The growing popularity of espresso automatic coffee machines have made them affordable for most home kitchens
. Making the best coffee takes more than buying the right machine. Baristas are trained to know what works best in delivering a coffee that has the right aroma, crema and taste. Follow these secret tips for the perfect cup every time and surprise yourself with the caf style results.
Quality Espresso Machine
Spoil yourself from the start by purchasing a quality espresso machine. Look for a coffee maker that has large enough water storage for making a few cups at a time and powerful steam for frothing milk for the perfect cappuccino or latte. Buy a pump driven machine rather than one that uses steam pressure.
Fresh Roasted Coffee Beans
When grinding freshly roasted coffee beans make sure they are ground to the right texture. Too coarse will result in weaker coffee and more than the standard 30mls in the cup. If the grounds are too fine they can end up in the cup spoiling the look and taste of the coffee and less volume of liquid. The perfect cup is easier to achieve if the coffee beans are ground fresh at each sitting so invest in a quality grinder as well.
Use only Fresh Clean Water
Fresh clean water is essential to making the perfect cup of coffee. The concept of the espresso machine is for near-boiling water to hit the coffee grinds at the right temperature to extract the full flavour of the coffee. If the water is tainted in any way this whole effect will be wasted. Buy purified spring water if your tap water doesnt come up to standard and do empty the water container at the end of each use.
Preheating Makes a Difference
Preheating the machine and cups will make a huge difference to the final product. If everything has been warmed initially this will reduce the time for the coffee machine to process the water. Having the cups warmed will help the coffee retain its heat from the machine to the table. A machine that hasnt been preheated correctly will result in crema that is light in colour or too thin.
Packing the Ground Coffee
Knowing how to pack or tamp the coffee grindings takes practice. The ground coffee should be not too tight but not too loose either. This is one area that may take some time to get right but will be well worth the effort and perhaps a few wasted cups from your trial runs. Level the ground coffee with your finger to start then lightly press the tamper down onto the coffee. Make sure there are no fragments of the coffee on the rim as this can cause a bitter taste in the end result.
30ml of Coffee per Cup
Timing is everything when making the perfect espresso. Each shot of coffee should be stopped at 30ml per cup unless using the double shot in which case you can leave the liquid to pour for 60ml.
If youve invested in a quality espresso machine be sure to experiment with different blends of coffee and keep practicing the techniques until you can serve a cup to match any of the finest baristas in an upmarket Italian caf.