Perfecting the espresso

So I've spent this evening trying to perfect my espressos in my new machine. The coffee I've got is from COOP, so it's no real gourmet stuff. I'll make sure to get some of that next time I stop by Kaffemaskinen. However, I've managed to get some really good shots with a decent crema. Not quite yet perfected yet but hey, it takes years to become a good barista!


The way I did it was I used the sieve for two cups, not the one for one cup. I filled the sieve with one scoop of coffee from my old measuring spoon (kaffemått) and then applied gentle and even pressure with the tamper and made sure to remove any excess coffee from the rim of the sieve. Read more about the proper technique over at coffeeresearch.org. Those people are serious about their coffee! I extracted the coffee into a shot glass to get a clear view of the colour and crema. The shot glass was warmed up a bit by running it under hot water for a few seconds.


The resulting espresso was far superior to anything served at your average coffee place but I still have some work to do before I can compete with the people at Barista or Kaffemaskinen.