Coffee Making Tips

WARMING YOUR CUP OR GLASS

A warm cup will help maintain the coffee’s optimal temperature.

Preheat your cup by holding down the one cup button and running hot water into the cups from the group head without the portafilter inserted and place the cups on the warming tray.

WARMING THE FILTER HOLDER

A cold filter holder can drop the extraction temperature enough to significantly affect the quality of your coffee. Always ensure the filter holder is preheated by running hot water through it before preparing the coffee.

NOTE: Always wipe the filter and filter holder dry before preparing the coffee as moisture can encourage ‘drilling’ - this is when water bypasses the ground coffee during extraction.

USING PRE-GROUND COFFEE

If using a pre-ground coffee, ensure an espresso grind suitable for espresso/cappuccino machines is purchased.

THE RIGHT MEASUREMENT

It is important to use the correct filter for the amount of coffee. A single espresso is made with 1⁄3 ounce or 8g of coffee. A level measure of the tamp/spoon is the correct amount

of coffee for a single espresso and 2 level measures for a double espresso.

TAMPING CORRECTLY

Level the desired amount of coffee by gently tapping the side of the filter holder before pressing down firmly with the tamper. When packing for a double espresso it is important only to tamp after the second measure. Tamping between measures will create a layer in the coffee that can impede full extraction.

NOTE: Make sure to wipe off any excess coffee from the rim of the filter to ensure a proper seal is achieved under the group head.

PURGE THE GROUP HEAD

Before inserting the filter holder, run some water through the group head. It will ensure that your machine has a last minute ‘clean through’ and stabilises the temperature prior to extracting.

BREWING YOUR ESPRESSO

The most common mistake in brewing is to over extract from your ground coffee. This results in a bitter beverage with visibly bleached crema. Crema is the caramel coloured layer that floats on top of the coffee following extraction.

NOTE: The taste of your coffee will, of course, depend on personal preference and on many other factors such as the type of coffee bean used, the coarseness or fineness of the grind and the tamping pressure. We recommend experimenting by varying these factors to achieve the coffee taste of your preference.