BREW GUIDE
Espresso
How to brew espresso at home: 22 g in, 44 g out, 27 to 32 seconds. Concentrated, intense, and the base of every flat white. Dial it in once and it is the fastest great cup in the house.
- Medium
- ⏱ 30 sec shot
- ☕ 1 double (44 g)
The short version
To brew espresso at home: grind fresh beans fine, dose 22 g into a 22 g basket, tamp level, and pull 44 g of espresso in 27 to 32 seconds at 9 bar with water at 92 to 94 degrees. Too fast and sour, grind finer. Too slow and bitter, grind coarser. Change one thing at a time. That is the same recipe we dial in on every cafe machine we install.
GEAR
Espresso machine, grinder
RATIO
1:2 (22 g in, 44 g out)
GRIND
Fine, sand-like
TIME
27 to 32 seconds
THE RECIPE
Six steps to a great shot
Espresso is the most technical method here, and the one with the most moving parts: grind, dose, tamp, temperature, time. Follow these six steps with a scale and a timer and you will have it inside a week.
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Warm the machine and portafilter
5 to 10 mins prepFill the tank with fresh, filtered water. Turn the machine on and give it 10 to 15 minutes; a home machine that says it is ready at 3 minutes is not. Run a blank shot through the empty portafilter to heat the group and basket. Cold metal drops the shot temperature by several degrees.
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Dose 22 g and distribute
30 secGrind on demand, never pre-ground. Weigh 22 g into a 22 g basket; the basket size matters as much as the dose. Distribute evenly: tap, a finger sweep or a distribution tool. Clumps and gaps are where water channels through and under-extracts the rest.
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Tamp level
10 secFirm, straight down, no twist, about 15 kg of pressure. Level matters more than force. A tilted puck channels on the low side and the shot runs fast and sour on one half and bitter on the other.
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Lock in, start the shot, weigh the output
Shot: 27 to 32 secLock in and start straight away; coffee sitting in a hot group starts cooking. Put the cup on a scale. First drops at 6 to 9 seconds, full flow by 12, and stop at 44 g of liquid espresso, which should land between 27 and 32 seconds. Weight is the target; time tells you whether the grind is right.
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Read the shot and dial in
Adjust between shots44 g in under 25 seconds: grind finer. 44 g in over 35: grind coarser. Sour and thin: under-extracted, grind finer or raise the temperature a degree. Bitter and dry: over-extracted, grind coarser. Change one variable per shot and taste. The sour or bitter fix guide walks the whole decision tree.
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Clean between shots and at close
10 secKnock the puck out, wipe the basket, flush the group for two seconds. At close, backflush with cleaner if your machine has a three-way valve. Old oil in the group is why the second day's shot tastes ashy. Full routine in the espresso setup checklist.
PRO TIPS
Three tips from Carlos
Three things that separate cafe-quality espresso from kitchen espresso.
Fresh beans, rested beans
Espresso is unforgiving. Beans roasted in the last 2 to 4 weeks are the window. Under 5 days from roast and the shot gushes and tastes gassy; past 6 weeks it goes flat. Roast date is on every bag we send. How long beans last is covered here.
Weigh in, weigh out
A $20 scale is the single biggest upgrade. 22 g in, 44 g out, 27 to 32 seconds is the house recipe on our bar and on every cafe machine we install. Hit the weight and the time looks after itself.
Water is 98 per cent of the cup
Use filtered water: a carbon jug filter is enough in most of Sydney, where the tap water is soft. It takes the chlorine out and keeps the boiler clean. More in filtered water for coffee.
BONUS: MILK TEXTURING
Froth milk like a barista
For lattes, cappuccinos and flat whites, you need silky, glossy milk - not the bubbly froth you get from a hand frother.
Setup: use fresh, cold whole milk in a clean stainless steel pitcher. Fill to just below the spout.
Steam wand position: insert the wand tip just below the surface of the milk, angled to one side of the pitcher. This creates a whirlpool, which is what builds the silky micro-foam texture.
Two phases: first 3-5 seconds, stretch the milk by keeping the wand near the surface (you'll hear a hissing sound). Then submerge the wand deeper to create the whirlpool and heat the milk to 60-65°C (140-150°F). Use a thermometer until you can feel it through the pitcher.
Finish: tap the pitcher firmly on the bench to pop any big bubbles, then swirl to bring everything together. The milk should look like wet glossy paint when poured.
Pour from low and close to the espresso, then raise the pitcher to create the rosetta or heart pattern. Practice makes perfect, even Carlos started with blobs.
BEANS FOR ESPRESSO
Which beans to use
Re Firma was built for espresso and milk: balanced, chocolatey, holds up in a flat white. Killer Ninja is the espresso-first blend if you drink it black. See the full range or take the 60-second coffee finder.
Other brewing methods
Same beans, different flavours. Espresso brings intensity. The other methods bring different sides of the same coffee.
Espresso questions people ask
How do you brew the perfect espresso at home?
Fresh beans, a fine grind, 22 g in a 22 g basket, a level tamp, and 44 g out in 27 to 32 seconds at 9 bar and 92 to 94 degrees. Use a scale and a timer, change one variable at a time, and taste. The gear matters less than the consistency.
What is the espresso ratio?
1:2 by weight is the standard: 22 g of ground coffee to 44 g of espresso in the cup. Tighter (1:1.5) gives a heavier, more intense ristretto; longer (1:2.5) a lighter, more extracted shot.
Why does my espresso taste sour?
Under-extraction: the water passed through too fast or too cool. Grind finer first, then check the machine is fully heated. Sour and fast usually fix together.
Why does my espresso taste bitter?
Over-extraction: too fine, too slow, or too hot. Grind coarser so the shot runs in 27 to 32 seconds, and clean the group head; old oils taste bitter and ashy.
Do I need an expensive machine for good espresso?
No. A good grinder matters more than the machine; a $300 grinder with a $500 machine beats the reverse. Pressure (9 bar) and stable temperature are what you are paying for. Run a cafe? Equipment on loan and dial-in are part of supply; see the wholesale coffee supply page.
