The Perfect Shot of Espresso

If you take the time and use a few steadfast rules, you can perfect the art of making the very best espresso. After all, this is the first step to creating perfect lattes, cappuccinos, mochas, Americanos, and their many varieties.

To Make Espresso:

Place appropriate basket in portafilter (narrow basket for single spouted portafilter, wider basket for double spouted portafilter) and place under grinder/doser.
Pull grinder/doser lever forward with right hand while holding portafilter with left and allow lever to return of its own spring action. Remember to always pull the lever to its full forward position. pull once for a single dose and twice for a double. Each pull should dispense 7 grams of ground coffee.
Compress the coffee grounds with a hand held tamper using moderately firm pressure. This is used to pack down the ground coffee in the filter basket to produce a uniformly flat surface. Hit the side of the portafilter with the tamper to move excess grounds to the center and tamp again.
Remove remaining coffee particles from the portafilter rim by brushing the palm of the hand across the surface of the filter basket. This insures a secure fit in the grouping and prevents excess coffee grounds from accumulating in the gasket.
Attach portafilter to the group by aligning the portafilter with the group, then lifting it upwards and moving it firmly to the right to form a seal.
Place a heated cup under the spout and begin the brewing process according to the specific guidelines for your particular type of espresso machine. For example, for a single pour, press the button with the single full cup pictured.
The brew should pour out in a thick amber foam, very dark at first and getting lighter as the cycle ends. The pour should resemble a thin steady stream of maple syrup and take 18 to 24 seconds to complete. If the coffee drips out slowly in oily black drops, the grind is too fine or has been packed too tightly. If it pours forth in a rush and fills the cup in a few seconds, the grind is too coarse, packed too tightly, or not enough coffee was used.
When the pour is finished, remove the cup to avoid excess dripping into the cup. These drips contain excess acid which will detract from the flavor of the espresso. The rich brown foam that appears atop the espresso is the crema. It is the last of the sugars and carbohydrates to brew and is the mark of a good shot of espresso.

Foaming/Steaming Milk

All About Milk - Milk storage: Milk should be stored between 35-40 degrees. Check the temperature and always rotate milk. Allow for air circulation in your refrigerator. Be sure milk does not freeze.

Milk types: Whole, 2%, and non-fat milks are used in espresso drinks. Half & half is used to make the espresso drink Breve.

Milk Type	Milk Fat Content	Calories/8oz.	Fat/8oz.
Whole	3.2%	150	8 gm
2%	2.0	120	5 gm
1%	1.0	100	2 gm
Non-fat	0	90	1 gm

The lower the butterfat content of the milk, the faster it will foam. Thus, non-fat milk steams a lot quicker than whole milk.

proper storage and handling of dairy products is very important. Steaming pitchers containing milk should always be refrigerated when not in use. Steam wands on the espresso machine should be wiped clean with a bar towel reserved for that purpose only after each use. Keep the spoon cup filled with ice water and change frequently.

Foaming

Milk is foamed for cappuccinos. Since foaming is trickier than steaming, it will be dealt with first. The foaming/steaming process should only take from 10 to 15 seconds on a commercial machine.

Start with a clean stainless steel pitcher filled one third full with cold milk (hot milk won't foam). Keep the tip of the steaming wand just under the surface of the milk, turn the steam on all the way, and lower pitcher as the milk rises. Keep feeling the temperature of the milk with your hand on the side of the pitcher. Stop when the pitcher is almost too hot to handle. The milk will nearly triple in volume. Make sure to submerge the nozzle completely to heat the milk properly (it is possible to foam properly without getting the milk hot enough). If you hear a jet-like howling sound during the foaming and steaming process, the steam wand is too far below the surface of the milk. This sound lets you know you are scalding the milk.

Due to the air being incorporated in the milk during foaming, foamed milk should be cooler than steamed milk (no more than 150 degrees). Although milk can be steamed twice, it can only be foamed once. Leftover milk can be re-steamed if it is immediately refrigerated and if new milk is added to regenerate the protein content that creates the foam.

Cold "shaving cream" foam should never be served. Foam only as much milk as you need for the cappuccinos ordered, and discard any excess cold foam.

Steaming

When steaming milk, begin with a stainless steel pitcher full of cold milk. Always foam (inserting nozzle just below the surface to start) momentarily to incorporate some air into the milk and eliminate the squealing sound produced by just plunging the nozzle to the bottom of the pitcher and turning it on.

After incorporating a bit of air, insert the steam wand fully into the milk, and watch, look and listen as the temperature rises.

Indicators of the proper 150-170 degree temperature include:

The sound progressively lowers in pitch; watch out for the dull roar which indicates scalding.
The pitcher gets too hot to touch.
The steaming thermometer needle crosses the 150 degree mark. Never serve scalded milk unless the customer specifically requests that the milk be scalded. Clip-on dial thermometers that attach to the steaming pitcher are a must for the professional. Only a few seasoned professional baristas are able to steam the milk to the proper temperature by feeling the heat from the pitcher's surface.

Terminology

Arabica - Coffee beans from the original species of coffee plant. Known for their intense aromatic flavors, these coffee beans are used by specialty and gourmet coffee roasters.

Barista - An espresso bartender who is expert in the art of making espresso and espresso based beverages.

Boiler - The hot water and steam source of an espresso machine. provides hot water for espresso extraction and steam for heating and foaming milk.

Breve - A milk based espresso beverage where half-and-half is substituted for milk.

Cafe Americano - A gourmet cup of coffee made by adding one or two shots of espresso to 6 ounces of hot water.

Caffeine - Stimulant ingredient in coffee. Alerts the mind and reduces fatigue or sleepiness.

Cappuccino - A shot of espresso topped with equal parts of steamed and foamed milk (wet cappuccino) or a shot of espresso topped with all foamed milk (dry cappuccino).

Crema - A dense colored foam that covers straight shots of espresso. Its thick flavor and aroma is a sign of proper extraction.

Decaffeinate - A method used to remove about 97% of the caffeine from whole bean coffees.

Demitasse - A small porcelain or stoneware cup that holds two to three ounces of straight espresso.

Doppio - A double shot of espresso. Doser holding chamber for freshly ground coffee. Can be a separate unit, but is usually connected to the front of the espresso grinder.

Double - The amount of freshly ground coffee dispensed into a double portafilter. A double contains 14 grams of coffee.

Espresso - A beverage created by using freshly roasted beans that are finely ground, firmly packed, and then extracted under pressure. The extraction period should be a very short period of time (generally 18-24 seconds).

Espresso con panna - A shot of espresso topped with a dollop of whipped cream.

Filter Basket - The "brew" basket inside of the portafilter that holds the coffee grounds during extraction of the espresso.

Grande - An espresso beverage is normally served in an 8 ounce short cup, a 12 ounce tall cup, or a 16 ounce grande cup.

Grinder - There are three types of grinders used for whole bean coffee

hand mill grinder
electric blade grinder
burr grinder. The burr grinder is most often used for finely ground espresso.

Group or Group Head - The metal brewing chamber on an espresso machine which holds the portafilter where espresso is extracted from the coffee beans.

Iced espresso based beverages - An espresso beverage served over ice, in a clear glass or plastic cup.

Italian cream soda (Cremosa) - An Italian soda with the additional ingredient of two ounces of half-and-half.

Italian soda - An iced beverage flavored with two ounces of Italian syrup and filled to the top with soda water, and served in a clear glass or plastic cup. May be topped with whipped cram.

Latte - An espresso based beverage containing one or two shots of espresso and steamed milk with a thin layer of foam on top.

Lungo - A long pour of espresso using 1 ½ - 2 ounces of hot water.

Macchiato

There are two types of macchiatos

straight espresso marked with a dollop of warm foamed milk
a steamed milk macchiato where the steamed milk is marked with an espresso poured slowly over the milk foam at the side of a clear glass.

Mocha - A latte with chocolate added. Usually topped with whipped cream.

Moka - Stove top espresso pot widely used in Europe. Steam pressure created from hot water in the bottom chamber pushes hot water up a metal tube to extract espresso in the top chamber.

Over Extraction - One of the most common failures of the espresso extraction process. When hot water passes too slowly through the coffee or when water temperature is too high, this is what occurs.

porta-filter - portable hand filter used during extraction of espresso. There are two types of portafilters, a single and a double.

Recovery time - Amount of time an espresso machine may need to recover either the hot water temperature or the proper temperature to produce steam.
Recovery time is affected by:

adequate boiler size
configuration and size of heating element
fresh water heat exchangers

Ristretto - A short pour of espresso using only three quarter to one ounce of hot water to extract the espresso.

Robusta - The most common coffee species. Usually sold in canned blends or instant style. Robusta has much more caffeine than Arabica.

Short - The smallest size of an espresso beverage, usually 8 ounces.

Single - This is seven grams of freshly ground coffee for espresso extraction.

Specialty coffees - Gourmet coffees or whole bean coffees that have been freshly roasted using quality Arabica coffee beans.

Steam wand - A long metal tube on an espresso machine that connects to the boiler to provide pressurized steam. The steam wand is used for steaming and foaming milk for espresso beverages.

Steamer - A serving of foamed/steam milk which has been flavored with one ounce of Italian syrup. No espresso is added.

Tall - A 12 ounce size espresso beverage.

Tamper - A tool for firmly packing fresh espresso coffee into the filter basket held by the portafilter. The best tampers are hand held and not connected to the grinder.

Under extraction -One of the most common failures of the espresso extraction process. When hot water passes too quickly through the coffee or when water temperature is too low, this is what occurs.