If you love the taste of espresso but don’t want to shell out the cash every time you have a hankering, it may be time to start making it at home!
Making your espresso at home isn’t tricky, but there are some tips and tricks you can use to make sure you get the most out of your home-brewed espresso drinks. Keep reading to learn how to make espresso at home!
How to Make Espresso at Home
Let’s see the 5 useful tips for making espresso at home:
1. Buy quality ingredients
One of the easiest ways to make great espresso at home is to start with high-quality ingredients. If you’re purchasing pre-ground coffee, look for a blend that has been freshly roasted and ground within days (or weeks) of purchase.
High-quality espresso machines usually have grinders built into them; they allow you to control how finely your beans are ground and how much air goes into your grounds.
In terms of tools, it’s also helpful to invest in a tamper if you don’t already have one, as it helps pack grounds to filter baskets evenly, which will make all the difference in how your shot tastes.
2. Grind the Beans
While you can buy pre-ground espresso, freshly ground beans are always best. They’re fresher, flavorful, and far more aromatic than their store-bought counterparts. If you want to make espresso at home, you’ll need to invest in a quality burr grinder.
Coffee beans are tough and have tough skin, so to make fresh coffee with great flavor, you need to grind them up. Grinding beans just before brewing is a key tip for making espresso at home. When you grind coffee too far in advance, its flavor degrades.
Grind your espresso beans in small batches and use them within 24 hours. It would help if you did not store whole coffee beans as they can go stale quickly; also, keep your coffee stored away from direct sunlight and moisture as it can also speed up its deterioration process.
To get the optimum flavor, store whole beans in an airtight container that is refrigerated or frozen; these two environments slow down caffeine degradation in coffee very effectively, so your cup of Joe will be ready when you want it to be!
3. Measure the Coffee Properly
Using a kitchen scale and measuring your coffee grounds with a spoon is more accurate than eye-balling them. This will result in more consistent espresso cups, which makes all the difference when it comes to your favorite drinks.
People make a common mistake when making espressos at home by using too much or too little coffee in their portafilter basket. It’s tempting to put as much coffee into it as possible, but you may over-extract your brew and a bitter shot of espresso.
On top of that, it’s important to measure your coffee out precisely so you can be confident that every shot tastes exactly how you want it to taste.
4. Heat Water Properly
Your water temperature makes a big difference in how your espresso tastes, so we are sure to heat it thoroughly. You want hot water (not boiling) to run through your machine, and you can do so in various ways—boiling on a stovetop, microwaving it in a cup, or using an electric kettle.
The pros agree that water heated between 195°F and 205°F yields optimal results. That’s not quite scalding hot but just shy of boiling, which is precisely what you want—water that’s too cold won’t extract enough flavor from your grounds, while water that’s too hot will begin to cook them!
5. Practice Makes Perfect
The best espresso is made with fresh beans that have been roasted recently. Grind your beans when you’re ready to make a cup of coffee and experiment with different grinds depending on how you want to enjoy your espresso—in a cappuccino, as an espresso shot, or in a latte.
For example, if you’re going to make an Americano, a coffee-based espresso drink, use a medium grind; too fine, and it will be impossible to strain out all of the coffee grounds. If you’re making a cappuccino or latte, opt for more finely ground beans so they dissolve into your milk.
You don’t need a fancy espresso machine to enjoy espresso. Though it may seem daunting, creating your beverages at home is pretty simple.
You need some good beans and plenty of knowledge and practice to make espresso like a pro—no formal training necessary! These five tips will help you make great-tasting espresso in no time.
Dr. Maksud Hassan is a medical doctor by profession and the co-founder of www.queekcoffee.com. He is a coffee lover, and he loves to advise people about the health benefits of coffee.
