Content Summary
Looking for a delicious pick-me-up? Nothing beats the rich, intense flavor of espresso. With this guide in hand and a bit of effort, you can make café-quality espressos at home that rivals your favorite barista’s. Let’s get started!
How To Make An Espresso With A Machine
This method requires a bit of an investment, but it’s worth it for its convenience and deliciousness.
Step 1: Gather Your Supplies
The first step in making espresso is to gather the necessary supplies. You will need:
- A good quality espresso machine
- Freshly ground espresso beans (about 18g per shot)
- A tamper (which is used to press down the grounds into the portafilter)
- An espresso grinder to grind your beans right before brewing
Step 2: Grind Your Coffee Beans
It all starts with the beans! Before you brew your espresso, give them a nice fresh grind.
Make sure that your grind isn’t too coarse or too fine. A consistent medium grind should do the trick.
- If it’s too coarse, your espresso will be weak and watery.
- If it’s too fine, it will be bitter and over-extracted.
Step 3: Prepare Your Machine
Now that you have ground up your coffee beans, it’s time to get everything ready for brewing.
- Clean off any remaining grounds in the portafilter from previous uses.
- Fill up the water tank on your machine and turn it on so that it warms up before use.
- Fill up your portafilter with ground coffee and tamp down evenly so that all of the grounds are tightly packed together.
- When done correctly, tamping should feel firm like clay when pressed down on but not overly hard.
- Attach your portafilter to your machine and place a mug under where the coffee is going to come out. Now you're ready to brew!
Step 4: Brew Your Espresso
Depending on what type of machine you have there might be some variation here, but typically all machines use similar methods for brewing shots by pulling down levers or pressing buttons depending on which model you have.
- Pushing down these levers will start pressure building up inside of the machine which forces hot water through your portafilter filled with ground coffee providing our freshly brewed shot of espresso.
- Make sure that each shot has been extracted long enough (usually around 25 seconds) before turning off the lever or button as this helps ensure that all of our flavors get pulled out into our cup perfectly without being over-extracted or burnt-tasting.
- When done correctly each shot should look almost like honey when poured out into our mug below giving us beautiful crema foam atop our freshly brewed cup of espresso!
Step 5: Enjoy Your Espresso
Depending on how strong we like our coffee we can add milk for a latte, simple syrup for sweetness, or just drink it straight black for an intense flavor experience unlike any other beverage out there - enjoy!
How To Make An Espresso Without A Machine
Don’t have an espresso machine? You can still get your caffeine fix with a moka pot. Here’s how you can make espresso without a machine.
Step 1: Fill The Moka Pot With Water
- Fill the bottom chamber of the moka pot with fresh cold water until it reaches the safety valve.
- Gently tap the bottom of the pot on a flat surface like your countertop to level out any air bubbles that may be trapped at the bottom.
- Too much water or too little water will affect how your espresso tastes, so make sure you measure correctly.
Step 2: Pack In Ground Coffee
- Now it’s time to put in your ground coffee beans. Make sure that they are finely ground and fill up the filter basket until it is full but not overflowing or packed tightly down.
- When you’re done here, place the filter basket back into its chamber and screw on the top of your moka pot securely.
Step 3: Brew Your Coffee
- Now place your moka pot on medium heat on your stovetop and wait for it to start brewing.
- You should hear some bubbling noises as it starts making its delicious espresso.
- When all of the water has been filtered through, turn off the heat and remove it from the stovetop immediately – don’t let it continue boiling.
Step 4: Enjoy Your Espresso
- Pour yourself a cup of fine espresso to enjoy.
- If you want to sweeten things up a bit, feel free to add sugar or milk as desired.
Tips & Tricks
- Make sure to preheat your machine and portafilter before use. This will help ensure all of the flavors get pulled out correctly.
- If you are using a machine, use the "pre-infusion" button to achieve an even extraction of all the flavors. This can make a huge difference in your cup's final flavor profile.
- Always use freshly ground coffee for the best results when using a machine.
- Have fun experimenting with different amounts of coffee grounds and tamping pressure to find the perfect flavor that you like.
- Make sure not to let your moka pot continue boiling after the espresso is done brewing. This will cause it to become bitter and burnt-tasting.
- Need more tips to deal with espresso machine and tricks for a perfect espresso? Watch the video tutorial below for more details.
Need an espresso machine or a moka pot? Check out our selection of best espresso machines and Italian coffee makers here!
Jane Vo
With just some simple steps, you can make yourself a delicious cup of espresso right at home. Grab yourself some coffee beans and get started on brewing this classic Italian favorite today!
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