Top 5 Tips on How to Brew the Best Espresso at Home

If you are a coffee-lover and spend most of your time in home, you will need a nice cupful of coffee at least 5-7 times a day. You have bought an Espresso machine and now you want to know about how to brew espresso at home so that you can get a real refreshing cup. So, here are some tips.

1. Coffee Beans

Make it a point to buy coffee beans from a supplier specialized in coffee beans and who knows the age of the beans and their place of processing and roasting. Fresher the beans, better is the espresso. Better espresso refers to viscous, flavorful and with a good cream. A bad coffee is thin and tastes flat.

Another thing to remember is to buy whole beans always. Store them away from heat and light at a constant temperature. You need not store them in freezer; you can even store them in a cupboard which is away from a heat source or sunlight. However you should use the beans within three weeks. Also ensure that the container in which you store them is airtight.

2. The Roast

There should be the roast date on the back of the bag of your coffee beans. Experts believe that beans should be used between four days and three weeks after the roasting date to achieve optimal flavor.

3. The Grind

Getting the grind right is important because it controls the extraction rate, which in turn has an impact on flavor. If the grind is too fine, the flavor will become burnt or ‘ashy’. If it is too coarse, the flavor will be thin and watery, as water will pass through the grains too quickly without extracting all the oils and flavors of the coffee.

The right grind of espresso should be like flour with a bit of grainy salt or sand in it. It should clump a bit when you press it, but should not be too sticky. However, for filter coffee, the particles of the grind should feel more like breadcrumbs.

4. Keep it Moisture-free

Remember that there should be no moisture in your porter filter as well as basket. If the coffee comes in contact with moisture, it can start extracting too soon. Wipe the parts clean with a tea towel.

5. Making the Espresso

Different baristas apply different rules for making a perfect espresso. According to some experts, you should weigh both the dry coffee and the final wet espresso, and the ratio should be 2:3. Thus 20gm of dry coffee should yield 30 to 40 gm of final espresso.

Another rule is to go by volume, e.g. 30 ml in 30 seconds. Espresso cups often range in size from 60 to 90 ml. However according to experts, ideal shot is 30 ml. Thus if your machine is taking longer than 30 seconds to yield a 30 ml shot, your grind is perhaps too fine and can taste burnt.

Read review espresso machines under $200 at Top-Coffee-Machines.com. By reading these reviews you can make the most informed choice for a coffee machine and make the best espresso at home.