How to make the perfect espresso shot

Many people think that it is timing that makes the perfect espresso shot, but this is not true. The timing rule isn’t all that great. Moreover, it’s more like 25 to 30 seconds that makes the perfect shot and not 20 to 25 seconds like everybody thinks.

Here are 3 easy steps to make a perfect espresso shot:

Step 1: The stopwatch

If you are one of the people that believe that you have to time the espresso shot the first thing you need to do is throw your stopwatch away.

Step 2: Watch the flow

The only way to know if your shot is perfect is to watch the colour change of the flow. You want to stop it when the flow becomes light tan and translucent. If you see the crema at the entry point of the coffee into the cup become white, stop the shot. This means that you have kept the espresso running for a little too long although the white spot is a good way for beginners to learn.

Step 3: The look and taste test

Look at and taste the shot. If the espresso has too much volume, the crema is light or beige in colour, is light bodied, and tastes slightly sour you need to grind your coffee beans finer for your next shot. If the volume is too short, the crema too dark/brown and the taste is bitter and oily/lingering you need to grind the coffee beans coarser for your next shot.

You need to get used to doing this drill before you can start playing around with the dose amount, shot temperature or pressure. Adjusting your grinder to get the right flow is the foundation for getting the correct extraction of the coffee bean. This drill remains the same for any shot temperature, pressure or dose.