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Espresso brewing technique
Great Tasting Water
An often overlooked element of great
espresso is the brew water. If you don’t
enjoy the flavor of your tap water, don’t use
it to brew espresso – use bottled, purified
water instead. Since it doesn’t take long for
fresh water to acquire a “flat” quality and
taste, it’s also a good idea to change the
water in the reservoir often and refill the
boilers after a long period of non-use.
Do not use mineral water or distilled water –
they can damage the Espresso Machine.
Brewing Temperature
Water temperature and temperature
consistency have a direct impact on the
flavor of espresso. Great espresso comes
from brewing at an optimum temperature,
ideally between 195 and 205 degrees
Fahrenheit. Modern boilers and thermostats
excel at producing and maintaining the right
temperature, but there is a complicating
factor that is a major concern for baristas:
maintaining heat in the brew group.
If water is pumped from the boiler at a near
perfect 200° F, but flows into a portafilter
that’s at room temperature, the water will
cool dramatically – and the actual brewing
temperature will be far less than what
the best espresso requires. If the water
temperature drops below 195º F, the
espresso might still exhibit good crema, but
it will acquire a distinctly bitter or sour note.
Proper Brewing Temperature:
• Always attach the portafilter (with filter
basket) to the brew head when the
espresso machine is heating. This warms
the filter.
• Always wait until the boilers are fully
heated before brewing – approximately
6 minutes.
• Dose and tamp your coffee quickly, and
brew immediately. This prevents the
portafilter from cooling significantly.
• Never rinse the portafilter with cool
water if you are brewing additional shots.
After knocking the old grounds from the
filter, wipe leftover grounds from the
basket with a clean towel. Make sure the
filter basket is dry before adding more
coffee.
The Right Grind – and Grinder
Espresso demands a very fine, very
consistent grind. Blade grinders and
inexpensive burr grinders usually fall short
when it comes to producing the grinds
needed for outstanding espresso. The best
espresso requires a quality burr grinder
which will maximize the flavor and aroma
of espresso by producing an extremely
consistent grind with very little frictional
heating.
• Keep the empty portafilter attached to
the brew head when you’re engaged in
other tasks, like grinding or frothing.
• Warm a cup or demitasse by placing
it on top of the Espresso Machine
before brewing. Cups can also be
heated instantly with a shot of steam
from the frothing arm.
The Espresso Machine is designed to
provide an optimum brewing temperature.
Dedicated dual boilers eliminate the
temperature fluctuations common with
single boiler designs when alternating
between brewing and frothing. The nickel-
plated brass brew group heats quickly, and
is commercial-size for a very good reason:
commercial-size groups retain heat better
than smaller groups. The Espresso Machine
does its part to provide the right brewing
temperature. The rest is up to the barista!
Grinding
Great espresso demands the freshest coffee,
and the freshest coffee is always ground
immediately before brewing. The most
delicate aromatic compounds in coffee go
stale within a few minutes of grinding, so
grind only as much as you intend to brew
immediately.
Dosing
Dosing is the process of measuring ground
coffee into the filter basket. A single shot of
espresso requires 1/4 ounce (7 grams) of
coffee – a double shot, twice that. If filled
level with finely ground coffee, the scoop
included with the Espresso Machine is a near
perfect measure for one shot of espresso.
Accomplished baristas usually don’t bother
making precise measurements when dosing:
they simply fill the basket nearly to the brim
TIPS FOR GREAT RESULTS
