Martin Lines, marketing director of Nestlé Professional gives advice on how to make the perfect espresso
Just like a fine wine, you can’t rush a quality espresso. There’s an art to it, and it takes time to allow for the correct extraction length to produce a rich, dark espresso with a golden crema. Ideally with a traditional roast and ground espresso machine, the optimum extraction time is 23 – 25 seconds. Reduce this time and the quality will suffer, resulting in a weaker and more acidic drink. Plus, there’s the time to froth the milk, pour the drink and present it to the customer to consider and all this additional time all adds up.
When using a traditional espresso roast and ground machine, the key to serving customers fast is all in the hands of the barista. A skilled barista should be adept in multi tasking, and with a two group machine for example, will be able to produce four drinks at once, thereby reducing waiting time by three quarters.
If skilled staff is a concern and queue length an issue, then it’s important to look at other options to cut down precious time when preparing each drink. Bean to cup machines such as the Azkoyen Spression, offer the same roast and ground taste experience of a barista operated machine and can be optimised for a slightly reduced extraction time of approximately 18 seconds. With the addition of milk, speciality coffees such as cappuccinos will be finished in 25-30 seconds.
The greatest time savings are to be gained using a soluble coffee machine. The Nescafé Milano range for example, can deliver a café style drink from start to finish in less than 15 seconds. Such speed is achievable as a soluble product removes the need for a long extraction time, as this process is all part of the production procedure of the ingredient. And, using a dark roast soluble coffee offers a similar taste profile to a roast and ground product which, when coupled with a premium dairy whitener, ensures speed of delivery for a quality coffee.â€
1. Espresso can be made from a variety of roast levels. Roast preferences tend to vary by region. Northern Italy prefers a medium roast and Southern Italy prefers a darker roast. In America, espresso roast is assumed to be dark because the major companies that brought espresso (Starbucks) were influenced by cafes in southern Italy.
2. Freshness is supremely important. The closer it is to the roast date, the better. Ideally not over three weeks max since the roast date.
3. It is best to grind your own beans; but NOT with a cheap, electric, blade coffee grinder. These can “burn” the coffee, and it is hard to get a consistent grind. Either use a good espresso grinder, or buy fresh ground/roasted beans from a good source espresso shop. Ask how fresh the beans are, and have them ground while you are there. A good espresso grind should be about the consistency of sugar. Too course, and the water runs through too quickly to pick up the proper elements. Too fine (like powder), and it packs too densely and brewing takes too long, making the coffee bitter. Good espresso, brewed right, should not be bitter.
4. Use purified water, without minerals or pollutants, heated to about 200F or 90C degrees. NEVER use boiling water. Boiling water stops the process of creating good coffee dead. Not enough heat, and important components are not extracted from the coffee grind.
5. Use the right amount of ground coffee. This is about 7 grams (1/4 ounce dry volume) for a single shot (one ounce serving of espresso), or 14 grams for a double.
6. Pack the grinds into the portafilter or group(handle) of the espresso machine using a tamper. A tamper is a flat object, approximately the size of the inside of the portafilter, used to compress the grounds to a density that will create just the right amount of resistance for the water being forced through the grind. Usually that is around 30 pounds of pressure. Again, too little resistance and the water flows through without picking up the needed elements from the coffee. Too much pressure and the brew takes too long and the brew will be bitter and without crema.
7. Time: If everything above is right, it should take 20 to 25 seconds to create one or two ounces (respectively). Place your cup/s under the group/brew basket (making sure this is seated securely). Turned on your espresso machine. You should see a hazel brown crema (foam) appear at the surface of the coffee when its finished.
8. Time: Should be served immediately.
9. Patience and practice! As stated earlier, getting this wonderful and flavorful, illusive brew we call espresso is an art form; definitely Yes, but a learning process to be enjoyed, not fussed over. It’s the process of learning that makes mastery a sweeter accomplishment.