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Brewing the Perfect Espresso Shot
- In Brewing & Frothing
- Published 21 Sep 2012
- By Administrator
- Hits: 326
Click Here to download pdf: shot 22.23 Kb
When preparing the perfect shot of espresso there are 4 main elements.
1. The properly calibrated (commercial grade) espresso machine.
2. The consistency (fineness/courseness) of your ground coffee.
3. The correct grams of coffee dispensed.
4. The proper tamping (packing) of the coffee.
The properly calibrated espresso machine
When most espresso machines are shipped from the factory, they have a preset brewing temperature of 190 - 200 degrees. This usually is non adjustable (with the exception of the Conti Twinstar.) When connected to city plumbing your machine should be adjusted onsite to 8 - 10 bars of water pressure (with the exception of a“pour over” style self contained water source.) Steaming pressure is generally between .5 and 1.5 bars, this is adjusted also at the factory. Check with manufacturer specs for reccomended settings.
The Consistency of ground coffee
The flow of your shot of espresso is based on consistency of the ground coffee dispensed. If the grounds are too course, then water will flow too fast, resulting in a “watered down” taste. If the grounds are too fine, the pour will be too slow resulting in a short and under extracted shot. The amount of time in which you should pour a .5 to 1.5 oz shot glass is 18-24 seconds. When pouring it should resemble slow streaming honey and be light brown in color. That’s the crema!
The correct amount of coffee dispensed
The correct amount is measured in grams. A double handle will hold 14-16 grams (3 tablespoons) A single handle will hold 7-9 grams (1.5 tablespoons)
The proper tamping pressure
After your handle is filled with the correct grams of coffee. It is necessary to tamp or pack the coffee flat and level with a tamper. The amount or pressure in which to press should be 30 to 35lbs. This can be checked by using a bathroom scale. While placing the handle down, press firmly until you reach the right weight.
How to Properly Steam Milk
- In Brewing & Frothing
- Published 21 Sep 2012
- By Administrator
- Hits: 370
Click Here to download pdf: milk 40.06 Kb
There are 3 elements in making a great pitcher of steamed milk.
1. Technique of frothing milk.
2. Correct temperature.
3. Volume of foam (amount) and texture.
Technique of frothing milk
Always begin steaming with cold milk. Fill the proper size pitcher only half way. (milk will “grow” considerably after steamed.) Before placing pitcher under the steam wand, “blow out “ by turning wand on and off. (this releases the condensation of water that builds up inside wand.)
Placing pitcher under wand, immerse wand to the bottom. Turn on full steam power and slowly pull down the pitcher of milk until the wand tip is 1/4 inch below milk surface. As milk begins to rise, continue to hold wand just below milk surface. (avoid pulling wand out of milk completely, as it will blow milk out of pitcher.)
Corrrect Temperature
The ideal temperature for steamed milk is 145-170. (To ensure the precise temp you can clip a milk frothing thermometer on your pitcher.)
When steaming, the temp will rise about 5degrees past the stopping point, so if the desired temp is 160, stop at 155. Never steam past 170 for this will scald the milk and leave a burnt after taste.
Volume of foam and texture
The amount of foam steamed can depend on the type of milk used, (2%, whole, or non fat milk.) Generally the technique will determine amount. The longer you can hold the steam tip just 1/4 below the milk surface without exceeding 170, the more foamy froth you’ll create.
Take the Americano Challenge !
- In Brewing & Frothing
- Published 21 Sep 2012
- By Administrator
- Hits: 413
Everyone knows that most Americans that are not accustomed to specialty espresso drinks start out with an Americano espresso drink first so why not make it the best. The Definition of an Americano is espresso diluted with hot water. So you say how could you mess this very simple drink up? Well I am here to say its very easy and most cafes do make the poular drink incorrectly.
Lets start with the espresso. Just as long as you follow the basic rules making a good espresso is not too hard. Where people make the big mistake is the hot water. Okay, so you spent all this money on a great espresso machine that produces 194 to 205 deg water for brewing espresso and around 240 deg for steaming milk and hot water. Again proper espresso extraction is 194 to 205 so if you take this perfectly brewed espresso and then dose it with 240 deg water what do you suppose will happen? Thats right the perfect light brown crema on top disappears faster than you can say Starbucks! You should consider the extra time and money of having to double cup that scorcher and the time it takes to add ice! Also not to mention the liabilities of burning your customers lips right off their face!
One thing to remember Americano came from Americans visiting Europe. The Americans could not handle the strong concentrated espresso shots that all the Europeans drink everyday so some Barista over there took his hot water spicate and watered it down thus the Americano was born!
Another thing to know is that commercial espresso machines were never designed with hat water spicates to make drinks. They were designed with hot water spicates to just do the cleaning of espresso shot glasses and warm ceramic mugs very fast.
There are some exceptions to this design. Strong Primary,Strong Original,Strong Dual,Conti Twinstar 2 and a few other on the market have incorporated adjustable temperature hot water spicates so you can get the same temp of water that you brew with is the same temp of the hot water to add to the Americano.
Adjusting the steam pressure on your commercial espresso machine
- In Brewing & Frothing
- Published 21 Sep 2012
- By Administrator
- Hits: 358
The method of adjusting your espresso steam boiler pressure is very simple. First UNPLUGG your espresso machine from the power. Then remove your body panels and locate the pressure switch. It will be a 6 inch x 4 inch box with a black cover or a gray cover or a small 1 1/2 round device with a steam line connected to it and wires coming out of it. Next look for a screw adjustment with a + and a - with a arrow direction. Make a small adjustment 1/4 turn or less.
Then plug your machine in and wait till the steam builds and stops building. Repeat procedure as needed. ALWAYS WORK ON YOUR MACHINE WITH IT UNPLUGGED AND REMEMBER IF YOU TURN UP YOUR COMMERCIAL ESPRESSO MACHINE PAST 1.4 BAR IT WILL BLOW OFF YOUR PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE!
