Espresso

Exacting to a fault. 9 bars of pressure.

Hot water forced through compacted fine coffee at 9x atmospheric pressure. Everything is intensified: flavor, texture, and the gloom when it goes wrong.

Ratio
1:2
Grind
very fine
Temp
93°C
Dose
18 g
Water
36 g
Time
30 sec
Difficulty
hard mode

You'll need

Steps

  1. Dose & distribute. 18g fine coffee into the basket. Distribute evenly: clumps become channels, and channels end in tears.
  2. Tamp. Press straight down, firm and level. Level beats force: tamp, don’t wrestle.
  3. Pull the shot. Aim for about 36g of espresso in 25–30 seconds. It should pour like warm honey, not a faucet.
  4. Taste & adjust. Sour? Grind finer. Bitter and harsh? Coarser. Change one thing at a time, like a scientist.

Intense, syrupy, concentrated: sweetness, bitterness and acidity all turned up, under a cap of crema. Sour is under-extracted (grind finer); harsh and bitter, over (grind coarser).

The lessons behind it