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Tamping
Tamping compresses the coffee into a level disc that
provides uniform resistance to the high-pressure brew
water. Properly leveled and tamped coffee will produce an
even extraction of coffee compounds – and great espresso.
Coffee that is tamped too softly will be deformed by the
brew water, resulting in uneven extraction, a fast brewing
time, and mediocre espresso. Coffee tamped too firmly
will slow the brewing time, making for a bitter,
overextracted beverage.
Proper Tamping Technique
1. The tamper handle should be grasped like a doorknob,
with the base of the handle firmly against the palm.
When tamping, try to keep the tamper, wrist, and
elbow in a straight line.
2. With the bottom of the filter holder resting on a solid
surface, gently press the tamper into the coffee with the
goal of creating a level surface. Remove the tamper
from the filter basket with a slight twisting motion –
this will help prevent the tamper from pulling up chunks
of coffee.
3. After removing the tamper, some grinds may stick to the
side of the filter basket. Tap the filter holder gently on
the table to jostle the grinds onto the tamped coffee
disc. Do not tap too hard, or the tamped coffee will
dislodge or fracture.
4. Apply a second, finishing tamp (also called a
polishing tamp).
Press straight down on the coffee with about 15
kilograms of pressure, then relax the force slightly (to
about 9 kilograms) and polish the coffee by turning the
tamper completely around twice.
5. Inspect your tamp. The coffee disc should be smooth
and level with no gaps between the side of the filter
basket and the coffee.
Espresso Brewing Technique
Measuring Tamping Pressure
9 kilograms, 15 kilograms – how do you know how much
tamping force you are actually using? Do what the
baristas do: use a bathroom scale! Place a scale on a
table or countertop, and tamp your coffee on top of it.
Pretty soon, you will develop a feel for how much 9 or 15
kilograms of force is.
Volume
The brew group and boilers are heated. The fresh coffee
has been ground, dosed into the filter holder, expertly
leveled, and precisely tamped. Now comes the moment of
truth: brewing!
(30 ml) using the small filter basket or two cups (60 ml)
using the large one. Brewing more will overextract the
coffee and result in thin, bitter espresso.
with a thick texture like honey running off a spoon. It
often forms what are called mouse-tails, or thin syrupy
streams. As increasingly bitter and acidic compounds are
extracted, the espresso pour will begin to lighten; in some
cases, the pour will become almost white. Expert baristas
will watch the pour carefully and quickly stop brewing if it
starts to lighten.
normal volume. Prepare the espresso machine to brew two
cups, but stop brewing when only
45 ml have been extracted. What you've done is restrict the
pour to include only the most flavorful and least bitter
coffee oils and essences.
Extraction Rate
Decades of experience have shown that the best espresso –
whether a single or a double cup – takes about 20–25
seconds to brew.
20–25 seconds, and your tamping technique is good, adjust
the grind! Grind finer for a slower extraction rate, and
coarser for a faster one. Keep the dose and tamp the same.
absorb moisture readily. This will affect the extraction rate.
In a humid environment, the extraction rate will slow
down; in dry conditions, the extraction rate will speed up.
You may find yourself adjusting the grind according to the
season – or the day's weather.
necessary to correct the extraction rate. The best solution is
to invest in the KitchenAid
isn't possible, experiment with the tamping pressure. Tamp
with less force for a faster pour, and more force for a
slower one.
The Golden Crema
A mark of fine espresso is crema, the dense golden foam of
emulsified coffee oils that captures the essence of coffee
flavor. Good crema should be thick and cling to the side of
the cup when it's tilted; the best crema should be able to
support a sprinkling of sugar for nearly 30 seconds.
14
For the best espresso, never extract more than one cup
As it pours, perfect espresso is a deep reddish brown
Espresso Ristretto is espresso brewed with less than
If your espresso is brewing much faster or slower than
Coffee is sensitive to the ambient humidity and will
Some grinders do not allow the fine adjustments
®
Artisan™ Burr Grinder. If this
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