Making espresso can be a bit of an art and a bit of a trade. connoisseur take great pride in putting together the perfect cup of espresso, but how the heck do you do it? Well I’ll tell you right here.
First you have to get all of the right materials together. This means that you have to get the right espresso beans, the right machine, and a good burr grinder. Espresso machines are not cheap but if you spend your money on the right machine you will never have to buy another coffee maker again. Next, you will need a burr grinder, this is another investment, but the same logic can be applied as above.
If the entire espresso machine and burr grinder thing is setting you back too much you may want to consider getting one of the pod machines that uses pre made espresso pods. These are getting very popular and while there are not nearly the same quality as an honest to god espresso machine and burr grinder they will do ok.
You can usually find a good espresso blend at the grocery store or local coffee shop. Assembling and roasting your own blend is for the experienced and obsessive compulsive connoisseurs only. Make sure that the blend is composed of mostly arabica coffee beans.
If you really want to get classy you can even get some espresso cups to make your coffee experience that much more authentically italian. Espresso cups usually only hold about 1.5 ounces of coffee, so if you want the traditional American double or triple shot you might want to get a bigger cup.
Preparation
Now if you are using an honest to god espresso machine and a burr grinder this is where it gets interesting. You need to grind about 7 grams of coffee beans to make a 2 ounce shot of espresso. Make sure that you are set on the espresso setting of your grinder or you are just wasting your time. After grinding you will have to tamp the grounds with a tamper and get them good and packed down.
Pulling a shot
This is the last step. Put your big or little cup under the dispenser and follow the instructions to pull the shot. It should take around 30 seconds to pull the shot and fill your cup. That is really about it, there isn’t much too it and once you learn on your chosen equipment you will even be able to do it before you have had your espresso in the morning.