Italy·No added fat or sugar
Espresso
18 g in, 36 g out, about 28 seconds
Everything else on this list is espresso plus something. Get this dialled and eleven other drinks fix themselves.
Espresso cup
Ratio
1:2
Time
25–30 s
Water
92–94 °C
Servings
1
Ingredients
- coffee, fine grind18 g
- espresso in the cup (target)36 g
Method
1
Heat everything
Machine on 20 minutes before you care about the shot. A cold group head costs you 5 °C where it matters most.
2
Grind and level
Grind straight into the basket, tap the sides once, then level with a finger or distributor. Chase flat, not compact.
3
Tamp
Firm, level, one press. Pressure matters less than being level — a tilted puck channels every time.
4
Pull and weigh
Start the pump and the timer together. Stop at 36 g on the scale, not at a time on the clock.
5
Read the shot
Under 22 s and thin: grind finer. Over 35 s and it drips: grind coarser. Change one thing per shot.
Notes
- Tiger stripes on the stream mean even extraction. A pale, fast, blonde stream from one spout means channelling — re-tamp.
- Italian bars pull 7 g into 25 ml singles with darker roasts. 18:36 is the modern home standard and far more forgiving.
What you need
- Espresso machine (pump) or Lever / piston machine
- Burr grinder
- Scale (0.1 g)