The coffee lover knows how much appreciation goes into the perfectly brewed and prepared espresso drink. Nothing can be worse than anticipating your first coffee of the morning only to have it taste horrible and less than the perfection that you are anticipating. Whether you are experiencing that coffee out in your favorite cafe or brewed from your own new DeLonghi Espresso Maker it is important to understand how to make that cup of perfection. In this article, we will go over the steps to brewing the perfect cup of espresso every time.
It all starts with great coffee beans. Ideally you will be grinding your own beans as this adds to the experience, freshness as well as aroma of your home. Choose beans that are fresh and of good quality. A great espresso beverage is best made with a medium roast coffee bean. The medium flavored beans tend to be a bit sweeter which complements the espresso as opposed to the darker beans which may be better suited for other pressed coffee drinks. Also, for the best espresso, try to use the beans within 4 days or so of roasting if at all possible.
A good quality burr grinder can be an essential piece of equipment for the kitchen when it comes to grinding your coffee beans for espresso. If you have a specialty espresso machine, such as the DeLonghi Pump Espresso, the burr grinder may be part of the actual machine, which in this case DeLonghi does include the burr grinder in this great piece of equipment which makes the task of grinding the perfect beans that much easier.
Once the beans are ground, the next step is to tamp the grounds. This is the process of evenly distributing the grounds and pressing them with the espresso tamper until they are well packed and even. This process will allow the water from the espresso machine to pass evenly through the tamped grounds. Be sure that the grounds are even, because if not it can result in an espresso that has an uneven extraction and less than ideal flavor. This whole process of tamping the grounds should take less than one minute to complete.
Ideally the water that you put into your machine should be filtered for the best taste of espresso. The temperature and pressure of the water is also very important to the espresso making process. If you are using your own machine such as the DeLonghi Espresso Maker, it will automatically heat the water to the required 190 degrees Fahrenheit (or hotter) temperature that you need as well as providing the 9 bars, or units of water pressure that is needed to make the perfect espresso.
When the brewing process is complete, you should be left with an aromatic and slightly sweet cup of espresso. The color that you see should be a darkish red-brown and the espresso should also be fairly thick when you taste it. The true lover of espresso will drink the beverage without anything added to it. The taste left after sipping should be bold and lingering on the tongue.
Enjoy that perfect cup of espresso and many more to come!
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