Having watched countless baristas pull shots in your coffee-drinking lifetime, you would think it wouldn't be that hard to do at home, right? So, why does your home-brewed espresso come out watery, with no evidence of a crema one day, and thick and bitter the next? It can't just be that owning an expensive La Marzocco model is truly the barrier for entry when it comes to pulling a top-notch shot.
Nothing can beat the consistency of pulling shots all day long on a professional machine to perfect your espresso game, sure, but if you're merely dabbling in a daily Americano with a model that's appropriate for your kitchen size or budget, there are still ways to dial in your espresso procedure for the best possible outcome.
Read more: I Tried a $140 Espresso Machine That Pulls Creamy Shots and Is Slimmer Than a Blender
Kaleena Teoh, co-founder and director of education for Coffee Project New York, talks us through all of the steps of pulling shots, so you can brew espresso at home like a professional.
Espresso basics
Espresso is a precise brewing method, not a drink. Pamela Vachon/CNET
"The word 'espresso' itself is not just a drink, it's actually a brewing method that involves pushing hot water through a compacted puck of coffee," Teoh explains, which can be accomplished through a machine with a boiler, or manually, as in a stovetop espresso pot. It necessitates a particular calibration of pressure and temperature, but a high-end machine isn't actually required.
"The two most important things are the machine's ability to maintain pressure and temperature as you're pulling the shot," she says. In most models for home use, you may not be able to make any adjustments, but gauges or displays that indicate pressure and temperature can be reassuring. Also, make sure that you're closely following the process outlined by the manufacturer, which may involve a step to preheat the water before brewing. Ensuring that your espresso machine is clean, by regularly brushing grounds from the portafilter loading point, and periodically flushing with hot water, is also important for quality control.
More so than the coffee machine itself, Teoh recommends another crucial piece of equipment for the best home-brewed espresso. "If you have a basic machine that can maintain pressure and temperature, that's good enough, but if I have extra budget, I would put it on my grinder," Teoh says. "Having a good grinder, especially a good burr grinder, is very, very important for espresso."
Espresso grounds: Grind size matters
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