Making Espresso at Home

Over at Two Sleepy Mommies there is talk about making good coffee for one. Of course one can buy one of those small cone filters to make a single cup, but I, for one, cannot drink too much drip coffee. There is something about the extraction that destroys my digestive system. I once in awhile will drink a cup of French press, but can only do it rarely.

That leaves me with espresso, of which I drink copiously. From six to twelve shots a day. I sleep fine (even though the last shots of the day are usually after 11pm), have no digestive problems from it, and highly recommend it to folks who like coffee.

Now in our age of Starbucks it is easy to find espresso. Even drive throughs exist. Unfortunately very few places actually make a good espresso. In Sacramento I know of four caffes that do it right. In Oakland there are only two that I know of (barring the times when Peet's is making the espresso with their Espresso Forte blend and not Garuda (yuck for espresso) or Major Dickison's (neither yuck nor yum). In San Francisco you get better odds. So, if you want to switch to espresso the best bet is to learn to make it yourself.

You can spend a lot of money on equipment. La Pavoni piston machines, Gaggia pump machines, they are great and someday I hope to have one. Unfortunately they take up a lot of space and cost a lot of money, and they do require maintenance, which I would probably end up doing myself, since I like to tinker with things like that.

So that leaves three choices: a cheap pump driven machine (like the Krupps that I have, which we bought for about $100), a steam machine (generally cheap. I have seen them on sale for around $30 and see them at yard sales), or a stove-top Moka Express (price varies depending on the size and brand). I recommend a pump-driven machine, and one that takes grounds, not pods (which simply cannot result in a good espresso). For reviews of specific brands and models, go to Coffeegeek.com and try not to be intimidated by the fact that this is a site run by fanatics. Once you get over the intimidation factor, check out this article on the history and ever-rising standards of a good espresso. Especially look at the photo of the shot, which is a good model to think about.

Read this whole entry before you select a brewing method, and then think about grinders. You can get a rotary blade grinder just about anywhere. I saw them at the hardware store the other day. They are cheap, and, while they tend to grind unevenly and to heat the beans too much, they work. I use one every day. Sure I would rather have a $150 burr grinder, but there is the kitchen real estate factor, as well as the fact that $150 can buy a lot of other things. So, as long as I keep being satisfied with my espresso, the blade grinder stays.

Realize that espresso takes practice, so plan on spending a Sunday afternoon and a pound of beans learning your machine. Brew shot after shot, making a note of the character of the coffee. Undrinkable shots should go down the drain. You spent maybe $11 for a pound of coffee (cheaper if you shop around properly - my main source runs at about $8 a KILO, although I do blend it with a third part of $12 a pound beans). If a shot is not ideal, but not great, sweeten it, freeze it and scrape it into a glass, top it with slightly sweet whipped cream and you have a wonderful granita di caffe.

Now we get to the factors of brewing espresso: blend, roast, grind, the group, the tamp, and the machine (pressure and temperature).

Blend: Most commercially available "espresso blends" are about right. They vary, but they tend towards full-bodied Latin American and Asian Arabica beans, with some African Arabicas thrown in for aroma and a small percent of robusta beans. There is controversy over the addition of robusta, but I have come to see it as essential for espresso. Except for Illy, due to Francesco Illy's hatred of robusta, almost all of the Italian beans you can buy have robusta in them. Unless you are blending your own, you will want to find a reputable vendor and trust their coffee taster. I recommend Peet's Espresso Forte, Caffe Roma (in San Francisco) Trevi and Roma blends in a 50/50 mix, Blue Bottle in Oakland, and a couple of others whose exact names escape me. Always buy whole bean, as even beans in a blade grinder are better than pre-ground beans.

Roast: Again, you will probably rely on the pros for the degree of roastiness. However, if you are having trouble, look at the roast. Is it black and super oily? It might be French roast, which does not make good espresso. The French overroasted their beans so that they could use nearly 100% robusta from their West African colonies. I might point out that, while the French consume coffee prodigiously, they do not make it very well at all. If your espresso is thin and acidic, with harsh notes, it could be that your roast is too light. A good espresso roast should be dark brown, not black, and fairly oily, but not as oily as a French roast.

Grind: Now you have your beans home and want to brew. Espresso grind is pretty fine. Not the talcum powder like dust used in Turkish coffee, but fine. Pinch the grounds. They should clot together, but not stay together like clay. Rub them between your fingers. They should feel somewhat soft, with a little abrasion. When the grounds are dropped out of the fingers, you should see the lines of your fingers holding coffee dust the way an intaglio plate holds ink.

Now it is time to load the basket. This is where the consideration of the machine comes in. When we bought our new machine last year, it came with a woefully inadequate basket. It was too shallow by far, and sloped to make a strong tamp all but impossible. So I took the much deeper and straight-lined group from the old steam machine, and the combination was good. Ideally the portafilter (the basket and the handle) should be pretty heavy. Mine isn't, so don't think you need to spend oodles of dough just to get a good espresso. You might want to salvage a group from a yard sale model, or craft your own, if you are good with metal. I don't know, but you might be able to order a proper group from the manufacturer.

The first thing I do is heat the whole group by running an empty shot through. This heats and cleans the group head (muy importante), heats the group and the cup. Dump any old grounds that flushed out of the groupo head and rinse with the hot water from the cup. Dry the basket before putting in grounds.

You cannot do this with a pump machine, so run the group and the cup under hot water.

Fill the basket with grounds and start...

The Tamp: You can and should buy a proper coffee tamp. I still haven't in my nearly twenty years of making espresso, so again, it is not that important. I use the back of the coffee scoop, which is flat, but not wide enough, so I have to tamp the center, then the sides. Then I use my thumb to get the edges. This is important with my machine, because if I don't get an even tamp, water will find its way into voids and the extraction is too fast, and the espresso wretched. Generally, I recommend a heavy tamp. Too much and the water goes too slow, too little and the water goes too fast. Ideally the coffee should ooze out like honey. Drop by drop and it will be too bitter. Fast like water, and it will be thin and bitter. You will need to experiment and to rely on your eye as well as your muscle memory of how much pressure to use.

If you are using a Moka Express, tamp firmly. You need to create proper resistance to the steam-propelled water.

Please note that some owner's manuals on some machines say not to tamp. They are full of tea or hogwash or something that is not espresso. Ignore them. I have yet to meet a machine that did well without tamping. I have owned three different steam machines, two Moka Express pots and a pump machine, and I have used many other machines. Tamping is essential.

Now, put the group in place to wherever the manufacturer indicates is the safe locking position. Do not overtighten, and certainly don't undertighten, as that can be explosive and messy (not to mention dangerous).

Dry your cup.

In a steam machine you fill the reservoir and turn it on. When it has generated enough heat and steam, the water will flow. At a certain time the espresso will change color and become a light brown froth only. Quickly pull the shot out and place the slops cup under to catch this worthless excess, which is not fit for human consumption. This is important because ALL steam machines, unless it is one of those ones with a cutoff valve, continue to brew long after good espresso is in the cup. Ignore the markings on the glass pitcher, which will be broken in a month anyway. Do not worry about timing your shots. Get the viscosity right and the timing will take care of itself.

With a pump machine, turn the valve. When the brew changes to the icky stuff (eventually you will predict this and shut it off right before this), turn the valve off. I do not time my shots, although Peter, the excellent barista at Sacramento's Infusion, says I should. I suppose it is the best way of building a disciplined approach to making espresso. Maybe I will start doing it. I will report if it makes a difference.

With the Moka Express, things are trickier. You want to brew over the lowest heat possible (and watch the plastic handle, which, if it is over the heat source will start to melt. Don't worry, you will forget this and yours will have the same ugly melted end that all of them do eventually) with THE LID UP. You want the coffee to simple ooze out of the top. Once it starts to spurt, take it off heat and pour.

Now, for cheap home models, temperature and pressure are beyond your control. They will be constants for you to deal with. Your control is over the grind, pack and tamp, and when you stop the extraction.

Experiment, practice, don't be afraid to throw out a bad shot, and you will eventually have consistantly good espresso in your own home.

If you have questions or want clarifications, feel free to comment or email me at EKeilholtz [at] aol [period] com.

Happy Espresso!

Posted by erik at January 14, 2006 12:20 AM