How to Make Espresso Coffee at Home that tastes like at Starbucks

What is espresso?

Espresso is strongly brewed coffee made by forcing steam and hot water through darkly roasted and finely ground coffee beans. For me the aroma of freshly brewed espresso is as good as the espresso beverage itself.

When I started the job in local coffee house I was a greenhorn who did not know how to make espresso coffee if asked. I just liked the taste. So I had to learn it all. And I did.

With so many choices of coffee brands and coffee brewing types it was quite an experience. But with time and a lot of will I learned a great deal about coffee, coffee beans, coffee brands, how to make coffee, what to look for when buying espresso coffee maker for your home and how to decide which is the best espresso machine for professional purpose.

Choices are almost limitless as the competition is harder and harder. If you wish to learn more about different espresso machines go and look this site where I made some espresso machine reviews that can serve you as extra help when deciding to buy one.

But now let’s look how to make espresso coffee.

Coffee facts before we learn how to make espresso coffee

1. Use quality water

If you use tap water make sure it is filtered. The quality of tap water has specific taste. Sure you can drink it, but it is not good for great shot of espresso. Why? -Water has a lot of minerals inside that can affect the taste of it. -It contains high level of calcium which will gradually start to build up inside your espresso machine. -Because it is common practice to give chlorine into the tap water, the taste of such water is not good for our coffee.

2. Get quality espresso beans

Remember that the quality of your coffee is in the coffee beans. Always buy your coffee beans from reputable coffee dealer.

3. Make sure your coffee is fresh

If you use coffee that is not fresh, the taste will be different. Remember that.

4. Get yourself a good burr coffee grinder

5. Use good espresso coffee maker that will do the job

How to make espresso coffee? - Brewing

Preheat your espresso machine and cup.

Before brewing you have to wait for the right temperature of your coffee machine. Some coffee machines have an indicator light which will tell you when the machine has reached the right temperature. Make sure that the light has come on. This is very important for the production of crema.

You have to heat your coffee cup also if you want to get the best shot of espresso. Many espresso machines have flat area on the top that is warm and keeps your coffee cup at the right temperature. You can also preheat your coffee cup with hot water. That will also do the trick.

Grind your coffee just before brewing

This is one of the most important coffee facts you have to remember. Always and I mean always use freshly grinded coffee. The coffee from yesterday has different taste then the coffee grinded today. Every good barista will tell you that.

When you grind your coffee beans try to play around to get the best taste out of your beans. It is critical to get the right grind as it will affect the taste of espresso shot. Remember that every different roast needs adjustment of the grind. Experiment until you find the perfect grind for good production of crema.

The presence of a creamy honey-colored foam that is about a quarter of an inch thick sitting on the coffee's surface is a sign that you have successfully made an excellent cup of espresso. The crema is not always the same. It is a resoult of many factors from coffee blend, fineness of the coffee ground, extraction time, water temperature and amount of coffee used.

Because there are some differences between coffee brands, you will most probably need some practice. Keep adjusting till you reach the point where the most crema is produced but the pump is not straining. In the end you will get it right.

Remove coffee ground residue of the previous shot in the shot holder before using the espresso machine to make a new cup of espresso. Press start and let water run through empty shot holder to get it clean. Do it once to get all the dust and after taste of last cleaning out of the way.

Release six to seven grams of the ground coffee into the shot holder, making sure that you get a full pull as you do so. There should not be so much coffee in the shot holder that you have to force the handle to lock it in place. Neither should there be so little that after extracting the coffee there is a pool of water on top of the coffee. If it is, than you did it wrong. But usually you get measuring spoon with the espresso coffee maker that helps you get the right amount.

Press start to begin brewing. If the coffee is flowing through too fast in the extraction process, you have to give greater pressure or grind the coffee a little more finely. If the water is running through too slowly and straining the pump, than you also have to adjust the pressure. Normally the pressure is at about 301b. The exact number varies depending on the espresso machine and the coffee grind you use.

Keep an eye on the the color and consistency of the brew coming out of the spout. In 15 to 20 seconds, you should have about 1.5 ounces of freshly brewed espresso in the cup.

It is vital to clean your espresso coffee maker after you have finished brewing.

Remove the coffee from the shot holder and shower head of the espresso machine. Clean them just with warm water and do not use any chemical cleaners! Remember that coffee sediments if not removed can go rancid. That WILL spoil the taste and flavor of your coffee.

If you do not clean your espresso coffee maker daily and after every brewing is finished, you can shorten the life of your espresso machine. Occasionally use cleaners that will decalcify your machine. You can buy cleaning products that you run through the espresso coffee maker. They will dissolve the calcium deposits in the tubing and the residue left by the coffee oils in the shower head and portafilter.

Final words on how to make espresso coffee?

To get the best espresso you do need to follow all the above brewing tips. But the most important thing many forget is espresso coffee maker. For the best espresso you do need best espresso coffee maker. Sometimes you can find great espresso machines for reasonable price. You do not always have to buy most expensive ones. Although the price does pay a role and it is true that normally the expensive machines will do the better job.

The two most important things about your espresso machine are whether it can maintain the correct temperature, and second, that it can produce sufficient pressure.

Now you have all you need to know on how to make espresso coffee. I m sure you will become espresso guru if you will fallow the above rules and tips.

Remember that you can look in our respected sites to find the best espresso coffee maker or you can look into our espresso machine reviews to find more detailed info on what to buy.

You know it is a good thing, if a friend asks you how to make espresso coffee? You will know the answer.

Now you know how to make espresso coffee you can join us and look some other how to make coffee related articles.

 

 

 

 

 

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