How to make a cup of espresso or American espresso with a concentrator?

The production Technology of Italian Coffee

With beans and suitable equipment, finally, there are human factors that we can control. Because the extraction conditions of Italian coffee are very extreme, there are slight changes in the production process. Finally, in the coffee cup, it will be several cups, dozens of times or even hundreds of times magnification, reflected in the feeling after the entrance is very strong and unbearable. Therefore, in the process of production, we should pay attention to every small detail. Next, I will explain the production process of espresso in order. I am not an expert or master, and the following is only personal experience and experience, which I would like to share with you:

(1) Coffee bean grinding

Grinding coffee beans can be said to be very important for a cup of coffee. Only a well-ground coffee powder with the right thickness can extract delicious coffee and get rid of the taste you don't want in the coffee powder. So it's very important to find the right gear, and you may have to adjust it several times to find the right position. Espresso grinding needs a specific machine to complete, the grinder can be divided into manual and electric two kinds, take hand coffee as an example, manual grinding agent and electric grinding machine can meet the hand bubble requirements, but this in Espresso extraction is impossible, Espresso extraction time is very short, the requirement for coffee grinding degree is very high, requires very fine grinding, so that this degree of grinding friends electric grinding machine can be realized. The requirement of grinding uniformity is a challenge to the quality of the grinding machine. So much so that if you want to get a high-quality Espresso, you must match it with a special grinder of good enough quality in addition to a reliable Italian coffee machine.

(2) filling and pressing coffee powder

Fill the ground coffee powder into the powder bowl with just the right amount, neither too much nor too little. My general habit is about 17 grams. After the coffee powder is put into the powder bowl, wrap the coffee powder with tools or hands, and distribute the coffee powder evenly throughout the powder bowl, so as to make the extraction uniform and avoid the channel effect (the so-called channel effect, it is due to packing and other reasons that the coffee pressed powder is loose in some places and compact in some places, so that during extraction, a large amount of hot water flows through the loose place, resulting in over-extraction). I am used to wrapping powder, leaving a small drum bag in the middle of the powder bowl, and then filling it. Under pressure, the small drum bag will spread flat.

The filling and pressing of coffee powder is also a fine job, which seems simple, but it needs to be practiced repeatedly, first of all, it should be balanced, and secondly, the strength is appropriate. My favorite is usually to fill twice, the first time do not use too much strength, but rely on the weight of the hammer to flatten the powder, a little power, to level the coffee powder; under the premise that the coffee powder is basically flat, fill it for the second time to squeeze the coffee.

(3) to cool down the coffee machine and get the appropriate extraction water temperature.

As we said earlier, the water used to extract coffee is not boiling water, but hot water at about 90 degrees Celsius, and most coffee machines are in the state of turning on, and the water temperature will be too high after being idle for a period of time. If you directly use this part of water for extraction, it will certainly cause excessive extraction or coffee powder scald, forming a scorched taste, so we have to release this part of the water, but how long will it take? To get the right water temperature, it depends on your knowledge and mastery of your own coffee maker.

Usually, if your machine is idle for a period of time, when the water button is turned on, hot water and gushing steam will flow out from the head of the coffee machine at the same time, and you can also hear the sound of steam. The water temperature must be too high. For most household machines, the volume of the boiler is between 1.5 and 3 liters, so after you release some of the water, the pump will replenish the water, the boiler will start heating again, and the heating lamp will turn on, and then you can stop releasing water and wait for the boiler heating lamp to go out. At this time, the water temperature is about 90 degrees.

(4) extracted coffee

After releasing the water, you can brew the coffee handle on your head and begin to extract the coffee. What you need to remind you here is that you should press the extraction button from the handle to the cooking head, instead of putting the handle on the cooking head and getting the cup. Because the brewing heads of most coffee machines are made of copper and are very hot under the action of hot water, if you put the handle on the brewing head, all parts of the handle will soon be scalded under the action of heat transfer, scalding the coffee powder. to get a cup of espresso with a scorched flavor.

You may ask me, when I load it with immediate extraction, I don't even have time to get the cup. Very simply, you may not have noticed that after you started the extraction, the coffee did not flow out immediately. In the normal extraction state, the coffee began to flow 7-9 seconds after you pressed the extraction button. 7 seconds is enough time for you to put the coffee cup under the handle. If you press the button, the coffee will flow out. This cup of coffee is either too light or too sour. It is definitely not a satisfactory cup of coffee. If you haven't set the cup yet, don't set it up, so you don't have to wash the cup.

As we said earlier, the extraction time of espresso should be about 20 seconds. This more than 20 seconds does not start from the moment you press the extraction button, but from the moment you press the extraction button. During these 20 seconds, the amount of coffee flowing out should be about 20 milliliters.

(5) knock out coffee pressed powder

In fact, this step is not to make coffee directly, but to see whether your extraction is successful or not through pressed powder. After successful extraction, the coffee pressed powder should be able to take shape, can be knocked out as a whole, there is no obvious perforation on the coffee pressed powder, after breaking the coffee cake, the interior is dry and evenly distributed.