Brewing
ESPRESSO MACHINE
With a home espresso machine, you can make an espresso just like the kind you enjoy at cafés. It has all the right ingredients: delicious blends (with the proper roast and grind for espresso machines) and machine technology to yield perfect results.
Nevertheless, you need to follow a series of steps, just as a professional would do.
- Turn on the machine and wait until it reaches the right temperature, leaving the cup in place. A light usually signals when the machine is ready.
- We recommend running about two cups of water through in order to avoid using water left in the boiler from earlier use.
- Remove any coffee residue from the diffuser, unit gaskets, delivery device and cup.
- To make a good creamy cup of coffee, use a coffee blend made specifically for espresso machines.
- Fill the cup with the measure of the machine (1 measure for 1 cup and 2 for 2 cups). Fill the measure so there is a shallow convexity. If you do not have a measure, 2 full teaspoons of coffee will make about one portion (0.21-0.24 oz of coffee). The portion can be varied in order to obtain a stronger or weaker beverage, according to taste.
- To make a good cup of espresso, you should press the ground coffee lightly and use 1.18-1.35 fl oz (35 - 40 cc) of water (2/3 of an espresso cup).
- Follow the machine instructions to keep it in perfect working order.
STOVE TOP ESPRESSO MAKER
For Italians, brewing coffee with a coffeepot is a normal part of the daily routine. Everyone has a personal way of making coffee, but there are a few guidelines to follow in order to make a perfect espresso.
For example, you should use water without a marked taste, as this would alter the
flavour of the coffee.
- In general, about 2.21 oz (6 grams) of ground coffee should be used per cup. If you like stronger coffee, you can add about 2.24 oz (7 grams). In any case, never press the coffee in the filter but “arrange” it carefully in order to extract its full flavour.
- Haste is one of coffee’s worst enemies. Low heat is essential, because only slow extraction can yield a good cup of coffee. Once all the coffee has risen to the top container of the pot, the burner must be turned off to avoid boiling the beverage and getting a burnt taste.
- Before serving the coffee, be sure to stir it with a teaspoon to obtain even flavour.
- After use, wash the coffeepot with only hot water, eventually using a small brush to remove all the coffee residue that otherwise can easily turn rancid.
- After washing, do not reassemble the parts of the coffeepot and allow them to dry completely in order to prevent the formation of mould. To “break in” a new
coffeepot, make a few pots using water, baking soda and a small amount of coffee.
FILTER COFFEE
This is the most widely used method of preparation abroad in Northern Europe, France, Germany and the US. Filter coffee is extremely easy to prepare.
- Boiling water is poured over ground coffee in a paper or metal filter and passes through it by gravity.
- The blends for filter coffee are lightly roasted and coarsely ground, as this method enhances the mildness and fragrance in the cup.
In North America, approximately 3-4% (grams x 100 CC) of coffee is used per cup, whereas in Northern Europe and France, 5-7% (grams x 100 CC) is used per cup. This type of coffee takes several minutes to prepare.
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