Brew Guide: How to Brew with an Espresso Machine

How to brew the best espresso!

Hello, coffee lovers! Welcome to the final instalment of our brew guide series. It’s time we spill all the secrets on the small-portioned superheroes of the coffee world—the espresso! This is the most common form of coffee you’ll see, as it is the base for most caffeinated drinks.

With the growth of home brewing devices, the rise of bean-to-cup espresso machines must be the most notable. Alongside a steaming wand, you can become your own at-home barista with large-scale corporations such as Sage and DeLonghi, now offering top-of-the-range espresso machines.

But does paying this premium guarantee a café standard cup of joe? Unfortunately, it doesn’t. There are plenty of things to get right when brewing with this device to get the perfect cup of coffee. Don’t worry; we are giving you all the tips and tricks to get consistently bangin’ brews! Read on, friends, read on.

What is an espresso?

Thick and syrupy with a bubbly crema, espressos are the height of Italian culture. Formed from a small, concentrated cup of coffee, they are brewed using pressure to push hot water through fine coffee grounds. Whilst these were initially invented in Venice in the early 20^th century to be enjoyed alone, they have since been adapted to involve water and milk to create drinks such as the Flat White.

Fun Fact: Do you know where the Americano got its name from? It was actually during World War II when the American soldiers were stationed in Italy. They found espressos too strong, as they were used to drip (filter) coffee back in the US. Therefore, they topped their espressos with water. This became a common practice, and the local Italian population nicknamed this drink the ‘Americano’! Pretty cool, right?

One of the most recognisable elements of an espresso is the crema. The creamy, golden foam on top of your shot. However, this is only achievable with fresh beans, as the coffee oils and gases create the crema. No crema? Give Two Chimps a go! We pride ourselves on how fresh our brews are, with our roasters only roasting in small batches multiple times a week.

Surprisingly, sometimes, roasted coffee beans can be too fresh. They need two or three days to de-gas, so ordering coffee online is ideal! Your beans have time to de-gas while they are with the postie, which means by the time they get to you, they are ready to brew!

Which coffee is best suited for an Espresso?

When brewing an espresso, you always want to reach for those darker-roasted beans. While we never roast to a pure dark level (why would we burn our beautiful single-origin speciality coffee?!), we think a medium dark roast style is perfect for espresso. You still get that strong coffee flavour but with a swirl of dark chocolate rather than a bitter base. Yummy!

These roast styles are also more suited to an espresso machine as they use pressure and a short brewing time, giving people the intense flavours they want. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t use these lighter-roasted coffees. They still taste great in the cup. They just won’t have that punchy flavour you’d expect in an espresso shot. Since all our coffees are speciality, they all naturally possess incredible flavours, which are extracted into the espresso, no matter their roast style. Wahoo!

Our orange label is the one for a rich, creamy, full-bodied coffee. Roasted to a medium/dark level, this brew has a chocolate base topped with caramel. Perfect as it is, this coffee also creates the best flat white or latte.

An espresso deserves an extra special brew for its base. Our latest limited-edition, red-labelled coffee has notes of smooth chocolate, topped with a drizzle of caramel and a citrus zing of juicy tangerine. Roasted to a medium level, you still get that punchy coffee flavour through the chocolate base, but with a fruity twist. Get in.

Don’t worry, decaf drinkers, we haven’t forgotten about you! Our purple-labelled coffee is roasted to a medium level and has been naturally decaffeinated with a sugarcane solution. Did we mention it’s a match made in heaven with an espresso machine? Creamy, nutty, and malty, finished with a lemon acidity as it cools, this decaf tastes like the real deal!

How to brew

Let’s start with some tips and tricks for getting your brew to taste like you’ve just sat down at a café! If your espresso tastes overly bitter, use a slightly coarser grind size. If it has a sour tang, try grinding it finer!

One of the fun parts about using an espresso machine is smacking your portafilter to remove the espresso puck. If you notice this is very firm and dry, your grind size might be slightly too coarse. Try making it a bit finer. If it’s the opposite, very soft and wet, increase the amount of coffee or try a coarser grind size!

You want your espresso to extract for about 18-24 seconds. If you notice it happening quicker than that, you might need either a finer grind size or to tamp with more pressure. If it’s extracting too slowly, make your grind size coarser.

Now that you know everything to look out for, let’s get down to it! If you have a bean-to-cup machine, it should measure the coffee and water for you. But you want a ratio of 1:2, with 7-9g of coffee (1 heaped tsp) for a single shot of espresso and 14-18g (2 heaped tsp) for a double!

Let’s start by getting that grind size spot on. We can do this for you when you order from Two Chimps; click the espresso machine icon! If you prefer to grind your coffee, you want a super-fine texture like soft sugar.

It’s brewing time!

1. Turn on your coffee machine and purge (this is when you make espresso without the portafilter attached to flush away coffee residue).
2. Fill the portafilter basket with ground coffee.
3. Use the tamper to ensure the coffee is level and compact in the portafilter basket.
4. Place the portafilter in the group head of the machine.
5. Push the button! You’ll need to extract for around 18-24 seconds.
6. If you have any dial on your machine (like on a sage bean to cup), keep an eye that it falls into the middle of the espresso range. Don’t worry if it’s not right the first time- experiment until you get an A* espresso. If it doesn’t, try having a fiddle with the grind size and amount of coffee!

There you have it! Our espresso brew guide and brewing series are over. We hope you enjoyed learning about all the different coffee devices and maybe even had you upgrading your brewing method!

Want to learn more about the world of coffee? Check out our coffee courses!

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