The Perfect Espresso Shot
- The Ultimate Espresso – Defining the God Shot
- Mr. Coffee 4-Shot Espresso Machine and 8-Cup Coffee Maker Combo ECM21
- Mr. Coffee 4-Shot Espresso Machine and 8-Cup Coffee Maker Combo ECM21: A Great Two-in-One Deal
- Sunbeam Hot Water Dispenser: A Cup of Coffee for a Hectic Day
- How to Make (Most) Espresso Based Coffee Drinks
If you’re an espresso fan like many people, you want to replicate the experience you have at coffee shops. But in order to do this, you need to be able to brew the perfect espresso shot over and over again. Steaming milk is easy, espresso making is hard. To help you make the perfect espresso shot for your cappuccino, latte or mocha, here’s what you need to know.
• A quality machine – To make sure that you’re using the correct amount of water pressure and the right temperature of water for your espresso, you need to spend some time looking for a quality machine. Brands like Starbucks, Faema, and Krups are favorites.
• The best espresso bean – To make the best espresso shot, you need the best bean you can get. You should choose an Italian roasted espresso bean if you can or a nice Brazilian roast – dark and rich. You can honestly use any sort of varietal of bean so long as it’s dark roasted, but those that are specially roasted to be espresso are the best.
• Softened water is perfect – By using softened water and not regular tap water, you will not only extend the life of your espresso machine, but you’ll also make sure each shot is as good as the one before.
• Don’t let it sit – After you’ve made an espresso shot, you don’t want to let it sit for too long without going into your milk drink (unless you’re just having single or double espresso shots). The espresso can begin to lose its flavor if it sits for more than ten seconds.
• Five to seven seconds is the best espresso time – If a full shot glass of espresso is filled in five to seven seconds, you’re going to have the best tasting shot. Anything longer and the shot might be too strong and anything too short might be too watery. When your shots are too watery, you need to grind the espresso more finely and when the shots are too thick, you need to grind the espresso into larger pieces.
• Crema – If you find a carmelized topping on your espresso shot, you’ve made a great shot. The thicker this crema is, the better the flavor will be for your coffee drink.
• Practice your shots – To make sure that each shot is perfect, you will need to practice. Once you get the hang of brewing the perfect espresso shot, it will become second nature – and you’ll be able to taste the difference as well.
Making the perfect espresso shot is truly an art form. But with these tips, it doesn’t have to be a mystery to those that aren’t baristas.
March 18th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Hello. I think you have a typo in your espresso shot article. 5 to 7 seconds for an ounce of espresso is way too short. 25 to 30 seconds makes the optimal espresso shot. This is the agreed upon time limit for espresso lovers around the world. Take care.
May 31st, 2008 at 12:10 am
Ooo. Dispute. 25 is the top end for a shot, 30 would have let the espresso blonde & sour excessively in most machines. Though I agree, 5 – 7 is pretty low.
June 7th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Starbucks recently had a “training meeting” on this. They said do not let the shot sit for more than 15 seconds before mixing it in the milk mixture. and about 20 seconds is the “optimal” brewing time for a shot of espresso.
September 30th, 2008 at 6:07 am
The Starbucks time standard is for pulling a double shot, which obviously isn’t the same as pulling a single shot. For the Verismo 801, the ideal time to pulling a double shot is 15 to 19 seconds.
November 14th, 2008 at 12:33 am
Anyone know why Starbucks dont use the Single shot button?
November 30th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
Starbucks is Gay!!!ha, it’s all about THE COFFEE SHOP. buy local first
December 5th, 2008 at 8:46 am
12-20 secs:
- less than 9 bars puts you in the 20+ range
- more than 9 bars puts you in the 12 range
- if shot draws in less than 10 I would check your tamper and your grind
There is a huge variety of machines out there. I notice the basket designs on many are too constrictive for proper flowthrough; especially a lot of the cheap machines.
Anyway… once you find the grind, practice and yee shall find the flowcount. I am finding Vienna Roasted Mandheling makes a great, chocolaty-flavoured shot as an alternate to basic blends. Add some medium-high roast Ethiopian or medium roast Brazilian to blend. Mmmm…
December 5th, 2008 at 8:48 am
btw: I wouldn’t use Starbucks as a standard. That’s kind of like talking BBQ burgers with McDonalds…
December 5th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
KRUPS? STARBUCKS? MACHINES!..you should be ashamed if your being serious about this….
That’s like saying a LADA car is the same as a LEXUS.
You missed alot of notes in here…what about …the barista technique. what about the why’s in terms of water?…you missed tons..who wrote this.
December 20th, 2008 at 12:54 am
Seldom I write comments but resource really cool
January 2nd, 2009 at 6:35 pm
The 5 to 7 seconds is too short but bear in mind that each espresso machine produces differently. The tail of a mouse effect is crucial and yes this often takes longer time to produce, typically between 25 – 30 seconds.
Experts often tend to argue just to prove who’s right – but what is most important is if you like the taste, crema and heat of the drink. So feel free to break the 25 – 30 seconds and produce your perfect espresso shot.
January 3rd, 2009 at 7:10 pm
I totally agree with this. I’ve let shots run for 45 seconds. The taste was FANTASTIC using a triple filter of course which tends to help with dosing and
tamping errors as well as machine extraction variables. CHEERS!!!
June 23rd, 2009 at 3:42 pm
Shocking. I thype “Top 10 Espresso Tips” into Google and was initially impressed then horrified that things discussing a 5 to 7 second shot could be publish on the web. Yes there is some variance but from the press of the button (on a commercial traditional machine) you will get the perfect shot in 20 to 30 seconds. If you’ve set your grinder up correctly you’ll get the perfect shot in 28 seconds from the button press. And it’s all down to the grind size. You need to get this right. Extract 2 x 30ml of espresso from 15 grams of fresh ground coffee in 28 seconds and you’ll be spot on. But yes you do need; a stopwatch, accurate scales and 2 x 30ml (1 fl Ounce) shot glasses. If you haven’t tried this, and been totally accurate don’t comment back at me!
June 28th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
Hey Clearfish, I couldn’t agree with you more. Great info. The thought that you can get a good shot in 5 seconds is frightening to say the least.
July 12th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
Most of this has already been covered, but please don’t use the burnt under-extracted super-automatic 15 second shot from Starbucks who are little more now than a competitor for McDonalds. In Europe, and particularly Italy, the 27 second shot is legendary and so the 5 – 7 second shot has to be a typo – though the author has not corrected it I see. I also note that there is no discussion on ristretto, doppio and lungo type shots – this all has to do with weight of ground coffee to water ratios. This means a ristretto would typically be a 100% ratio and a doppio a 50% ratio – ie for arguments said – 1oz of espresso pulled with 16 grams of coffee is a ristretto shot and 2 oz of espresso pulled with 16 grams of espresso a good doppio. There needs to be a lot more clarification of what is posted here to ensure that we get some real quality out there – I rarely visit an independent coffee house that has really mastered this properly, and if we want to show Starbucks how it is done, we do need to pay attention to how it should be done. All that aside, I do think there is room for the intuitive and personal tweaking that produces that unique brand of espresso for individual places – though it has to be somewhere in the region of theses more scientific parameteres.
July 19th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
does the climate affect the taste of espresso
August 9th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Help! I just received a Starbucks Athena Barista Espresso Machine from my in-laws that has NO INSTRUCTIONS. I have never worked an espresso machine and need help – can anyone point me in the right direction of where I can either find instructions online or get my hands on a manual? Thanks!
August 27th, 2009 at 11:22 pm
excuse me while i whip this out:
27 seconds @ 9 BAR pressure with 195 degree water with the correct grind and tamp will give you what u are looking for. shot times are the same regardless of whether its a single or double shot(as it should be because shot time is cooking time) because the flow thru is regulated on your single shot portafilter by the smaller basket with less holes, which increases the pressure inside so you get infusion. when using a single shot portafilter it is your water volume thats halved, not your shot time.
also: starbucks is a robotic mcdonalds and should only be used as an example of how not to make espresso with a real machine.
from the point your shot starts, its cooking until you cool it. once its done coming out, IMMEDIATLY pour it in your milk, or even an unheated empty cup will do it. if you let it sit, it will burn (overcook) in the shot glass.
climate affects espresso by humidity affecting your grind.
and yes this article needs to be rewritten
September 2nd, 2009 at 6:48 am
Starbucks shouldn’t even be anywhere close to considered in this debate, they don’t tamp or pull shots, their machine is their barista.
September 9th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Hello, Calling all Bialetti users!
maybe someone here can help me with my Espresso ???. I use a Bialetti stovetop esspresso maker.But i cant seem to get the recipe right. Have you ever used one and if so can you help me configure it? I am desperate to make a decent shot of espresso at least.I have to admit typically I am a coffee only girl,but I do occasionally like a shot or a cappuccino.
October 4th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
hey i agree, the sooner the espresso be ingulped the better the taste of it would be. Though 5-7 sec r to short, it should be 15 seconds for adding milk or for makingany other coffee with espresso
October 23rd, 2009 at 11:43 pm
RepublicEspresso: Seems like you should have written this article. Well put. 5-7 seconds is ridiculous. I usually pull around 20-25 seconds with a nice creamy head. 30 seconds and it can start tasting a little burnt.
In my experience, a well executed shot comes out looking like a freshly poured pint of Guinness.
November 19th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Well, after reading the article how could you even mention the name “Starbucks”? They brew the worst coffee I’ve ever had. When my husband goes there, I take my own cappuccino that I make at home with an automatic Seaco machine, filtered water and freshly ground imported Italian espresso beans…and in a china cup!!! Do you think I’m going to drink a beverage that tastes like burnt coffee and made by a high school student??? Here’s the scope…been to Italy four times and never had a bad espresso/cappuccino…here in the USA I can’t find a good espresso/cappuccino unless I make it at home. Yes…you need to cover ALL bases when it comes to making a GREAT cup of espresso. The best beans, filered water and the machine…and of course the barista!