Bought An Espresso Machine? Rookies, Read This

Ok, so you've purchased your bran-spanky new espresso machine. You've sourced your artisan, small-batch coffee. You splurged for the ceramic cafe-style cups, steam pitcher, and tamper. Now what? Your favourite barista doesn't live in your house so how are you gonna get the same cappuccino you get at Bean Scene?! You read this blog, of course.

To get yourself started on a path to deep and rich espresso, you will need to know a couple of things about tamping and grind distribution, and some of the problems that may arise if you do these two thing incorrectly. It will be difficult to recognize what these issues are if you don't taste your espresso...... so TASTE, TASTE, TASTE! 

First off (and a little off topic) you need to grind your espresso to the appropriate size for your espresso machine. Not all machines are created equal but as a general rule, consider the price of the machine to be a good indicator of it's quality. Anything under $100 will extract an inferior espresso to a machine that costs $2000. Sorry, just the nature of the world. You don't win Daytona in a Hyundai. Don't shoot the messenger. At Bean Scene, if we grind the espresso for you, we will write the size of the grind directly on the coffee bag so you know for next time. All of our grinders across the company are calibrated to grind exactly the same. Use these very simple rules: #1. Espresso normally extracts between 20 seconds - 30 seconds to reach 1.5 ounces in volume. (See blog post listed below for flavour implications). #2. If it reaches 1.5 ounces in less than 20 seconds, use a slightly finer espresso. #3. If it reaches 1.5 ounces in more than 30 seconds, use a slightly courser espresso. Professional baristas get far more in depth but you're not a pro yet.

Ok, now you have the right grind size of espresso so let's talk distribution. Distribution is exactly what it sounds like.... you are distributing the coffee evenly in your portafilter. If you don't do this prior to coffee extraction, which is under immense pressure, water will find the path of least resistance and extract where the distribution is thinnest. There are a dozen different ways to do this but maybe you don't want to spend another $200 bucks on the professional tool. Let's say you don't, and that you want to do it the old school way.... Manually! 

1. Load your portafilter up to the rim with espresso. 2. Gently tap the side of the portafilter with the palm of your hand and watch how the grinds move in the filter. You may have to tap a few times as you watch how those grinds are moving in the filter. The goal is to make the grinds an even height so that when you tamp down the grinds, they will compress into a uniform puck across the inside of the portafilter. This will ensure that the pressure will extract ALL of the flavour of the coffee.

2. Tamp your coffee with 30 pounds of downward pressure PERFECTLY LEVEL. Your machine most likely came with a little plunger to compress the coffee into the portafilter. This is to concentrate the grinds prior to extraction and to allow a back pressure. Very important!!! - If your machine does not have enough oomph, it may purge the pressure back into the machine itself and create a big mess. If this happens, course up your coffee grinds (and get a mop)! You can tamp on a household scale (you know, the kind you stand on) to see what your pressure is. Easy peasy. 

The biggest challenge you will have with a normal portafilter is that you will not be able to see the extraction itself, only the product that pours out of the little spout. At Bean Scene we use a bottomless (naked) portafilter so we can see the extraction intimately. It's our whole existence so we do stuff like that. So with no naked portafilter..... use your tongue. If you're using Bean Scene coffee it will taste good when extracted well. If you're using a bargain coffee.... good luck. Use the link below for the effects of doing it wrong. It's generally geared toward pour-over coffee but most of the rules regarding flavour apply.

So, to recap..... distribute your grinds as detailed above, then tamp nice and straight with 30 pound of downward pressure to improve your home espresso. Questions?....... Just pop into any Bean Scene and ask one of our senior baristas to give you some tips. This is what we do and we love sharing!

If you know someone who might benefit from this blog series, hit that share thingy!

Link for Espresso Flavour - https://bean-scene-coffee-works.myshopify.com/blogs/news/not-a-pro-you-dont-need-to-be