Noor Shahid
Sometimes it’s great to do some work by hand. All the time going to the coffee shop for an espresso shot isn’t easy. Also, you can save a lot of money by making your espresso shot at home. That being said doesn’t mean that making espresso at home is an easy job. This takes a lot of skill and effort. You will need to follow each step carefully to make a perfect espresso shot.
In this article, we are going to explain, how to use an espresso machine? Usually, making an espresso shot with an espresso machine is easy because most of the work is done by the machine automatically. You just need to read the manual and follow a few simple steps to make a delicious espresso shot.
- Types of Espresso Machines?
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Types of Espresso Machines?
You may be intimidated by the number of espresso machines out there, but you don’t need to. We are going to explain and everything. Espresso machines are divided into various types based on driven mechanisms, automation, and structure.
- Espresso Machines Based on Driving Mechanism
- Espresso Machines Based Automation
Piston Driven Espresso Machine: As the name suggests, they are operated with the help of a piston. They are also known as lever-operated machines.
Steam Driven Espresso Machine: These machines use the pressure of hot water to make an espresso. They are an inexpensive and easy option available.
Pump Driven Espresso Machine: They were the first step toward the automation. They use a Solenoid Piston Pump instead of human effort.
Air Pump Driven Espresso Machine: This a new technology. It uses compressed air to generate enough pressured required in the preparation of the drink.
Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine: They are most popular on the market. They can be programmed plus let you manually control your drink. So, they provide you an opportunity to have more control and also, they are affordable.
Fully Automatic Espresso Machine: They are fully automatic, easy to use and don’t need human attention. You just need to program a drink or select the preprogrammed and they will make you an ideal drink. They are expensive as compared to semi-automatic.
Super Automatic Espresso Machine: They are something very special. They not only make espresso but also can make several kinds of beverages. They have many features like LED display, programmable system, temperature controls, easy to use buttons, pre-grinding, and pre-brewing.
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Using an Espresso Machine
As we have explained, various types of espresso machines. Some of them are very easy to use, while others are not. We are going to present a complete method that will work for all. In some, you may need to do fewer steps, while in others, you may need to follow all the steps. Let’s start.
- Filling The Reservoir
- Turn on the Machine
- Insert the shot basket
- Put coffee into the filter
- Using a Tamper
- Now Place Back the Filter into the Head
- Place a Cup Under the Faucet
- Press the shot button
The first thing you need to do is filling the reservoir based on your need (a single shot or a double shot). The water reservoir is a part of the machine that holds water with indicators showing you the amount of water in there. You can easily find it because it is clearly indicated as a water reservoir on your machine.
Most of the time, they have a built-in filter system but in case you want to be more careful. You can use filter water.
The next step you need to do is turning on the espresso machine. There is a button clearly labelled as “ON”. Just press that button and wait for the machine to turn on. You will see various indicators like lights or something telling you that machines are now on. You should read the manual also to completely understand.
Now it’s time to start the actual process of making an espresso shot. A shot basket is something that you will need to put in the portafilter. So, remove the portafilter first from the machine and fill it with the shot basket based on your need. Insert either a single or double-shot basket into the portafilter.
Make sure you insert the right one. Inserting a double shot basket for a single shot won’t make you an espresso. So you need to be careful in that.
It’s time to put some coffee into the filter. Use a spoon to fill in the filter. If you spill any ground on the side of the filter, make sure to wipe them off. After that, use espresso ground over the coffee grounds. Espresso ground is ground finer as compared to the coffee grounds. Espresso is made by the process of forcing hot water through the finer ground.
Also, in case you have coffee beans, some of the espressos have a built-in grinder, you can use that to ground your beans.
A tamper is used to compress the coffee ground, so you can make a perfect espresso shot. Using a temper is very easy. Just press the top of the temper on the top of the coffee ground until the coffee grounds are firmly pressed down nice and compact.
Now it’s time to place back the filter onto the head of the espresso machine under the spout. Just place it there and twist; you will hear a clicking noise that ensures that the filter is locked now.
Before starting the process, you will need to place a cup under the faucet. Make sure that you put the right size of the cup and doesn’t spill down the espresso.
Finally, it’s time to press the shot button. Make sure that you press the right button because espresso machines have buttons for a single and double shot. After pressing the button, the espresso will start brewing it and pour it down onto the cup.
Bottom Line
We have explained all the basic steps needed to make an espresso. In some machines, you may need some extra steps like grinding beans or programming your espresso shot. The best thing to do is to read the manual of the espresso machines because we cannot explain the use of each and every model in a single article.
We hope that you will be now able to make an espresso shot at home. Have fun!
Zeeshan Ayaz
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