How Do I Make A Perfect Espresso Puck?

Generally, that’s 7 grams for a “single” basket, 18 grams for a “double” basket, and 20 grams for a “triple” basket

How much coffee do you put in an espresso puck?

Generally, that’s 7 grams for a “single” basket, 18 grams for a “double” basket, and 20 grams for a “triple” basket.

Why is my espresso puck soupy?

If your coffee puck is too soft or muddy, then you are dosing too low (Picture #3). A low dose means that you may have had channelling through your coffee, causing an uneven extraction (see the holes in Picture #3). Also, your espresso will lack body and sweetness, making it taste a little thin and over extracted.

What should a good espresso puck look like?

The espresso shot should pour steadily and remain golden in colour, with just a little blonding at the end. It should look like a long ‘mouse tail’ The first shot of the day will always be a bit quicker than the next one and then the next one, so we will time 3 shots before we make any grinder adjustments.

Can you tamp espresso too hard?

tamping pressure shouldn’t be too hard as it can lead to over-extracting and an extremely bitter taste of espresso Polish the puck with a twisting motion. Avoid twisting as you push down though.

Why is my espresso puck not coming out?

Things to try that may dry the puck are a more coarse grind and/or a lighter tamp If the water flow is less impeded by the puck, it seems to be more dry when it comes time to knock it out.

Why is there no crema on my espresso?

The most common reason that your espresso drink has no crema is that you’re using the wrong coffee grind size to pack your espresso filter The perfect coffee grind size for espresso is much finer than drip coffee or the pre-ground coffee you’d buy for a standard coffee maker.

How tightly should you tamp espresso?

Apply 20-30 pounds of pressure , and polish Baristas often recommend 30 pounds of pressure, but some do as little as 20 pounds. More and more are finding that tamping pressure is overrated—it’s hard on the wrist and cause an over-extracted, bitter brew.

How full should my espresso basket be?

Fill the portafilter basket loosely with ground coffee and level off the basket using the side of your pinky finger to discard any excess coffee grounds For a single shot of espresso use 6 to 7 grams (1 ½ teaspoons) of ground espresso.

Why does the coffee puck get stuck?

Reduce your dose. Having your puck stick to the brew head means the grounds are in contact with the brew head If you reduce your dose by 1-2g the surface should be low enough as to avoid direct contact with the brew head.

How fine should espresso beans be?

As a general guidepost, coffee ground for espresso should be very finely ground, less coarse than sand, but not so fine that the machine can’t even push water through the portafilter.

How many seconds should an espresso shot take?

The ideal brewing time you’re looking for is between 20 – 30 seconds – if you’re running too long or too short, check your grind, dose and tamp, then adjust it accordingly. If your shots are coming out unevenly from both spouts, your tamp needs to be more even.

Do you need a tamping mat?

Tamping mats are an essential must-have accessory for every barista , be it in a busy commercial setting or at home. Sure you can buy a flat square of rubber in any hardware shop that would achieve a lot of the aims of our Cafelat mats, but more often than not these are smelly old bits of rubber that look awful.

Does tamping pressure really matter?

In short, we found that higher tamping pressure made no difference to the extraction The extraction times weren’t longer for the 30kg tamping, nor were they more consistent from shot to shot – they were exactly the same.

Why is my espresso pooling?

If you pull the handle out really quickly post-extraction you’ll find a puddle of water that’s slowly lowering into the coffee grinds. After a few seconds the coffee has absorbed all of the water. The larger the gap between your coffee grinds and the shower screen (headspace), the more water there is.

How do you get the best crema?

  • Use fresh coffee, but not too fresh. Coffee that is about 1-2 weeks from the roast date is ideal to get good crema
  • Freshly grind coffee
  • Use a good espresso machine using enough pressure
  • BARISTA’S TIP: Make espresso in a small clear glass cup when you want to look at crema.

How do I get a consistent tamp?

  • Give your group handle a quick shake.
  • Place the group handle in an espresso tamping stand or on a clean flat surface or tamping mat.
  • Tamp with a light amount of pressure to compact the ground coffee a little.
  • Let the puck rest for a moment.
  • Now tamp the ground coffee again with around 8lbs of force.

What happens when you over tamp espresso?

What does over-extraction do to taste? It turns an otherwise good shot into something that’s overwhelmingly bitter , even for seasoned espresso lovers. Not to mention the wrist strain involved! If you continuously tamp too hard, you’re likely to cause sore wrists from the excess pressure.

How tamp is 30 pounds of pressure?

30 pounds of pressure equals 10.3 pounds per square inch A 53mm tamper covers 3.42 square inches. 30 pounds of pressure equals 8.8 pounds per square inch.

How do you hold an espresso tamper?

HOW TO PROPERLY HOLD AN ESPRESSO TAMP. Making espresso at a busy cafe can put stress on your hand if you are not holding the tamp properly. To prevent this from happening, hold the tamp exactly as you would a door handle This means wrapping your palm around the side and resting your thumb on the base.

How do you tamp espresso without hurting your wrist?

You shouldn’t be pressing down with the palm of your hand, but rather your fingers. Now give the tamp a quick, light spin If you feel resistance between the tamp and portafilter, you probably didn’t apply pressure evenly. If it spins smoothly, you’re good!.

How tight should a portafilter be?

Portafilter needs to be turned towards a point whereby it is snug and fit, NOT tight There is not a need to push the portafilter towards to the extreme tightness all the way.

How do I increase my espresso yield?

If the espresso was strong, pull another shot 2 grams longer in yield (you may have to grind coarser to keep the brewing time down). Keep iterating in 2-gram increments up or down in yield until you have reached your desired strength. This will become your new target yield.

Do you fill the portafilter to the top?

 Grind coffee into the portafilter and fill so that the coffee grounds are mounded somewhat above the edge of a filter basket Level the coffee with the top of the filter basket by gently smoothing the mounded area, into the low spots around the edge of the basket.