use (the dose) is supposed to be the easiest brewing variable to control. You may need to adjust the amount of coffee you use for new beans. The most accurate way to measure the dose is by weight on a scale, but many home baristas use a scoop to measure by volume, which can be less accurate. If you can afford it, buy a kitchen scale to help measure the dose and the brew volume.
The ideal proportion of water to coffee for espresso is between one and two parts water per part coffee. Shots of espresso made with proportions outside of this range tend to be of poor quality. This is why many people who are enthusiastic about espresso make a point of measuring the coffee grounds and water they use.
If you want your espresso to taste better, smell better, and have a richer body, you should adjust the amount you serve according to the amount of coffee you’re using.
The tamp
Most people believe that the amount of pressure used to tamp ground coffee should never be changed and should be around 30 pounds. I sometimes like to experiment with the pressure, and I know I’m not the only barista who does this.
If you’re getting a mixture of under- and over-extracted espresso in your cup, it’s likely due to poor distribution or tamping.
Tamping the coffee grounds helps to prevent water from flowing through them too quickly, resulting in a better tasting espresso.
When you tamp coffee grounds, it slows the water flow and allows for a more even extraction, which tastes better.
Yield
The brew ratio for espresso is the ratio between coffee input and beverage output. This ratio ranges from 1:1.5 to 1:3. If the brew ratio is off, undesirable compounds might be extracted, which will change the flavor profile.
The most accurate way to pulled a shot is by using a kitchen scale. Keep in mind that volumetric measurements are only estimates. The crema volume can make it difficult to get an accurate measurement of the yield.
The ratio will determine which type of coffee beverage you are making: a normale, a lungo, or a ristretto.
Coffee that is over-extracted will have strong, unpleasant flavors that will mask any nice notes in the coffee. Coffee that is under-extracted will taste empty and have less flavor.
Clean grinder. Clean espresso machine. Better espresso
If your grinder is full of old, stale grounds, it will ruin the taste of your espresso. The machine can also build up residue from coffee or water minerals, which will alter the taste. To improve the taste of your espresso, keep both the grinder and the machine clean.
It is important to clean the espresso machine and grinder regularly to remove any coffee oils or deposits that have settled on them.
Experiment with different coffee beans
Good coffee tastes noticeably better than cheap coffee. Some people like dark roasts for espresso while others prefer medium roasts.
It’s got something to do with personal taste
process can have a big impact on the smell and taste of coffee beans, so it’s important to think about it when choosing new beans for espresso.
The perfect espresso shot
espresso should have a consistent layer of brown foam, called crema, through the entire drink. The crema is what gives espresso its unique taste.
This is not a good thing. 2. The taste is to some extent determined by the beans’ place of origin, but more than that, it depends on the roasting skill. Bitter is often associated with espresso, but that’s not an accurate description. In fact, a Starbucks shot is bitter, but it is that way because the coffee is roasted for too long. This is not a good thing.
3. In addition, a long shot tastes different than a regular one, and a ristretto is different as well. And they are not different because of the concentration, they are different in terms of their structure.
The aroma of an espresso shot is so unique and distinct that you can easily tell espresso from other brew types just by its smell.
The perfect espresso recipe
“The perfect espresso” is a combination of the coffee beans’ quality, the espresso machine’s quality, and the barista’s skills. This is what makes up a great espresso shot:
2. An espresso shot is typically made from 6 to 8 grams of ground coffee and contains around 1 oz of brewed liquid.
A double shot of espresso is prepared with 12-14 grams of grounds.
The perfect concentration and proportion of acids, proteins, sugars, aromatic oils, and other substances in brewed coffee enhances the aroma and taste to the maximum.
The espresso is made by passing hot water through ground coffee at a temperature of 88-94 degrees Celsius with a pressure of 9 bar.
Coffee is placed in the portafilter and pressed with a special tool , (espresso tamper), with a light pressure for a perfect stream of water to pass through the entire dose. If the coffee is too finely ground, the tamping should be lighter.
6. Although some people may enjoy espresso with sugar or a biscotti, many others love it as a base for other coffee beverages, such as a latte, cappuccino, or macchiato.
How does a good espresso taste?
An espresso that is made correctly will have faint hints of fruit and flowers, be slightly sweet, and have flavors similar to chocolate and caramel. The bitterness should be there, but it should not be overwhelming and should be balanced by a little bit of acidity.