Important things to think about before your first espresso brewing!

Selection of coffee beans

espresso is a type of brewing method by subjecting finely ground coffee grounds to high brewing pressure up to 9 bar to produce a small concentrated coffee drink with complex flavors. To get such complex flavors, choice of beans is the most important and is the deciding factor about your espresso will taste fantastic or completely undrinkable.

• Start by choosing whole espresso beans that are as freshly roasted as possible. Old coffee is more difficult to brew and usually gives a very bitter taste. The reason why you should choose whole beans is because pre-ground coffee will never produce as good results as whole beans. You also lose the ability to choose your own grind level, which is an important factor when it comes to getting good espresso. 
• Always choose whole coffee beans that the roastery recommends for espresso brewing. It will usually be on the coffee bag. If the roastery recommends the coffee for espresso brewing, it usually means that the coffee has its highest potential through that particular type of brewing.
• It is very important that the beans are ground just before brewing so that the coffee does not lose its good flavors and aromas.

Grind your espresso beans

Grinding for espresso brewing means that the coffee must be ground much finer compared to brewed coffee. Hence, it is important that the coffee grinder itself is made for espresso brewing. Many grinders used for brewing coffee are usually not capable of grinding as fine as espresso requires. Therefore, before you buy an espresso machine, make sure you have a grinder that can grind coffee for espresso brewing. Many espresso machines for home use usually have an integrated grinder, for example Sage Barista Express, Sage Barista Pro and Sage Barista Touch which is one of the most popular choices. In such cases, you don't need to worry.

There are two different types of espresso grinders. The first is a mill with conical grinding discs. The other is flat grinding discs and is most often used in commercial espresso machines and expensive home espresso machines. Both have their pros and cons, but both types give very good results when it comes to the actual taste of the coffee.

Press the puck before brewing

The word "Tamp" means in espresso brewing to press ground coffee in a cup into a compact puck. If the ground coffee is not evenly distributed in the cup, it can result in uneven brewing and leave a mixture of bitter and sour taste on the coffee. Therefore, it is important to think about getting the coffee evenly distributed in the cup before pressing the puck.

Brewing temperature

The temperature of the water you brew is an important part of the process. As a general rule, you usually start with a brewing temperature of about 93 degrees. Usually espresso machines are already set to the correct brewing temperature from the factory but if they are not after measuring, you can change the brewing temperature on most espresso machines. Dark roast is usually recommended to be brewed at lower temperatures, closer to 90 degrees, while light roast requires a higher temperature of up to 96 degrees. If you want to know more about how brewing temperature affects the taste of your coffee and how you can use it to your advantage please read our article: Everything you need to know about espresso.