Techniques and equipment for making great espresso
Espresso shot screens, or puck screens, are more and more popular among espresso aficionados. While the puck screen is not an essential piece of equipment, baristas who look for perfection, need it. Discovered by accident, the puck screen is now a popular accessory to improve the quality of the espresso shots.
Beginner baristas look at the tamper as an unimportant accessory, the one that comes with the espresso machine is good enough. Maybe the tamper is not as important as the grinder, the roast date, or water quality. However, a great tamper is one of the tools you need if you aim for the perfect espresso shot. … Read more
Espresso is one of those drinks that people love to hate. If done properly, it’s a delicious treat; if done badly, it’s bitter, burnt, and tastes awful. There are many factors involved in pulling a great espresso shot, including grind size, temperature, quality of the espresso machine, and many other. In this article we are … Read more
There are a lot of different espresso-based drinks, sometimes this much variety can be confusing. Latte, cappuccino, flat white, mocha, are just some of the most popular drinks made from espresso and milk. Standing in line at the coffee shop, you suddenly realize that you don’t know what to order… In this post we are … Read more
The Breville BES980XL Oracle is one of the best espresso machines in its class. The price is fair for the countless features and options to tweak your shot.
Caffè Mocha, is a chocolate flavored coffee drink. Many times called a mocha latte, the original beverage is in fact a chocolate-flavored cappuccino. Well, the recipe is not that strict, and you can find it prepared in a latte ratio, or in a cappuccino ratio. We have here the cappuccino ratio, which is many times called … Read more
Making great espresso is not easy. Chasing the perfect shot, sometimes referred to as the God shot, is a race that requires patience, knowledge, skills and good equipment. Let’s not forget great coffee beans. Yes, the perfect shot of espresso is not impossible. It is within any home barista’s reach but you will need a … Read more
Would you believe me if I said I found the best beans for espresso? Would you believe me? Do not believe me or anybody for that matter. Of course, I can recommend you some fantastic espresso blends. It’s impossible to choose between two great blends when you have so many choices. Every blend offers something … Read more
Choosing the coffee beans for espresso is a matter of personal taste. But the truth is that we can’t make espresso with any beans as we please. So if we say we can use any coffee beans to make espresso, it is true, but only partially. But we will show you how to choose a … Read more
A cortado is a drink made with equal parts espresso and milk. A standard recipe contains one fluid ounce of milk and one shot of espresso. However, is not uncommon to see cortados with a two shots of espresso and two ounces of steamed milk. The Origins of Cortado Many espresso-based drinks come from the … Read more
If you are looking to get the best shot of espresso, you probably want to compare the most popular options on the market: traditional espresso vs Nespresso. Even the most passionate Nespresso critics have tasted it, at least to satisfy the curiosity. Let me introduce another competitor in your comparison, Illy IperEspresso. Why talk about … Read more
For a coffee lover on a budget, buying an espresso machine might be challenging. As a beginner barista, you have limited knowledge in the field. How do you choose the best cheap espresso machine? What are the criteria that separate a good espresso maker from a bad one? We will try to familiarize you with … Read more
Not sure how to order a coffee drink? Learn the coffee lingo and talk like a native! Better than that, this page contains barista terms and definitions that your barista might not even know.
If you are interested in perfecting your espresso making skills and technique, you need to understand the science behind it. The science behind espresso brewing is called extraction.
Coffee extraction is the process of dissolving ground coffee in water. This chemistry concept is important in coffee brewing because it determines how good your coffee is.
If you are looking to buy the perfect latte cup, or mug, this article is the perfect starting point. We show you here how to choose a latte cup or mug, based on your needs, and we give you a few great product suggestions. There are many types of coffee: neat espresso, Americano, cappuccino, drip … Read more
My wife asked me a couple of days ago to find her the best cappuccino cups set on the market. Kind of a tall order, but hey, I didn’t want to disappoint her.
The cappuccino set was going to be a gift for a close friend of her. I knew what I needed to find, so it looked like it was going to be a quick job. Material, size, form, I knew all of that, it just had to match my wife’s taste. You’ll see how a seemingly easy task turned up to be a very difficult one. I’ll tell you the story, and you’ll find out how I picked my cappuccino set, and in the process, you’ll learn what to look for when you are shopping for cappuccino cups.
Choosing the best espresso cup is not as easy as one might think. Yes, we know, you can probably drink your shot from any small cup. Espresso though is more than downing a strong coffee to get you started in the morning. It’s a ritual, and it is as much about the experience as it … Read more
There are many espresso drinks to choose from in a coffee shop. The coffee shop menu might seem overwhelming for the unprepared. We baristas, want to cater to every taste. But even so, there are the few customers that always want their coffee drink a little different. But this is how many drinks have been … Read more
Red Eye coffee is an espresso drink famous for its caffeine content, but many coffee aficionados like it for the unique flavor obtained by combining drip coffee and espresso. In this post, we describe the origins of the Red Eye Coffee drink and we show you what makes it different from other espresso drinks. We … Read more
The Lavazza Crema e Gusto espresso blend is ideal for the no nonsense coffee drinker who likes the traditional flavors of espresso. To enjoy this coffee you don’t need to be a coffee snob. We can forget the frills and pomp of specialty brewing, and go back to drinking espresso from the good old days … Read more
Do you love the taste of espresso but sometimes want something a little bit more? That’s why the espresso lungo has been invented. Lungo is a longer coffee than the normal espresso shot, making it less concentrated, but maintaining the same unique, rich flavor that we associate with espresso. In this blog post, we will … Read more
When it comes to espresso, there are quite a few options available. Ristretto is the choice of snob coffee connoisseurs, (and I mean that in a good way), to awaken you senses, and to get you up to speed in the morning. What Is a Ristretto and How Is Different from a Normal Espresso? Ristretto … Read more
So you decided to step up your espresso game and buy a PID espresso machine. However, when you look at the prices they don’t really match your budget. This is a review of the best cheap espresso machines with a PID. The list include machines from Breville, Ascaso, Lelit, and Quick Mill. Learn what are … Read more
The espresso beverage as we know it today, dates back to 1947, when Gaggia introduced the first machine capable of creating consistent high pressure during the shot pulling. The machine was called Gaggia Crema Caffe and was intended for normal commercial use. Before the Gaggia Crema Caffe almost every commercial and consumer espresso machine was … Read more
AeroPress is one of my favorite coffee brewing methods, and even though AeroPress coffee is not espresso, is one of the best espresso alternatives, so I had to write a brewing guide for it. In this guide, we not only teach you how to make AeroPress coffee. We also give you the technical knowledge to … Read more
You probably tried an espresso shot and wasn’t impressed. Or maybe you heard your coffee snob friend passionately talking about his latest triple ristretto that he pulled. He would rank that as a “God Shot”. Now you are thinking “What Is So great about Espresso?” If you tasted it and didn’t like it, it’s a … Read more
There are many different types of espresso drinks. In this blog post, we will discuss the two most common espresso drinks: plain espresso, and milk with espresso. Each type of drink has its own unique set of flavors and textures that make it a pleasure to drink. We will also provide a brief description of each type of drink so that you can decide which one is right for you! This article has an overview of the espresso drink recipes, but we have hyperlinks to the detailed recipes if you want to make your own coffee drinks at home.
The flat white is a milk-based espresso drink similar to latte, and cappuccino. It is typically served in a smaller cup than a latte and is prepared with a double shot of espresso. Almost always prepared with latte art, the flat white is a very popular drink in the third wave coffee movement. Origins and … Read more
Do you like to start your day with a triple espresso shot? If so, then it is important that you know how to make this delicious drink correctly. This blog post will teach you how to make a triple espresso shot! And before you say: “I know how to pull a shot.” let me tell … Read more
The Americano is an espresso-based drink with added water on top of a espresso shot. There are many variations of the Americano to choose from including black coffee with espresso added, iced americano, and Long black. Americano can be traced back to Italy in 1919. The drink was created when espresso machines were first introduced … Read more