Monday, September 26, 2011

Find Out How You Can Make The Best Espresso

By Donald Mitchell


Considered as the quintessential form of coffee by coffee aficionados, espresso is regarded as a tiny miracle of chemistry and physics that as much as art, it is a science. As the quintessential form of coffee, it is the purest way of enjoying coffee's aroma and flavor. This type of coffee can be prepared on the spot, yet, should also be consumed immediately. Many regard the preparation of espresso a tedious and messy task. Nonetheless, many believe that with the right espresso maker and proper ingredients, preparing espresso is just a simple task.

Preparing the perfect cup of espresso requires the use of an espresso maker, espresso beans, a coffee grinder, the demitasse and a timer. The first thing that should be done is to prepare the demitasse. The demitasse is described as a small cup used to serve coffee or espresso. Depending on the language, it is sometimes referred to as incan, fildan, filxhan, flidzni, or pocillo. A demitasse has about 60-90 ml capacity which is half the size of a full cup of coffee and come with matching saucers. They are usually made of white pottery or porcelain but there are colorful and metal ones already being produced and sold in the market.

Then, the espresso maker should be prepared. In so doing, the water tank should be first filled with water. A blank shot to release steam should then be prepared to ensure that the machine will be properly warmed up. The quality of water to be used is critical in the preparation of espresso as it will dictate the taste of the final product. As hard water often contains mineral deposits that may affect the taste of the final cup of espresso, soft water such as filtered or bottled water is often recommended to be used.

Preparing the coffee is the next step in making an espresso after the espresso maker is aptly warmed up and the water is prepared. It is advised to use high quality coffee that has been processed and roasted properly. Though roasting coffee is a whole other topic, coffee aficionados claim that this is the way to ensuring a truly fresh coffee. A grinder will be necessary if one is to use coffee beans. Many coffee connoisseurs prefer using freshly ground coffee beans as they ensure the freshness of coffee. Nonetheless, depending on one's preference, using pre-ground coffee beans that can be purchased in the market is also alright.

The next step after coffee is prepared is to place the grounded coffee in the coffee grinder's built in doser. Approximately 7 grams of coffee should be placed for each 1-1/2 shot espresso. After dosing, the coffee should be firmly and evenly packed or even tamped. Then, it should be placed in the filter holder of the espresso maker where it will be tamped firmly. In so doing, make sure that the ground coffee is evenly distributed and compact. Then, the coffee should then be brewed for about 25-30 seconds. After brewing, extraction follows which usually runs at about 25 seconds. During extraction, it is important to fully the extract the coffee's aromatic oils and fine tastes while avoiding extracting too much bitterness. The final product should then produce an espresso cup filing half of the demitasse with a topping of a lovely caramel-colored crema.

Given the right ingredients and a good espresso maker, preparing a cup of espresso is indeed an easy task. Following the aforementioned step-by-step procedure in espresso making would also be of great help in making a great tasting cup of espresso.




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