Everybody loves a tremendous coffee cup. An amazing shot of Espresso might increase a lot of energy to your new day. However, a weak or a terrible cup also destroys your day easily because you will feel awful. You may not make a great and true Espresso shot unless you buy a high-quality coffee grinder, generating a consistent coffee grind. Therefore, you have to pay close attention to the Espresso coffee grind size.
What is Espresso grind?
Espresso grind is a finely ground coffee and it looks like sugar powder. To make a real Espresso coffee shot, you should heat the water and push it through the coffee grounds at a high pressure.
If the coffee grind is too coarse, the water will go through the ground directly. It means that you cannot enjoy Espresso cups and you may end up with a watery coffee. If the coffee ground is fine, a true world of coffee awaits.
The kind of grind is vital for making a solid and concentrated shot of Espresso because the fine particles support a fast and thorough extraction of taste and aroma from the coffee grounds.
What grind size do you need?
When it comes to Espresso grind size, you should grind the coffee to an extra fine texture like powdered sugar. This is because the fine consistency helps the extraction process work better.
The finer the coffee grind, the larger the surface area of the coffee ground. The big surface area means that the extraction process will be quicker. And this is the golden rule of brewing a great Espresso Joe.
Espresso is a potent amount of coffee brewed in between 20 and 30 seconds and using from 6 to 9 atmospheric bars of pressure. Since you would like to brew a little bit of coffee in a short amount of time without affecting flavor, the right fine grind size is the only selection.
Aside from the fine coffee grind, Espresso requires high pressure and high temperature. Water is forced through the coffee grounds at a high temperature and speed. Thanks to these elements, all coffee beans will be extracted well.
How to grind Espresso
As mentioned before, you might get a couple of different coffee grinder selections to prepare an extra fine grind like a handheld burr grinder and an automated blade grinder. For the expected result, you should invest in an automated conical burr grinder or a blade grinder because of the demand of getting a fine grind.
What will you need?
- A machine for brewing Espresso
- A coffee grinder
- Scales and a timer (a scale is not good enough because you need to weigh the beans exactly)
- Whole coffee beans or pre-ground coffee (optional)
Instructions
- Step 1: buy high-quality coffee beans that are true labeled for Espresso
- Step 2: purchase a good burr grinder. You should not select blade grinders as they could not provide you the right consistency
- Step 3: adjust the grinder to the finest setting (if possible). As you know, Espresso requires extra finely grind
- Step 4: measure the amount of coffee you need. 7 grams is an accurate shot
- Step 5: grind the coffee into the portafilter.
- Step 6: measure out the amount of coffee you need. A good Espresso shot uses around 7 grams of coffee
- Step 7: touch the portafilter slightly to remain the coffee grounds and make sure a steady distribution
- Step 8: firmly press the coffee down by using a tamper. It will assist you to make an expected consistent and extraction
- Step 9: put the portafilter into the Espresso maker and brewing the coffee
Why should you adjust Espresso grind?
Adjusting Espresso grind is a necessary part of making the coffee shot, especially for a barista’s daily routine. Changing every day or hourly could be vital depending on the weather inside and outside your coffee.
When the temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure change; you should fine-tune the grind size. If the short times are off or the pour speed is not stable, your coffee ground will be too coarse (the time is too short) or too fine (the time is too long).
FAQs
Why should you use fine grind for Espresso?
A fine grind will create a foolproof shot of Espresso that extracts rapidly and uniformly.
What happens if you use too coarse coffee grind?
It will not press properly and extract the full flavor and aroma during the brewing process.
What happens if you use too fine coffee grind?
It will clog the portafilter in your Espresso machine. You probably invest in a new maker.
Could you use pre-ground coffee for Espresso?
Yes, you can. Pre-ground dark-roasted coffee is fine enough for Espresso, but make sure that you select a reliable brand.
How long should you grind coffee beans to make Espresso?
It takes about 30 seconds.
Final words
As you discovered, coffee grind size is the key element during the extraction process. Extraction is the process of making flavors from coffee grounds in water, particularly Espresso.
A real-tasting cup contains the right coffee-to-water ratio, temperature, brew time, as well as the proper grind size. The wrong grind size will make the coffee difficult for the hot water to go through the coffee bed or cause channeling. It absolutely affects the strength and taste of Espresso.
