ThirstyforKnowledge

An encyclopedia of drinks — mixed, poured, brewed and whisked

No. 119 Coffee

Espresso

Finely ground coffee extracted under pressure in 20–30 seconds, at about one part coffee to two parts liquid espresso by weight.

Close-up of an espresso's golden crema in an orange cup
Espresso crema Photo: HSwaff, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recipe card

Makes 1 drink · about 3 min to make

Ingredients

  • Coffee finely ground, or the dose your basket takes 18 g

Method

  1. Grind the coffee fine, just before brewing.
  2. Dose it into the portafilter, level and tamp it evenly.
  3. Lock in the portafilter and start the shot straight away.
  4. Aim for about twice the coffee's weight in liquid espresso (here about 36 g) in 20–30 seconds, then stop the shot.
Glass
Espresso cup
Technique
Brewed
Difficulty
Advanced

Printable recipe card

About the Espresso

Espresso forces hot water through finely ground coffee under high pressure. The National Coffee Association's starting point is a 1:2 brew ratio (for example 18 g of coffee giving about 36 g of espresso) in 20–30 seconds.

If it tastes sour or flat, grind finer; if bitter, grind coarser.

Background

Espresso originated in Italy. A serving is typically small, around 25–30 ml, topped with a lighter-coloured foam called crema.

Tags: coffee espresso contains caffeine

Go deeper

Sources

  1. National Coffee Association — Espresso
  2. Wikipedia — Espresso

Checked when this entry was written. Links open the original source in a new tab.