Espresso is not complicated to adjust the espresso formula is actually very simple!

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Adjusting the espresso recipe is a must for every barista before going to work every day. By constantly tasting the coffee and adjusting the grinding degree and moisture ratio of the coffee, the truly satisfactory coffee can be obtained.

Adjusting the espresso formula is actually very simple!

The basis of coffee making

What is extraction? Extraction is to balance the various flavors of coffee in the right way. Generally speaking, if the coffee production time is too short and the extraction speed is too fast, the taste of the coffee will tend to be insipid, the taste will be sour, and the coffee extraction is not enough; if the time is too long and the extraction speed is too slow, the coffee will become bitter, with a metallic flavor, and the coffee will be overextracted. For each type of coffee or blended coffee, you must find the best degree of extraction to achieve the perfect balance of sweetness, sour and bitterness in the coffee, while ensuring a mellow and palatable taste.

Adjusting the espresso formula is actually very simple!

There are three things you need to do when formulating a coffee recipe:

1. Weigh the coffee powder

two。 Measure the total weight of coffee

3. Record production time

Here are my usual espresso recipes:

-20 grams of coffee powder

-40 grams of total coffee weight

-25-30 seconds production time

This is a general-purpose basic formula, when making different quality coffee, you need to make appropriate adjustments according to the taste.

On the traditional law of "30ml"

I can't say it's wrong, but in fact the total amount of coffee varies according to the thickness of the oil, which depends on the storage time of the coffee and the interval between the finish and the start of drinking, so the method of measuring volume is not accurate. By contrast, the weight will not change.

When making a recipe, you need to pay attention to:

1. Prepare an electronic scale and a timer

two。 Measure and record the weight of coffee powder, the total weight of coffee and the production time with the instrument.

3. Taste it in time, and if it tastes good, write down the recipe used to make this cup of coffee

4. Familiarize your team with this recipe for daily use

5. Continuously optimize the formulation

Adjusting the espresso formula is actually very simple!

The principle of formula adjustment

Espresso is supported by coffee, water and pressure. The coffee powder is placed in a small, round filter bowl with holes, the handle, and the water is driven by high pressure (usually 9 bar) to filter the coffee powder to extract the essence.

When adjusting the formula, we often use the following technical terms:

Amount of powder: that is, the amount of coffee powder in the filter bowl.

Product: the amount of coffee in the coffee cup.

Extraction time: the time it takes for water to filter coffee powder, complete the extraction of coffee, and produce quantitative coffee.

Recipe: combine all the above parameters to form the formula that baristas follow when making coffee every day. For example, baristas will tell you, "my recipe is 18 grams of powder, 36 grams of product, and extraction time of 25-30 seconds."

Doesn't that sound simple? If you are not a barista, you must think, "Why is that so hard?" Why do baristas take so long to do such a simple thing every morning? "

All right, let me ask you a question. If your recipe tells you that the extraction time is only 10 seconds, what should you do? If it hadn't been for professional training, you would have been at a loss. Baristas all know that the only way to make the extraction time shorter is to adjust the grinding degree. The degree of grinding is very important for the production of espresso, because for any formula, if you want to change other parameter settings, you can only adjust the grinding parameters.

Adjusting the espresso formula is actually very simple!

Why are grinding parameters so important?

Only 30% of roasted coffee beans are soluble. Without grinding, it may take you months to complete the extraction of coffee, and I'm really not sure if the whole coffee bean can really dissolve in water. In order to facilitate extraction, we need to grind coffee beans. Grinding can destroy the structure of beans and increase the contact area between water and coffee. In general, the extraction rate of espresso is about 18-22%.

Why are there only so few?

Because not all soluble substances taste good.

If you extract too much, the taste of coffee will become bitter; if you extract too little, it will become too sour. So why 18-22%? Because after a long period of research, Dr. Earl E. Lockhart found that the extraction rate of the most popular coffee is in the range of 18-22%.

You might ask, "how do I know how much coffee I extracted?" What you need is a professional tool called a refractometer, which can measure the total amount of soluble substances in the water, and then calculate how much coffee is coffee and how much water is in the solution, based on these numbers, and then after a simple calculation, we can get the extraction rate of coffee.

Formula adjustment: what exactly does it mean?

When the barista said, "I'm adjusting the formula," he was ostensibly ensuring that the parameters would optimize the taste of the coffee, but in fact he was adjusting the grinding parameters. Each barista has different preferences for the recipe. Some people like powder weighing 18 grams and producing 36 grams, while others prefer powder weighing 18 grams and producing 40 grams. Some people like the extraction time at 25-30 seconds, while others prefer 30-35 seconds. No matter what the formula is, our ultimate goal is to make the coffee taste as expected and achieve the best quality.

So, isn't it easy? Do it yourself and adjust your espresso recipe!