Prep Details

• Prep time: 5 minutes
• Make time: 25–30 seconds (per shot)
• Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients List

• 18 g specialty coffee beans (medium-dark or dark roast to start)
• Filtered water

Equipment List

• Espresso machine (with 9 bar pump or manual lever)
• Burr grinder (stepped or stepless)
• Digital scale (precision ±0.1 g)
• Portafilter and 58 mm basket (or your machine’s standard)
• Tamper (snug-fit or levelling tamper)
• WDT tool or thin needle for distribution
• Shot glasses or small cups
• Timer (built-in or phone app)

1. Benchmark Your Espresso

Before dialing in at home, go to a café and taste their espresso. Note the balance of acidity, sweetness, and body. Use beans from that café if possible. Having a benchmark helps you define what “good” espresso means and gives you a target to match.

2. Read Your Bag Like a Pro

Specialty coffee bags include useful info:

1. Roast Degree: Light, medium, dark, or espresso roast. Darker roasts extract faster and maintain puck integrity.
2. Roast Date: Aim for 3–7 days post-roast for dark, 7–14 days for medium, and 14–28 days for light.
3. Processing Method: Washed, natural, honey, or experimental processes affect extraction speed and flavor.
4. Varietal & Origin: Learn how different regions and cultivars behave by tasting and taking notes.

3. Dose and Ratio

• Start with 18 g in and 36 g out (1 : 2 ratio) for medium roasts.
• Adjust to 1 : 1.5 for dark roasts (thicker) or 1 : 2.5–3 for light roasts (longer).
• Lock in your dose once you have a basket capacity;minor tweaks (±1 g) only if your grinder’s range is coarse.

4. Grind Size and Dial-In

1. Set baseline: Coarser for dark, finer for light.
2. Pull a shot and observe:
   • Too fast (< 20 s): grind finer.
   • Too slow (> 35 s): grind coarser.
3. As you taste and tweak, record grind settings and times to build a quick-start guide for each roast type.

5. Temperature & Preheat

• Dark: 80–85 °C
• Medium: 85–90 °C
• Light: 90+ °C
  Flush the group head (10 s) before brewing to stabilize temperature (“temperature surfing”). For lever machines, pre-flush and run a blank shot to preheat group and portafilter.

6. Puck Preparation (Distribution & Tamping)

1. WDT (Weiss Distribution Technique): Use a thin needle or WDT tool to break clumps and level grounds.
2. Tamp: Apply 15–20 kg of even pressure. Aim for a flat, smooth surface. Consider a levelling tamper to make puck prep a constant and reduce channeling.

7. Pulling the Shot

1. Lock portafilter, start timer as pump engages.
2. Aim for a 25–30 s brew time for 18 in → 36 out.
3. Stop the shot when yield or time target is met.
4. Note taste: sour = under-extracted, bitter = over-extracted, balanced = dialed-in.

8. Salami Shot Exercise (Taste Training)

1. Pull one shot into three cups, swapping every 10 s.
2. Cup 1 (0–10 s): very sour, thick, salty.
3. Cup 2 (10–20 s): balanced sweetness and acidity.
4. Cup 3 (20–30 s): bitter, thin.
5. Re-brew full shot and compare: adjust grind or time toward Cup 2’s profile.

9. Fine-Tuning & Troubleshooting

• If shot tastes like Cup 1: grind finer, increase ratio or temperature.
• If shot tastes like Cup 3: grind coarser, shorten time or lower temperature.
• Always taste before chasing numbers.

Pro Tips

• Keep beans in an airtight container away from light and heat.
• Record every variable change in a brewing journal or app.
• Experiment with pressure profiling if your machine allows it: flat 9 bar, declining 9 → 6, or lever 9 → 0.
• Try RDT (Ross Droplet Technique) sparingly: a light spritz before grinding reduces static and can improve extraction uniformity.

Conclusion

Mastering how to make esspresso is a journey of tasting, experimenting, and learning. Use the info on your coffee bag, hone your puck prep, and train your palate with exercises like the salami shot. Soon you’ll be pulling consistent, café-quality espresso at home. Enjoy the ride—and the coffee!