Espresso is an extremely popular coffee drink all over the world. It is made using a coffee machine, passing very hot water at increased pressure through a filter with ground coffee. In order for the espresso to turn out to be truly delicious, you must strictly follow the rules for its preparation.
Use only freshly ground coffee. Remember that you need to grind coffee beans for no more than a minute, otherwise the powder will burn and the taste of the drink will be spoiled. Also, do not forget that in a few minutes after grinding, most of the essential oils will evaporate from the coffee powder, and the coffee will lose its unique aroma. Therefore, when you start preparing an espresso, do not get distracted! Measure and shape the espresso coffee correctly. To do this, pour 7 to 9 grams of ground coffee into a portioned container (called a horn or holder), level the surface by tapping the back of your hand against the edge of the container. Then press in so that the ground coffee forms a dense, monolithic structure. Pressing is carried out with little effort, with a special device - a tamper. Insert the holder with the prepared portion of ground coffee into the coffee machine, press the corresponding button. Remember to press it as soon as possible. If more than 2 seconds pass from the moment of fixing the holder to pressing, the coffee will start to burn, and the espresso will be irreparably spoiled. The quality of the resulting drink can be judged by the type of jet flowing from the holder's nose. It should be golden brownish, even, narrow, oily, slightly stringy. If the jet is wide and light coffee, this is an indicator that the coffee beans are not ground well. Well, a thin and too dark jet indicates too fine grinding or too strong pressing with tempera, as well as an excess of coffee powder. One serving of finished espresso is approximately 40 milliliters. An unmistakable indicator of its "ideality" is the type of foam. It should be even, dense and uniform, with a golden brownish tint. There should also be a distinct aroma of freshly ground coffee beans. A slightly noticeable piquant bitterness, a feeling of freshness and a "bouquet" of essential oils - these are the sensations that the taste of high-quality espresso evokes. Last but not least, start drinking your espresso right after you brew it.
