Making espresso at home is a nightmare, but if you insist, here's how to do it right (2023)

For a long time, my main focus in life was running Wirecutter, which I founded in 2011 with some friends. When The New York Times took over the company three years ago, it needed a new hobby. Although I wasn't a regular coffee drinker at the time, I decided to start making espresso.

They warned me it was a bad idea. Matt Buchanan, editor-in-chief of Eater, who wrote an early guide to making coffee for Wirecutter and for coffee about coffeethe new yorkerHe says: “No one should make espresso at home, leave it in stores; It's a multi-billion dollar rabbit hole you can never get out of."

I heard nothing. I initially started looking for a Wirecutter guide for espresso at home. Then I got a little obsessed, I got addicted. It's been a few years and I've gathered some decent equipment, some training and a little experience. At this point, I enjoy making espresso and prefer my own drinks to those made in most cafes.

And now I agree with Buchanan: I don't think most people should start making espresso at home without knowing what to expect. From the complexity and cost of the machinery to the way the beans are prepared and marked when ground, it is the most expensive and difficult method of making coffee.

Making great espresso at home requires a quality machine and a lot of practice. Those are the lessons I learned the hard way, making a lot of mistakes and being guided by professionals.

Homemade espresso is incredibly expensive

Making espresso at home is expensive compared to other types of coffee. Even recommended by Wirecutterespresso machine for beginners, aBreville Kind Plus, in combination with a goodgrinderIt's almost $700. And if you want a machine you can really grow with, you're going to have to spend more.

In my experience and according to professionals atCafé Clive(who specialize in home espresso machines), a setup that can compete with coffee-quality beverages easily costs around $1,000 for the machine alone, and a few hundred more for the grinder. These machines have full-size portafilters (the part that holds the basket that holds the coffee), pumps that won't choke on the large volumes of fine coffee needed for strong espresso, and heating elements that are consistent, adjustable, and powerful enough. to adjust the extraction and make great coffee again and again.

Homemade Espresso Is Hard (So Train Yourself)

The most important thing to remember before you start making espresso at home is that it's a hassle to make. Getting decent photos is a lot harder than making a spilled or filtered coffee.James Hoffman, one of my favorite coffee shop critics and connoisseurs, said, "We've set unrealistic expectations for value for money in coffee, and that's the crux of domestic espresso."

If that doesn't put you off, great. To acquire the considerable knowledge needed to make good homemade espresso and to get a better idea of ​​the complexity of the process, it is best to learn in person. Most cities have at least one local roaster or coffee shop that offers espresso-making classes so you can try it out and be prepared to use your machine. Of course, this is nearly impossible these days with current distance rules.

In the short term, someone curious can get information online, e.g. B. on YouTube orbarista shake– but you only understand the theory behind making good coffee. There is no substitute for hands-on experience, as you must test and adjust your beverages under the supervision of a professional to understand which variable variables, such as grind, grain, temperature, extraction time and pressure, can affect your beverages. your coffee

Not training and having an espresso machine seems crazy to me, but it's common. I have a friend who has a state-of-the-art device at home and doesn't really know how to use it. You don't know how to adjust your coffee beans, change the temperature or vary the pressure while drinking to customize the taste of your drinks. Just drink any brown liquid that comes out of the machine and cover it with very milky designs. He lacks distinctive flavors and the ability to make drinks taste the way he wants, be it darker, lighter, stronger, sour or whatever. And you're basically using your $8000 machine within the limitations and capacity of $1000 machines, which is a total waste of a great machine.

I've encountered this unfortunate habit in more than one person, but anyone can fall victim to the idea that all you need to make great espresso is an expensive machine. Even professionals.

Sadly, the number of professional coffee growers, shopkeepers, YouTubers and writers I've encountered who don't receive training is the majority. You will also notice these people when you take a class. And you can make better drinks than most if you want to.

Theory is important when making espresso as coffee varies from bag to bag and even the same coffee changes with age from day to day. If you don't understand how coffee is extracted, you won't be able to respond to these changes. You have to change the recipe almost every day, if not every day. Great coffee shops do that.

And you can also find yourself a teacher (digitally or in person).

A manual machine can teach you more and last forever

So if you're determined to make espresso at home and committed to making great coffee, how can you start on a relative budget without the big commitments that most budget espresso machines make? I recommend investing in a hand lever machine like this one.Robot Cafelat🇧🇷 It's more difficult to use than an automatic machine, but it's a better option for learning the basics of making espresso. And it only costs about $300 (hereIt's a nice video review and demonstration of how the robot works by James Hoffmann).

You've probably never heard of the robot because it's not made by a big company with a big advertising budget, but by a well-known enthusiast,Pablo Pratt, who restores old espresso machines as a hobby. the geeks ofInicio-Barista.com(best place to chat with local espresso freaks) He really respects what he can do for beginners and those withExperience the feeling that you can hit shots as well as any more expensive machine.

However, it's not for everyone. There are many things that make it uncomfortable to wear (and why such a thing would not be a good choice for most people).

The machine has no pump or boiler and relies on your arms to pull the levers and your kettle to heat the water. This extra hassle means drinks can take around a dozen minutes to prepare (including the time to boil some water on the stove and measure its temperature), compared to a minute with a vending machine. This isn't ideal for busy mornings or weekend brunches for half a dozen friends.

And it doesn't have a built-in milk frother. Then you need a milk frother, about $100Bellman greenhouse evaporator, for which to use it just boil water.

You'll also need a small scale to weigh your shots as they come out, but whichever machine you get, you'll likely have a scale you'll use to weigh the beans anyway.

Sorry, I know I'm not making a good point here, but bear with me. There are benefits.

By controlling your own hot water, the power of the heating element is not limited like other inlet machines, allowing you to lower or raise the temperature with oneThermometerto stop the extraction. In my experience, you can taste every degree of temperature change, with hotter water increasing the coffee's extraction and strength. If the coffee flavor is too strong or too gray, you can lower the temperature to make it smoother. I also recommend preheating the empty metal portafilter and basket with boiling water immediately before filling with fresh ground coffee so that the coffee doesn't lose heat. Which unfortunately takes a little longer.

And since coffee is extracted by a mechanical process using levers and your muscles rather than a pump, you actually have to be strong to use it. Which is annoying first thing in the morning. But there are no cheap motors that limit the process. You can control the pressure curve by slowing down the injection and increasing the pressure, like more expensive machines with programmable or manually controlled pressure profiles and pre-infusion settings that pre-wet the disc for a more consistent injection.

The Robot also has a full-size 58mm portafilter basket, just like the professional machines, so you can get a double and nearly triple shot in your brew, that's the 14-18 gram range that most coffees decent ones do.

Without a doubt, the robot's coffee was much better than the drinks I made with most early machines. It just took a lot more experience and time to use. But every time you go the long way around, you build your knowledge and experience, so think of that extra time as an investment in your own skills. So, despite all the above limitations, I think the robot is the best machine for a beginner who knows he will become an espresso lover at home. (However, if you're sure that's the case, I'd recommend skipping straight for a mid-range model that costs upwards of $1,000 and is capable of producing pro-quality drinks.)

After a while, you'll learn to customize your coffee, and eventually you'll be able to make much better drinks with the robot if you take your time. You'll know if the drinks weren't strong enough and turn up the heat, increase the dosage, or increase the fineness of the grind.

The last thing I want to say about the robot is that it is made entirely of metal and silicone and cannot break any electronic or plastic parts. It will likely last forever and is easy to maintain and repair. And it's so advanced, you'll never outgrow it, even if you end up buying a high-end electric machine. It's nice to use too. Buying things that will last a lifetime is fine, but buying things that you can pass on to your children is better.

Water quality is important

Nobody talks about it much with beginners, but everyone who deals with brewing coffee thinks about the quality of the water. I'm not just talking about filtering the water. Or even smooth it out to avoid limescale deposits that can eventually destroy the machines. Water affects the taste.

Isn't that obvious now that I've said it? Coffee is mostly water, so it makes sense that water would affect the taste. And what might surprise you is that the purest water doesn't make the most delicious coffee.

I'm not a scientist, but some of my teachers are: Chris Nguyen, who is a chemist and owner and barista atTulpenhaus, explained to me why plain water is not ideal for brewing coffee: "Since there are no minerals or ions/cations, there is nothing for the flavor compounds to bind to, so only the flavor compounds that are extracted by the heat come out in the Infusion .” Simply put, and in my own back-to-back tests of plain water versus mineralized water using the same beans, the coffee tasted smoother, less sweet, and less complex in plain water.

You must be wondering how to get decent water for good coffee, right?

Unfortunately I can't tell you how to optimize your water and anyone who says they can recommend a silver bullet for every water is probably wrong because every water is different.

Before modifying your water, you first need to know what you're dealing with and make sure it's safe for your machine (unless it's the Cafelat robot, which has no parts that could stick, clog, or corrode in a boiler). Maybe tap water is fine; Perhaps it has too much hardness, which can cause scale, chlorine or salt. Perhaps the pH is too acidic. I don't know. It's beyond the scope of this article to delve too deeply into the subject, and again, I'm not a chemist.

What I do know is that you will start with a water test. Read the manual and contact the machine manufacturer for guidance. Each manufacturer has its own recommendations and they vary greatly. I've heard some bad advice from retailers and some technicians, but manufacturers have always given me good advice. And the scientists.

In addition to the safety of your water, water quality affects the taste of your coffee. Information is hard to find. Some home espresso nerds who can't make tap water ideal for making coffee recommend using bottled water. I know it sounds crazy, and it is, but I tried. The water was soft enough not to harm my machine, but it was on par with my own tap water, which I had treated (see below).

One home-barista.com forum user even recommended Crystal Geyser water, but only from the California bottling plant, after running a series of tests. To avoid plastic waste, you can use bottled water provided by local businesses that rent or sell 3- to 5-gallon water coolers and collect, recycle, and reuse the bottles. But all of that is probably too much for most people. it was for me

My local tap water had five times the salinity allowed by La Marzocco, the manufacturer of my machine. The softener they sold me at the store didn't work and put my machine's boilers at risk of corrosion. After thinking about it for a while, I decided to start with pure water, with a reverse osmosis system that uses a fine pore membrane that allows water to pass through but retains dissolved minerals and other matter and adds minerals back in mineral packets fromthird wave water🇧🇷 I tried a very familiar half bag of coffee that I had been drinking, first with softened tap water, then with pure reverse osmosis water, and finally with reverse osmosis water with added minerals. The coffee tasted dramatically better than pure reverse osmosis water with Third Wave additives for several days, for me and the test panel members. It was like day and night.

Anyone can use this method to fix their water without testing it, but you're talking about spending a few hundred dollars on the system if the tests you can run can say it's all you need, nothing or a softener/filter It is. Then start over with a test and go from there. And if I just confused you, I thought so17-minute video of Hoffmann in the waterIt was an excellent and easy to understand summary of the weeks of research I did myself.

A dirty machine makes disgusting coffee, so clean it often.

Espresso machines are not like iPhones. Espresso machines require a lot of cleaning and maintenance: daily backwashing of the brewing system, weekly deep cleaning of brewing heads, steam tubes and tanks, and annual replacement of gaskets and/or professional maintenance. It's a pain in the ass and there's really no getting away from it. My machine tells me to spend 20 minutes cleaning it every Sunday night. Ever! In general, all pump/boiler based machines require some form of cleaning and maintenance.

What happens to machines that aren't cleaned regularly? Rancid ground coffee builds up in my machine's lines, seeping into my drinks, leaving them tasting foul and frustrating all efforts to make good coffee at home. Drinking drinks made from old ground coffee is also disgusting. I recently saw a machine open after seven years without cleaning. The machine had a built in bean grinder and in addition to the old coffee grinders there was a lot of mold and cockroach legs and some plastic bits from the grinder definitely got on the burrs and ended up in someone's drink.

Use legal beans or you're wasting your time

Espresso is easier and generally better with fresh beans. In my tests, I decided I like my espresso beans between five and 15 days, which is pretty close to professional consensus.

I know a rich guy, someone who helps run a big coffee company, with an $8,000 machine that grinds beans in a coffee shop every other week. It defeats the purpose of having a good machine. Oxidation and outgassing occur rapidly after grinding, accelerating aging. You should grind it at home to get an ideal homemade espresso. When this person got his hands on a homemade grinder, he described it as "life changing".

Bean storage is somewhat controversial. Most coffee fans recommend storing them in airtight containers in a cool, dry cupboard. Avoid the refrigerator, where coffee can absorb moisture and odors, and avoid storing coffee in hot, humid, or sunny locations. If your grinder has a hopper, try not to fill it with more grain than you will use that day, as aging will occur faster in the hopper than in the storage silos (I preferAirscape vacuum sealed steel).

And if you want to keep your beans fresh for the holidays, divide them into bags and freeze them.vacuuming is good🇧🇷 They last a few months, but once they are defrosted (sealed to prevent condensation) the clock starts again. In my experiments, the beans are acceptable once thawed, but things aren't quite the same.

After going through a few dozen types of beans and roasters and sticking to the things my friends and I value most, I made more choices.Olympia CafejOnyx-Kaffeelike my favorites this boat. But buying local is the best route when possible for cost and freshness.

The mill is more important than the machine

To be honest, after a certain level I don't really care which machine you end up with. But I think the factory is very important.

In general, espresso machines that cost between $1,000 and $2,000 outperform less expensive machines with the addition of temperature controls and more consistent, higher-performing brewing components. But beyond that, according to Clive Coffee, my favorite retailer of espresso equipment, there are declining returns and values.This article will tell you how to choose a grinder.They say, "Every espresso machine over $2,000 and under $8,000 works pretty much the same."

But the factory plays a big role. Larger chips are found in better mills, which equates to more uniformly sized particles. This, in turn, means that the coffee is extracted more evenly, avoiding over-extraction of a portion of the coffee batch, which can quickly acidify a beverage. In my tests, better grinders mean better drinks. I've had $200, $600, $1200, and $1700 grinders, and with better grinders I've been able to make stronger drinks without increasing the bitterness.

Clive Coffee recommends spending 40% of your budget on a grinder, and I generally agree. But since you can outgrow a basic machine but your grinder is something you can use for a lot longer, I personally would be nice if someone told me that you spent most of your original budget on a grinder. This is not crazy. That's solid long-term thinking.

While I could use a smaller espresso machine, I wouldn't give up my grinders, which I've gone crazy with. I started with a Baratza Virtuoso, progressed to aEureca Cutewith 55 mm drills, onemapa m7dwith 68 mm drills and then aEureka Atom 75mm, a surface grinder that I have no problems with. I recently upgraded to aMonolith by Max von KafaTek, a 98mm grinder (which I had to put myself on a waitlist) made by a talented enthusiast. They're too expensive and too big for most people who enjoy espresso at home, but there are some good options that cost a lot less.

wire cutterGrinder recommendations for beginnersJust touching the tip of the iceberg, which works well for espresso where precision, consistent grinding and freshness are king. In other words, this is a good place to start below $500, but there's no other way but to move up.

Beyond that level I would trustCafé CliveThe Grinder Buying Guide (this is where I bought my machines and they responded to dozens of emails full of questions from me over several months) to help you decide what fits your budget if you want something more expensive than the Wirecutter wants. I think combining $500-$800 grinders with $1000 machines or the robot is a step up from the Wirecutter beginner's choice if you want to switch it up. I've heard a lot of good things about him too.nicho zero, a crowdfunding model that really lived up to its promise of offering quality grinders at a higher price point than most other grinders. It's in that price range, but works like grinders that cost more. The best rank comes, no wonder,James Hoffman(Video).

He is sure?

If you've been hesitating about homemade espresso, it's not too late to give up.Shawn Steimann, author and PhD scientist in tropical plant and soil science (with a focus on coffee), suggests some simpler and cheaper strong coffee options: moka pot and a hand frother, you can make a nice dairy drink. This will cost you around $50.

If you've read all of this and don't get discouraged, chances are you'll be happy with an espresso setup at home. When I travel, I tend to stick to oneAeroPress, when I'm not in decent cafes. At the end of a trip, I usually look forward to going back and having my own espresso drinks. At this point, while sheltering in place, I couldn't live without her.

So if you've decided to do this, good luck. Youre gonna need it!

previously mentioned

• After spending over 120 hours researching and testing 13 home espresso machines, we found the best espresso machines for most home baristas. The best espresso machine for beginners
• We've been testing coffee grinders since 2015 and we still haven't found a better value for money than the durable, reliable and easy to maintain Baratza Encore. best coffee grinder
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• After rigorous testing of 12 vacuum sealers, we recommend the Anova Precision Vacuum Sealer Pro. best vacuum sealer
• The AeroPress Coffeemaker and its travel companion, the AeroPress Go, are the best way to brew personalized cups of coffee in the office or on the go. Why We Love the AeroPress Coffee Maker