How to optimize an espresso?
A common question many people ask themselves is, how can I get the best out of the coffee beans I have? First and foremost, certain criteria must be met.
Making espresso can be a challenge. Making a cup of coffee under high pressure for about 30 seconds is actually quite extreme, and can be frustrating for many. Especially repeating the good cup. It has probably happened to most of us, you have made a really good espresso, but when you go to make another one, it goes wrong.
Many people think that all espresso beans are pretty much the same. Volume, humidity, temperature, type, roasting degree, age. All of these parameters come into play when making espresso. We often make espresso at random, we grind some coffee and fill the filter without weighing the coffee. This means that we often get different results every time. A gram of coffee from or to can be crucial for the good taste. Therefore, some criteria are needed so that you can repeat the good cup. You have to be consistent, without being consistent it is difficult to know what is going wrong. And some equipment is necessary.
Equipment
We'll start with the equipment you need to make espresso. Of course, that's not all the equipment you need, some are basic while other tools can simplify the process for you.
Coffee machine
Doesn't have to be anything fancy, but should be manual. E.g. Gaggia, Rancilio Silvia, Sage Barista etc.- It must be relatively clean, i.e. not full of old coffee in the group. And check what kind of filter is in the filter arm, is it single or double? 14g, 18g or other? This is often stated in the manual, or do a search on Google.
Coffee Scale
The most underrated tool for making coffee, regardless of brewing method! Buy a coffee scale that measures 0.1 grams . This is especially important when it comes to espresso, as small variations can affect the result. It is important that the scale is consistent and accurate, many scales are inaccurate and tend to surf (not stabilize on one number). This makes it difficult to adjust the amount. It can also be nice to have a scale with a timer, but not necessary.
Grinder
The coffee grinder should be of a certain quality, but it doesn't have to cost a lot. - Make sure it is designed to grind for espresso. Many grinders are not able to grind finely enough.
- The grinder should be consistent and grind evenly, so that you don't get big differences in the ground coffee.
- It can also be an advantage to use a grinder that has stepless adjustment. This means that you can micro-adjust the grinder, instead of choosing a fixed slot. But you can compensate with the amount of coffee. This means that if you have a grinder with steps, and you would like to adjust it finer, but the next step on the grinder is too fine, adjust the dose amount of coffee up.
Coffee Scale
The most underrated tool for making coffee, regardless of brewing method! Buy a coffee scale that measures 0.1 grams . This is especially important when it comes to espresso, as small variations can affect the result. It is important that the scale is consistent and accurate, many scales are inaccurate and tend to surf (not stabilize on one number). This makes it difficult to adjust the amount. It can also be nice to have a scale with a timer, but not necessary.
Dosing ring
A dosing ring gives you more control and less mess. It is absolutely not necessary, but it saves you from having to worry about spills from the coffee grinder. And if you use WDT, it is important, so that you can crush all the lumps without coffee flowing over the edge of the filter. An additional advantage is the dosing ring with a magnet , then you do not have to worry about the ring moving and falling off.
WDT (Weiss Distribution Technique)
Ground coffee tends to clump. Clumps can result in channeling in the coffee grounds (water finding channels that create an uneven flow). This often degrades the taste, as some areas get more contact with water than others. You can therefore use the WDT to break up clumps and smooth out the coffee.
Leveler Distributor
To level the coffee as best as possible and to prepare it for tamping, you can use a Leveler Distributor . This levels the coffee and provides a flat and consistent surface, perfect for tamping.
Tamper
Make sure your tamper is the right size. Any type of tamper can be used. If you want to be extra consistent, buy a calibrated tamper . It will give you the same pressure every time, so you don't have to worry about it.
Let's make coffee!
Start with a heated coffee machine with fresh cold water. The most important thing when adjusting for espresso is that certain parameters are constant.
1. Amount (weight) of ground coffee in the filter
Decide how much coffee you want to put in the filter. Most people use filters for double espresso. The most common for a double espresso is to use 18 grams of ground coffee. Some filters, e.g. the original filter for the Rancilio Silvia, are designed for 14-16g. And when it says 14-16g, it means that 14g is for the darkest coffee, 15g for medium, and 16g for light roast. This is because the darker the coffee is roasted, the more space it takes up. And it is fatter, with more oil. This makes it harder for water to penetrate, and you need less coffee. Precision filters, such as VSTs, have the number of grams printed on the side. In any case, once you have decided on the number of grams you are going to use, stick to it. It is important to use a scale that can measure down to 0.1 grams, as a variation of 0.5-1 gram will affect the taste.
TIP! Amount of coffee must be measured in grams, not volume. As the volume will vary depending on the type of bean, roasting degree, humidity, etc. If you use volume as a parameter you will not be able to be consistent and it will be difficult to repeat the good cup.
VST Presisjonsfilter
Double espresso filter
Filter for one shot espresso
2. Amount (weight) of finished coffee in the cup
Når vi snakker om mengde kaffe for espresso er det vanligste en variasjon mellom 1:1,5 - 1:2,5 ratio. Det vil si f.eks. 1:2 ratio = 18 g malt kaffe i filteret, 36 g ferdig kaffe i koppen. Variasjonen gjøres utifra type kaffe, og hvor mørkt den er brent.
Lystbrent = 1:2,5
Mediumbrent = 1:2
Mørkbrent = 1:1,5
Når du har bestemt deg for hvilken mengde du skal ha ut i koppen, hold deg til det.
Light Roast
Medium Roast
Dark Roast
3. Temperature of the water coming out of the coffee machine
Coffee is sensitive to the influence of temperature. The ideal temperature for espresso is between 86-95 celcius. The darker the coffee is roasted, the lower the temperature. We can set a starting point: Light burnt 92-95 Medium burnt 89-92 Dark burnt 86-89 The best thing is of course to have a coffee machine with a temperature gauge. But not everyone has access to one. With a coffee machine without a temperature gauge, you can, for example, "flush". This means that you let some water run before you insert the portafilter (filter arm). Often, steam and a grinding sound can come out at the start. Then the water is too hot, let it run for 5 seconds before turning it off. Try to be as consistent as you can every time you make espresso.
4. Routines for preparing the coffee in the filter (WDT, leveler, tamper etc.)
Your coffee brewing routine can be crucial to your results. The better and more consistent you brew your coffee, the easier it will be to repeat a good cup and change one parameter at a time. The most important thing is to do it the same way every time, so you know what has changed from time to time.
5. Tamping
Tamping er noe som ofte overdrives. Mange tamper med hele kroppsvekten, noe som er helt unødvendig. Du skal tampe med ca 12 kg trykk, noe som er ganske lite.
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Sett tamperen i filteret, så rett som mulig.
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Legg hånda over med én finger på hver side, trykk forsiktig og konsistent.
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Når du kjenner at det butter i mot, er du ferdig.
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Tørk av overflødig kaffe på kanten.
TIPS! Ikke dunk tamperen i siden på portafilteret, da dette kan danne sprekker i pukken, som gir kanalisering.
Now that we have clarified all fixed parameters, we start the process.
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Measure up and go through the 5 steps.
The time window we have as a starting point is between 25-35 seconds. In that time you should end up with the amount you have decided on. For example. 18g in, 36g in the cup. That means 36g of espresso within 25-35 seconds. -
We start at the bottom for 25 seconds and work our way up.
If you do not get the amount in the cup ( e.g. 36 g from 18 g of ground coffee) that you have decided on in 25 seconds, you must adjust the grinder.
- If you used less than 25 seconds, adjust the grinder finer.
- If you used longer than 25 seconds, you need to adjust more coarsely. -
Once you have landed at 25 seconds, we will start adjusting for taste.
- Adjust finer and finer until you are satisfied. If you feel that the flavors are becoming more bitter and lingering in the back of your palate/throat, you have probably adjusted too fine for this coffee. Then go back a step and grind coarser until you are satisfied. -
If you adjust the amount, type of coffee or other fixed parameters, you must start at step 1 again.