- Coffee
- 18 g
- Water
- 36 g
- Ratio
- 1:2
- Grind
- Fine
- Water at
- 93 °C
- Time
- 0:28
Eighteen grams of coffee, thirty-six grams of liquid and less than half a minute. The basics of almost everything served at a bar, step by step.
By Equipo Cocinoa
What you need
Tap each piece to see its catalogue entry.
- EssentialEspresso coffee makerWater to 9 bars of pressure through fine and pressed coffee. Here are the machine types, from the lever to the double boiler.€150–3500approx.
- RecommendedEspresso grinderElectric grinder with very fine adjustment, designed for espresso. It matters more than the machine itself.€150–700approx.
- Recommended0,1 g baseA scale with precision of 0,1 g and timer. Weighing coffee and water is the easiest way to repeat a good cup.€15–250approx.
- RecommendedTamperThe espresso press: compacts the coffee in the basket for the water to pass through.€20–80approx.
- OptionalWDT toolFine needles to remove the ground coffee in the basket and unmake grumps. A cheap accessory that reduces the channelling.€5–30approx.
No Espresso coffee maker? This works too
- Portable espresso€130–350Hand and compact equipment, type Picopresso or Flair, that reach the pressure of the espresso without electricity. To travel or to begin.
- Lamp espresso€150–1500Hand-made espresso: you, or a pier, generate the pressure with a lever. A lot of control and no bomb.
- Italian coffee maker (moka)€20–60The life-long stove coffee maker: the steam pushes the water through the coffee. Intense, with body and very cheap.
- AeroPress€35–55A plastic cylinder with plunger: immersion and a soft pressure. Versatile, resistant and almost unbreakable. Ideal for travel.
Method
Turn on the machine at least 20 minutes before the group and the filter holder are fully heated. Leave the cup on top to tempt it.
20 min
If your machine has PID, do it between 92 and 94 ° C.
Purge the group 2 or 3 seconds to stabilize the temperature and dry the shell with a cloth.
It grabs 18 g of fine coffee directly in the cacillo and checks the weight on the scale.
Fine milling, such as fine salt (180-380 µm).
Remove the coffee with the WDT tool, in small circles to the bottom, to undo grumps. Give a soft hit to the filter holder to settle it.
Press with well-leveled tamper, with firm and constant pressure, until the coffee stops giving in. Don't hit it later.
Fits the filter holder, put the cup on the scale and start to extract. For when the scale is 36 g, between 25 and 30 seconds later.
The jet should fall fine and continuous, with a hazelnut cream.
Try and adjust: if it tastes sour or comes out in less than 25 seconds, it grits more thin; if it tastes bitter or astringent, or it takes more than 30, it grits thicker. It changes one thing at a time.
Take out the filter holder, throw out the coffee pill and purge the group again to clean it.
Tips and warnings
- The Italian classic espresso uses 7 g for about 25 ml; twice, between 14 and 18 g. The modern recipe 1: 2 (18 g → 36 g) gives more sweetness and body.
- The mill matters more than the machine: with a good espresso mill (150-700 €, guidance), a simple machine yields much more.
- No espresso machine: a manual espresso lever or a portable espresso make real espresso for €130-350 (guidance). The Italian coffee maker and the AeroPress give a similar concentrated coffee, but it is not espresso: they do not reach 9 bars.
- The steam and water of the group burn: purge always with your hand away from the shower.
One last thing
Eighteen grams, nine bars and thirty seconds of glory. If it’s gone perfectly, let’s celebrate with a Ko‑Fi.