Project Description

Create the unmistakable taste of Italy by learning to prepare and serve espresso that’s as good as it gets

Pulling a great espresso – a very concentrated, strong flavoured coffee drink of Italian origin – can be immensely satisfying, making it a particular skill that all baristas strive to master. So, what’s involved in pulling the perfect shot?

First things first, you’re going to need an espresso machine: those coffee machines you see in most cafés, bars and restaurants these days. But, before you start grinding, brewing and steaming, it’s vital that your equipment is nice and clean at the outset: to ensure optimal taste and texture, and to facilitate smooth operation of the machine, cup after cup; you may be serving up hundreds of drinks in a single shift, after all.

Any type of coffee bean can be used to make an espresso, so don’t fret about having “the right kind of beans”. What you’re basically going to do is pass hot water, with pressure, through coffee.

1. Don’t start grinding your coffee until you’ve ensured that your portafilter – the spoon-shaped device that holds the ground espresso beans during the brewing process – is cleaned out. Be quick, though. Dry it well and be ready to use it while it’s still hot.

2. Using your grinding machine, grind your coffee, catching it in your portafilter basket.

3. Give your portafilter a couple of taps on the grinder base, to remove any unwanted air pockets and to generally settle the bed of coffee grounds.

4. Reach for your tamper now. Press your coffee bed gently at first, then give it a firmer press, until your coffee bed looks nice and compacted.

5. Give your group head a quick clean, flushing away old grounds with water before clamping your portafilter into position.

6. Now that your coffee bed is just so, give your portafilter’s rim a wipe before locking it into the group head. A quick twist of your wrist is all it should take to lock your portafilter, aka group handle into place securely, but without snapping it or damaging the group head’s locking device either.

7. With a cup or shot glass placed correctly, pull the espresso, by setting the programmable button to Brew. Look to achieve a consistent brewing time of 25 seconds.

8. What you want to achieve is a hot coffee drink in a light brown to dark brown shade.

9. Serve.

Irreplaceable espresso. The foundation of all speciality coffees

So, follow those instructions, and you’ll confidently and consistently create espresso as it should be: a small 1 to 2 oz. shot of pressure-brewed coffee in a small cup or shot glass, made with finely ground coffee, with a layer of reddish-brown cream (crema) on the surface.

And, don’t forget, espresso is also used in the creation of numerous espresso-based coffee drinks: cappuccinos, lattes, Americanos, mochas, macchiatos… so, by mastering how to pull the perfect espresso shot you’re covering a lot of bases through mastering a single skill.

Smart move.