Blog from our Barista:
Four steps to the perfect espresso
Our barista, Dennis, regularly shares tips and tricks about coffee in his blog "Behind Espresso". In this episode, we get down to the nitty-gritty: How do you prepare the perfect espresso?
Hello, it's your barista Dennis again!
A tip in advance: Your machine needs time to heat up - how long depends on the machine size and power. Whilst waiting, please place cups on the machine. They will be passively heated by the radiated heat of the boiler.
Your machine is hot and ready to go - now let's draw an espresso!
Four simple steps to preparing an espresso:
1. Fill your bean hopper with espresso beans. Grind a small amount of coffee onto a saucer or into a cup. Test the grind by rubbing the coffee grounds between your fingers. As a rough guide, I usually use a grain size between flour and sand as a comparison.
2. Once you have adjusted the grind, you can now grind the appropriate amount into the portafilter: about 7 grams of ground coffee for a single espresso in a single portafilter. Make sure that the coffee grounds are evenly distributed and that the entire bottom of the portafilter is covered.
3. Now place the portafilter in the tamper station. Use your tamper to press the coffee grounds JUST with a pressure of about 10-15 kilograms. Afterwards, you must remove any coffee residue from the edge of the portafilter, otherwise it will stick to the seal in the brew group.
4.Then clamp the portafilter in place, place a cup under the spout and start the coffee brewing process. Now pay attention to the coffee stream that runs into the cup. If no coffee comes out of the portafilter, the resistance of the ground coffee is too great. Solution: grind the coffee a little coarser and try again. If, on the other hand, the coffee comes out of the portafilter too quickly, the resistance of the ground coffee is too low. In this case, grind the coffee a little finer and try again. If the coffee stream runs perfectly into the cup, it should take about 25 seconds for the perfect espresso to be in the cup.
Perfect results with Crem One
All in all, it’s not that hard is it?
Espresso and other hot drinks are particularly easy to make with coffee machines from the Welbilt world. Under the Crem brand, we offer a wide portfolio of high-quality and versatile portafilter machines, fully automatic and brewing machines. For the perfect espresso, for example, the premium Crem One portafilter combines sophisticated features such as a temperature and time control interface, advanced menu settings via OLED display, an intuitive rotary knob for pressure control, automatic ON/OFF, standby and ECO modes steam and hot water control, an intelligent solution for the drip tray, as well as a wider work surface and a separate water tank lid. For the high-performance hydraulics, an optimized PID control has been installed, accompanied by a new double solution for the water tank and the connection to the water pipe. In addition, the steam brewing group is equipped with a 1.7 liter capacity.
Tips & tricks
Here’s a few insider tips on how to achieve even more precise espresso flavor:
Temperature: we brew espresso at a temperature of 89 to about 96 degrees (depending on the coffee bean). High temperatures emphasize bitter compounds, while lower temperatures emphasize acidic compounds. Therefore, it is important that your machine, cup, and portafilter are hot. Temperature fluctuations are immediately noticeable with a beverage volume of 25-30 milliliters for an espresso. If, for example, your cup or portafilter is cold, a so-called thermal shock occurs during the brewing process. This can cause the coffee temperature to drop by up to 20 degrees celsius. As a result the coffee will taste more acidic, and the crema will not be optimally pronounced.
Brewing time: The recommended brew time for an espresso is approximately 25 seconds +/- 5 seconds, but this is not set in stone. Feel free to try out different brewing times to get the most out of your espresso. The longer the brewing time, the more bitter substances are extracted.
Weight: Professionals no longer work with milliliters, but weigh the coffee grounds and then the weight of the espresso in the cup - but this is really only for experts. From both weights and the brewing time, a so-called brew ratio is determined - a corresponding brewing recipe to get the most out of the espresso. Appropriate scales to weigh the espresso are available in Welbilt's accessories range.
And now enjoy the espresso or try variations of the Espresso Ristretto and Lungo!
Your Barista Dennis