In the Kitchen

Espresso is strongly brewed coffee made by forcing steam and hot water through darkly roasted and finely ground coffee beans.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal live. John 3:16 (NIV)

So how do you make a great cup of espresso? Here are the basic steps:

1. Remove coffee ground residue of the previous shot in the shot holder before using the espresso machine to make a new cup of espresso.

2. Have adequate ground coffee ready and place it in the grinder hopper.

3. Release seven grams of the ground coffee into the shot holder, making sure that you get a full pull as you do so.

4. Using a hand tamper, even out the coffee grounds. Tamp only once and do not twist the tamper as you tamp the coffee grounds. By doing this, you are assured that the hot water and steam will evenly extract the coffee. You can also correctly gauge the pressure if you use a hand held tamper to pack down the coffee grounds as well as remove excess coffee grounds from the shot holder.

5. Secure the shot holder in place and lock the espresso machine handle so that water does not leak as it passes through the coffee grounds at a high pressure.

6. Position a warmed up espresso cup under the the espresso machine's coffee holder spout. Start the espresso machine. Keep an eye on the the color and consistency of the brew coming out of the spout. In 15 to 20 seconds, you should have about 1.5 ounces of freshly brewed espresso in the cup.

Making a well-brewed cup of espresso does take time and practice. The presence of a creamy honey-colored foam called crema that is about a quarter of an inch thick sitting on the coffee's surface is a sign that you have successfully made an excellent cup of espresso. And if a teaspoon of sugar can rest on the crema, you can probably consider yourself an espresso guru!

The crema is the result of several important factors: the coffee blend, fineness of the coffee ground, extraction time, water temperature and amount of coffee used. You achieve a perfect cup of espresso every time if you can consistently attain an optimum mix of these factors.

* Most espresso aficionados will agree that the coffee blend should include some Robusta beans.

* Several reasons could account for a dark color of crema: too much coffee grounds may have been used; the coffee grounds were packed too hard and too tightly in the shot holder, resulting to a longer extraction time of the coffee; the coffee grounds used was too fine; or too much water was used.

* There are several reasons, too, for less crema: the coffee used may not have been enough; the time it took to extract the coffee may have been too short since the coffee used was coarsely ground; there was not enough water to pass through the coffee; the coffee grounds were packed too lightly in the shot holder; or the water that passed through the coffee was not hot enough.

* If the espresso machine, shot holder or cup is cold, it may affect the amount of crema produced.

Espresso can be served as it comes out of the espresso machine or it can be served in a variety of ways. In fact, many of the specialty coffee drinks today has espresso as their base. Some of the specialty coffee drinks that have a shot of espresso include macchiato (espresso topped with foamed milk), spresso con panna (espresso topped with whipped cream), cappuccino (espresso with milk and foam), café latte (espresso with milk, but without the foam), mocha (espresso blended with milk and chocolate syrup) and Americano (a "weakened" espresso made by adding warm water).

For more great tips on making the perfect brewed coffee at home visit: http://www.coffee-paradise.com

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

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