Double Espresso Recipe

Preheat and prepare

Turn the espresso machine on and allow it to fully warm (20–30 minutes if cold). Place the cup on the cup warmer or run a small shot of hot water into the cup to preheat, then discard the water.

Dose and grind

Weigh 18 g of whole coffee beans on the scale. Grind to a fine espresso grind setting — slightly finer or coarser depending on your machine and coffee. Aim for a grind that produces about 25–35 seconds extraction time for 40 ml yield.

Distribute and tamp

Clean the portafilter basket, then dose the 18 g of ground coffee into a 18–20 g basket. Distribute the grounds evenly in the basket to remove large air pockets. Tamp with steady, level pressure (about 20–30 lbs / 9–13 kg force) to create a flat, even puck. Polish the tamp lightly and wipe any loose grounds from the rim.

Purge and lock in

Purge a small amount of water from the grouphead to stabilize temperature and clear old grounds. Insert and lock the portafilter into the grouphead immediately after purging.

Extract the double espresso

Start the shot and start the timer simultaneously. Aim for a 1:2.2 brew ratio (18 g dose to ~40 ml yield). Stop the shot at about 25–35 seconds when the cup contains roughly 40 ml of espresso with a rich crema. If extraction is too fast, make the grind finer; if too slow, make it coarser.

Serve

Wipe the portafilter and serve the double espresso immediately in the preheated cup. Offer sugar or sweetener on the side if desired.

Clean: After brewing, knock out the puck from the portafilter and rinse it. Backflush the grouphead according to machine instructions regularly to maintain flavor.

Adjustments: Taste the espresso. To adjust: change grind size by small increments (one click on grinder), adjust dose by ±0.5 g if needed, or tweak yield/time to achieve balance between acidity, sweetness, and bitterness.