Short and strong – this much we usually know about the coffee that most Italians can’t imagine a morning without. And we also know that it is made in an espresso machine. This is likely the reason for a linguistic mistake they fight all over the world. “There is no X in espresso” – One slogan with this content has already found its way onto a number of t-shirts, sweatshirts, pinstriped shirts and coffee mugs.
In fact, there was one man who wrote it on a cardboard sign and started a street protest. Since we cannot pronounce the name of our favorite coffee correctly, it is likely that our knowledge of it and how to prepare it is not that good either. However, do not worry, as, in the following, we will tell you some secrets on how to prepare the perfect espresso.
Firstly, get the quality right
You cannot make good espresso without good coffee beans. The most important thing a barista should remember, therefore, would be to source well-roasted beans of the right quality. The majority of espresso beans are blends of Arabica coffee from different countries or Arabica with a touch of Robusta. The finest blends are sometimes referred to as “reserva,” which is the term also used for high-quality wines.
And speaking of liquids, the quality of the water used to brew coffee is just as important as the quality of the beans. Soft, low-mineral water gives the best results. Professional baristas sometimes use expensive systems for filtering tap water, though a similar effect can be achieved at home – with bottled water specifically designed for coffee brewing.
The thickness of the grind is important
One more element that we should pay attention to is a good grinder. Their quality is often more important than the machine itself! This is definitely not an ordinary bean grinder. In fact, some of the best coffee grinders can cost lots of money. They need to be properly calibrated and adjusted to grind the beans to the perfect strength before they can produce perfect coffee. This is just half of the success – the second one is repeatability.
It can take up to an hour to calibrate the grinder, as the coffee often needs to be ground, then brewed, and then settings changed several times until the desired effect is achieved. But the better the grinder, then the less often we need to calibrate it, so the longer we can enjoy our perfect espresso. The coffee will be ethereal, thick, sweet and full of different flavors if it is ground at the right strength. The important thing is that it is ground neither too coarse nor too fine.
Because it takes two to tango
More expensive than a professional coffee grinder is a high-quality coffee machine. The prices here can reach up to a few thousand dollars! Best devices – piston machines – give full control over the brewing process. A barista decides how the coffee is prepared, from setting the water temperature to determining the water flow, duration or permissibility of pre-brewing, or time at which the coffee should be brewed.
Water thermal stability on such equipment is determined with an accuracy of 0.1°C. The main task of the barista is to enhance some characteristics of the coffee and cover others – a good machine will allow you to create anything you want.
The perfect proportions and two cups
Italian standards state that the brew must be twice the weight of the beans used and that the brewing time must not exceed 30 seconds. A classical espresso portion contains about 25-30 ml. One interesting fact about baristas is that they always make two. This is even if you only order one coffee. This is because of the capacity of the machine’s container, where the ground beans are scooped.
Normally, this is about 16-19 grams, while one espresso serving should contain about 8-9 grams. The preparation of an infusion from one vial for two cups gives an ideal ratio. Most importantly, the coffee brewed in this way should have an intense aroma, complex and balanced flavor, and a pleasant body. There should be a dense and stimulating taste, but it should not have a sour or tarry aftertaste.
Recipe for the perfect espresso?
Now a little math will come into play. Recipe for the perfect espresso: “Reserva” quality coffee, 18 grams ground to a strength of ~125 μm and brewed at 92.5°C under 9 bar pressure, giving a brew of 36 grams in 28 seconds. Easy, right? All you have to remember is that the term “perfect” is a subjective matter. For some, the king of fruits is the mango, and for others, the apple. Even more difficult is to choose the king of coffee, which has more than 800 flavors that make up its unique character.
There is another ingredient for a perfect espresso – the knowledge and experience of the person who drinks it. Knowing how much craftsmanship goes into the preparation of this one, or better, these two small, unassuming cups, you will appreciate their contents much more!
