Espresso Recipe

Preheat and flush

Turn on the espresso machine and allow it to reach operating temperature (usually 10–20 minutes if cold). Flush the group head for 5–10 seconds to stabilize brew temperature and purge any stale water.

Weigh and grind

Weigh 7 g of espresso beans on the scale. Grind the beans to a fine, even grind suitable for your machine — target extraction time will be about 25–30 seconds for 30 ml output. Adjust grind finer if extraction is too fast, coarser if too slow.

Dose and distribute

Place the portafilter on the scale, tare it, and dose the 7 g of ground coffee into the portafilter basket. Distribute the grounds evenly using a distribution technique or a gentle tap to avoid channeling.

Tamp

Using a tamper, apply level, firm pressure (about 15–20 kg of force). Polish the puck with a small twist to create a smooth surface. Wipe off any loose grounds from the portafilter rim.

Lock in and brew

Lock the portafilter into the group head. Place a preheated espresso cup beneath the spout. Start the extraction and simultaneously start a timer/stopwatch.

Target extraction

Aim for 30 ml of liquid espresso in 25–30 seconds of extraction time. The espresso should flow as a steady, honey-like stream, starting dark then turning golden with a reddish-brown crema. If extraction is significantly outside the time range, adjust grind size and repeat.

Finish and serve

Stop the extraction when you reach ~30 ml. Wipe the group head and knock out the puck. Serve the single espresso immediately in the warmed cup. Enjoy without milk or sweetener, or offer sugar on the side.

Keep equipment clean: backflush the group head with a blind filter as recommended by the manufacturer, wipe the portafilter and group gasket after each extraction, and regularly descale and service the machine to maintain consistent espresso quality.

Use filtered water for brewing to avoid off-flavors and scale buildup. Preheat the cup by rinsing with hot water to help maintain crema and temperature.