Espresso Recipe
Make Espresso Recipe in just 10m. Get the full recipe with step-by-step instructions at pekinthechef.com.
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Ingredients
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Espresso Shot
Equipment / Optional
Method
Espresso Shot
Preheat and prepare machine
Turn on the espresso machine and allow it to fully heat (20–45 minutes for most machines). Run hot water through the group head and portafilter to warm them; use approximately 20 ml of water and discard it.
Weigh and grind
Weigh 18 g of whole coffee beans. Grind to a fine setting suitable for espresso (should feel like table salt; adjust finer if extraction is too fast or coarser if too slow). Aim for a grind that yields ~36 ml in extraction time described below.
Dose and distribute
Place the portafilter on the scale, add the 18 g of ground coffee into the double basket. Tap or use a distribution tool to evenly level the puck so there are no low or high spots.
Tamp
Using a tamper, apply firm, even pressure (approx. 20–30 lb / 9–13 kg force) with the tamper held level. Polish with a slight twist to remove loose grounds around the rim. Wipe excess grounds from the portafilter edge.
Purge and lock in
Purge a small amount of water through the group head to stabilize temperature if needed, then lock the portafilter into the group head immediately.
Brew
Start the shot and start the timer simultaneously. Target total extraction volume: 36 ml (liquid espresso) in 25–30 seconds. Expect the shot to start as a thin stream that thickens into honey-like crema, then tails off. If the shot extracts faster than 20 seconds, use a finer grind or increase dose slightly; if slower than 35 seconds, coarsen grind or reduce dose.
Finish and serve
Stop the shot at 36 ml (or at the 25–30 second mark). Wipe the portafilter rim, remove puck, and immediately serve the espresso in a pre-warmed demitasse. Observe crema color (golden-brown).
Clean up
Knock out spent puck, flush group head briefly, and wipe group head. Backflush machine if required by manufacturer's schedule.
Equipment / Optional
Grinder: use a quality burr grinder and adjust grind size in small increments when dialing in. Scale: place portafilter on scale to dose accurately and to measure yield (tare before brewing). Tamper: ensure tamper fits basket and tamp level. Timer: use to measure shot time precisely. Portafilter and group head: keep warmed to avoid cooling the shot. Optional: weigh final liquid yield on the scale for consistency (36 g ≈ 36 ml).