Espresso Machine

Espresso is a concentrated, full-bodied coffee beverage brewed by forcing hot water through finely-ground coffee beans under high pressure. Served in small shots, it is characterised by a thick, creamy layer of foam on top called "crema". It serves as the base for many coffee drinks.

What you need

• Espresso machine (a pump-driven machine is required to reach the necessary 9 bars of pressure)
• Burr grinder (a dedicated burr grinder is more important than the machine for quality, ensuring a fine, consistent grind)
• Portafilter Basket (for single or double shots)
• Fresh coffee beans (use roasted beans within the last 2 months for proper crema and flavour)
• Portafilter funnel (to reduce mess when transferring grounds)
• Tamper (to compress the grounds evenly)
• Digital scale (for measuring dose and for a consistent ratio.
• Filtered water (for taste and to protect the machine from limescale)
• WDT tool (to break up clumps and ensure even distribution in the portafilter))
• Knockbox (to dispose of used coffee pucks)
• Frothing pitcher (if making milk-based drinks)

Espresso Machine Recipe

Instructions

• Purge the machine by running hot water through the group head into the portafilter. Remove the portafilter and wipe it clean. This helps preheat the group head and portafilter for better-tasting espresso and a hotter first cup.
• Pour freshly roasted beans into the hopper and grind between 18-22g into the portafilter. Use a scale to be more precise. 
• Give the portafilter a few gentle taps to settle the grounds.
• Use the WDT tool (optional) to de-clump, distribute evenly, and reduce espresso extraction issues.
• Tamp the coffee in the portafilter using a level surface. Consistent pressure is important.
• Place the portafilter into the group head. Twist until it’s firmly in place. 
• Before you start the shot, make sure you set your cups underneath. Hit the two cup button. Espresso should drip from the spouts after 8-10 seconds, with a flow that resembles warm honey (different beans may require adjusting the recipe; adjust the grind size to suit).
  

Dial it in

• Consider your coffee’s origin, roast, and age (every coffee bean has its own unique personality that not only affects the taste of the espresso but also how you dial it in).
• Use filtered water (prefer filtered or mineral water to avoid any unpleasant taste interference and ensure a pure, clean extraction).
• Your grind size directly affects your overall extraction time, so it's the first place to make a change.
• Measure your dose, set a target yield, determine your brewing ratio, and extraction time.
• Distribute and tamp the coffee grounds (this is a critical step in compressing coffee grounds in a portafilter to create a dense, level puck, ensuring even water distribution and preventing channelling).
• If your espresso runs fast (turbo shot), try choosing a finer grind or upping the dose by a gram or two. 
• If the espresso shot runs too slow, you may need to grind coarser or cut your dose slightly.

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Functionality

Types of Espresso Machines:

• Manual: User controls pressure and water flow directly.
• Semi-Automatic: Pump-driven with automatic pressure, but the user controls shot timing.
• Automatic: Controls water flow and timing for consistent shots.
• Super-Automatic: Grinds, tamps, brews, and sometimes froths milk at the press of a button.

Material Matters

While exterior materials are largely aesthetic, the materials used for internal components like the boiler, group head, and portafilter directly impact thermal stability, pressure, and, ultimately, the taste of your coffee:

• Copper & Brass: These are premium materials found in higher-end machines. They offer superior heat retention and distribution, which is vital for maintaining a consistent brewing temperature (90-96°C).
• Stainless Steel: Excellent for durability and corrosion resistance. While it holds heat well, it is often considered slightly less efficient at heat conduction than copper.
• Aluminium: Often found in cheaper or entry-level machines. It is less durable and can corrode over time, potentially affecting the water's taste.
• Group Head (E61): Often made of heavy brass, a high-quality, dense group head provides greater thermal mass, ensuring that the water passing through the coffee remains at a stable temperature and preventing bitter or sour shots.
• Portafilter: A heavy, brass or stainless steel portafilter holds heat better than a lightweight, thin one, preventing the coffee from cooling during the extraction process.
  

Brief History

In 1884, Italian inventor Angelo Moriondo received a patent for the world's first espresso machine. It was a bulky apparatus designed to reduce coffee brewing time by 90% using steam power. (Back then, it took up to five minutes to brew a single cup). Moriondo presented his machine at that year's Turin General Exposition, won the bronze medal, and then promptly disappeared from history. He never produced his invention commercially.