| It takes a special kind of coffee lover to invest in espresso machines and brew their own espresso at home. The number one worldwide coffee is considered to be an exotic luxury on American soil, in a large part because of its European roots but also due to the extreme difficulty in the brewing process and the attention to detail required to get it right. In cafes and coffee shops around the world getting a single detail of the drink just a little wrong results in dumping the entire espresso down the drain, only to start all over again. From the right extraction ratio to the perfect crema, pulling espresso shots is an art form that is not to be taken lightly.
So what is an inexperienced at-home espresso fanatic to do? Well, for starters, you should have no fear–the internet is here! There are literally thousands of amazing blogs that can guide you through the process of brewing the perfect espresso step-by-step to help you get it right, and plenty of videos to offer you visual aides in the process. Pulling the perfect shot from espresso machines is actually much easier than it seems at first once you get a feel for the right grind of the beans and learn how hard to tamper toe portafilter before starting the process. You will inevitably mess the process up time and again at first, but keep trying and keep drinking your failures and eventually you will get it (or fall over from a caffeine influenced lack of sleep).
Learn the right combination of beans to avoid buying beans that don’t produce a crema. Get the tamping down to generate the proper amount of pressure for the perfect extraction. And always remember that espressos are complex drinks that require heat to taste right, so warm up your cup and keep that cappuccino hot to ensure it tastes right! Once you have those basics down you will do fine, it’s all just a matter of trial and error.