So, you're the proud owner of an
separate grinder to go with your machine. Each time you use your espresso machine, only grind enough coffee beans to fill the filter cup. This will ensure a lovely deep crema on your espresso or espresso base. Store your beans in the freezer until you're ready to grind them, this will help them to retain their flavour. Also store any ground coffee in the freezer.
Tip Four – Use the correct grind and correct tamping
Talk to your bean supplier about your espresso machine and check that he's supplying the correct fineness of ground coffee. Preferably use your own grinder to achieve the optimum fineness. Softly tamp your ground coffee into the filter handle, not too hard or you won't achieve a decent flow rate. A good rule of thumb is that it should take about 25 seconds for 30ml of espresso to be poured. Get the stopwatch out to get an idea of how your espresso making is going.
Tip Five – Experiment
There's so many variables at work with an espresso machine that you'll have to make many coffees to truly appreciate the different coffees you can make. The temperature, the beans, the grind and the flow rate will all give different tasting coffees. You'll know you're getting it right when your espresso machine produces a thick golden crema and a sweet, rich espresso. And most importantly, enjoy!!
Occupation: Coffee Machine Distributor
Jim Storey owns and operates Coffee Machine Express based in Sydney Australia. Jim is always looking for the perfect espresso! Jim can be found selling
coffee machines
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