Baba's Coffee Espresso: Double Recipe

1. Warm equipment

Turn the espresso machine on and allow it to fully heat (typically 15–30 minutes). Run a short burst of water through the group head to flush and warm it. Place your cup on the cup warmer or pour hot water into the cup, then discard, to preheat the cup.

2. Fill water reservoir

Ensure the machine reservoir is filled with fresh filtered water (about 500 ml or enough for several shots) so pressure and temperature remain stable during extraction.

3. Weigh 18 g of freshly roasted espresso beans on the scale. Adjust dose slightly (16–20 g) to match your basket and taste, but this recipe uses 18 g for a balanced double.

4. Grind the 18 g of beans on a fine espresso setting. Target grind should feel like fine table salt; adjust finer if extraction is too fast or coarser if too slow.

5. Purge any old grounds from the grinder to ensure only fresh grounds enter the portafilter.

6. Dose the ground coffee into the clean, dry double basket in the portafilter. Distribute the grounds evenly using your finger or a distribution tool to avoid channeling.

7. Level the puck and tamp firmly and evenly with about 15–20 kg of pressure. The tamp should be level; polish the tamp if needed to ensure a flat surface. Wipe any stray grounds from the rim of the portafilter.

8. Place the portafilter into the group head and lock it into position. Place your pre-warmed cup or a shot glass under the spouts to catch the espresso.

9. Start the shot immediately after locking the portafilter in. Begin timing as soon as water first contacts the puck.

10. Target yield: 36–40 g of brewed espresso (a 1:2 to 1:2.2 brew ratio from 18 g dose) in about 25–30 seconds of extraction time. Watch the flow: it should start as a thin stream, resembling warm honey, and finish with a slightly blond color.

11. If shot time is significantly under 20 seconds and yield is low, grind finer or increase dose. If over 35 seconds and yield is high, grind coarser or reduce dose. Adjust to achieve the target time and yield consistently.

12. When the desired yield and time are reached, stop the shot. Wipe and flush the group head briefly to remove residual grounds and maintain cleanliness.

13. Serve the double espresso immediately in the warmed cup. Optionally, for an Americano, add 60 ml of hot water to the cup before or after pouring the espresso, to taste.

14. Clean the portafilter: knock out the spent puck, rinse, and dry the basket for the next shot.