Ratio: 1:2 (Coffee: Water)

To start, we recommend a 1:2 ratio of coffee to water for a standard double-shot of espresso. When talking about this ratio for espresso extraction, we think of it differently from other brew methods. In this example, it will be 18g of fresh ground coffee going into your portafilter. The “water” part of this ratio will be the final weight of the espresso extracted. The goal is to extract 36g of espresso, creating the 1:2 ratio. However, depending on your shot and preferences, you may end up changing this ratio to 1:1.5 – 1:2.5.

Grind: Fine (Flour)

The consistency should be similar to flour. Too fine and the shot can result in overextraction, creating overwhelming sour notes. This is due to the water having a hard time “penetrating” through the grounds, resulting in channels. Instead, we want water to flow evenly across and through all of the grounds. The same can be said for grounds that are too coarse. The shot will pull too quickly, resulting in overwhelmingly bitter notes. How do you determine if it’s too fine or coarse? Once we pull the shot, we can determine this through taste and time.

When finding the correct grind setting or “dialing in”: Any time we are changing the grind setting on our grinder, there is a potential for additional grounds to be stuck in the grinder. This can result in you “chasing” the perfect grind, going back and forth. Instead, once you’ve changed the grind setting, grind a small amount of coffee and throw it away. This will ensure that you’re starting with the same consistency every time!

Coffee we enjoy brewed as Espresso:

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How to Brew: Freshly grind 18g of coffee into your portafilter, Tamp coffee, Insert into group head, Pull shot, Enjoy!

1. To begin, make sure that you have everything you’ll need: an espresso machine, tamper, grinder, kitchen scale, a double-shot glass or vessel, and a timer.
2. First, remove the portafilter from the group head. Once removed, turn the machine on, allowing water to flow through the group head. This will clear any unwanted debris, resulting in an evenly pulled espresso shot. Complete this step before you pull any additional shots.
3. Place your portafilter on your kitchen scale and tare. Next, weigh out 18g of freshly ground coffee into your portafilter. Refer to the grind section above for best practices and consistency.
4. Evenly disperse the coffee grounds using either your hand or a distribution tool. The goal is to create an even surface for the water to pass through. Mounds will create an uneven extraction and sour/ bitter tastes.
5. Next, tamp your coffee using your tamper. To do this, place the portafilter on your counter and the tamper over the grounds. Press straight down, using 20lbs of pressure.
6. Once tamped, place the portafilter back into the group head. When turning back into the group head, the portafiler should fit snugly.
7. Finally, it’s time to pull your shot!! Place your kitchen scale with a double-shot glass or any vessel that will fit underneath the portafilter. Again, remember to tare the glass and get your timer ready. The goal is to pull a 36g shot within 25-30 seconds. Once everything is set, turn on the machine to start the extraction. Once you’ve extracted the appropriate weight (36g), stop the machine and timer.

Troubleshooting:

1. How’d it go? Taste your shot, and if it’s overwhelmingly sour, consider decreasing your grind size. Additionally, you can also decrease the ratio of your brew to 1:1.5. Just remember to change one of these at a time for best troubleshooting practices. The same can be said if the shot is too bitter; increase your grind size and/ or increase your brew ratio to 1:2.5.
2. This same methodology goes for shots that are under 25 seconds or longer than 30 seconds. Too short, and decrease your grind size. Too long and you’ll want to increase the grind size.
3. Want to throw your mug at the wall? We understand. There is a long list of variables that go into extracting espresso, such as tamper, basket size, pressure within your machine, roast level of the coffee you use, etc. The honest truth is that no brew guide will account for all of these variables that you personally have. Rather, view this as a general start for your espresso journey. Cheesy? Absolutely. True? 100%

General tips/ facts:

1. Don’t be afraid to throw away some espresso! You may be new to espresso, have a new coffee, or have new equipment. All of which can result in shots that take too long or vice versa. Practice different ratios and grind sizes to dial in the perfect shot for you! This may take 2-3 shots, so don’t be afraid to throw the first few out. Throwing out espresso also makes us sad.
2. Tamping: Furthers the evening process of the espresso extraction. It’s often misinterpreted that you can tamp espresso too hard. However, once you reach the 20lbs of force required, additional force won’t further compress the espresso grounds. Often, professional machines are set to 30lbs to account for any discrepancies.
3. Portafilter: When putting the portafilter back into your machine, don’t overtighten it. Overtightening will result in unnecessary wear and tear on your machine.

Enjoy!