El Dorado | Th3rdwave

Espresso

Ground coffee

18 g

Water temperature

94 °C

Grind size

Fine

Brew time

28 secs

Amount of water

36 mL

1

What you’ll need: Espresso Machine, Portafilter, Tamper, Dry Cloth, Cup, Digital Scale, Timer Preparation ⇒ Make sure your machine has been turned on for at least 10 minutes and purge a few seconds worth of water through your grouphead ↳ This makes sure that all components are hot and ready to extract a great cup of coffee ↳ You can also use the water purge to eat up your portafilter ⇒ Using a dry cloth, wipe down the portafilter and the basket ↳ If this is your second shot, make sure to remove any coffee residue and oils from the portafilter ⇒ Weigh and grind 18g of coffee ↳ The grind for espresso is very fine, but it is still granular. If your grind has the consistency of powdered sugar is it likely too fine. ⇒ Place the ground coffee into the portafilter ⇒ Level the ground coffee in your portafilter ↳ Tap the basket with the heel of your hand to settle the grind and distribute the coffee evenly with your finger. Swipe back and forth. ↳ An unleveled or lumpy coffee bed will have an uneven density once tamped, which causes water to run through the coffee more quickly in some sections than others. ⇒ Place the portafilter on a flat surface and place the tamper level on top of the grounds ↳ Apply pressure downwards, not too hard, but enough to seal the coffee in evenly ⇒ Purge another few seconds worth of water through the grouphead ↳ Again, this is to ensure that all components of the espresso machine are warm enough Extraction ⇒ Position the portafilter in the grouphead ↳ Insert it gently so that you don't create cracks in your espresso puck ⇒ Place a cup on a digital scale and place them both underneath the portafilter ↳ Make sure to tare the scale at this point ⇒ Start the brewing process and start a timer at the same time ↳ Depending on the machine you have, the extraction should take anywhere from 23 to 28 seconds ↳ If it takes too long this means your grind is too fine; if it's too fast it means your grind is too coarse ⇒ The shot should start with a slow drip, and develop into a gentle, even stream ⇒ Your espresso is now ready to serve! Cleaning ⇒ Remove the portafilter from the grouphead and knock out the puck ⇒ Wipe the basket clean ⇒ Purge the grouphead with hot water for 3 seconds ⇒ You're now ready to start brewing espresso again Source: idrinkcoffee.com