We think the ideal espresso is made in a ratio of 1: 2 to 1: 2.5. This means that the dose of the ground coffee used should not be more than half of the yielded espresso drink. In a practical example, this means that if we use 18g of ground coffee, the minimum yield of our espresso drink should be 36g. For most of the coffee we roast, it is better to make a longer brew, say, extracting 40-42g of espresso drink from 18g of ground coffee. It is important to note that the weight of the coffee used should be selected based on the basket size of the portafilter and we should not try to alter the taste of the coffee by changing this dose!
Another important factor is the brew time. If we do not use pre-infusion or pressure profiling, our recommended extraction time falls between 26-30 seconds. The length of the espresso drink should be inversely proportional to the brew time. So if we want to drink longer espresso then we should work with shorter brew time and vice versa.
Obviously there is no perfect recipe and individual taste preferences greatly influence espresso making, but the following recipe can be a good starting point:
Use 18g of coffee, to extract around 40g of espresso drink in about 28 seconds.
For the best results, if possible, obtain a precision VST filter basket, a distributor tool and a 58.5mm diameter tamper.
To avoid ‘channeling’, make sure that the coffee grind is properly distributed and that the coffee bed is properly tamped. Chanelling is a common phenomenon in espressos. In our improperly prepared coffee cake, the water finds the part with the least resistance and flows through it in larger quantities. This creates over-dissolved and under-dissolved coffee in our drink at the same time, which means that it will be both bitter and sour. To avoid channelling, prepare the puck carefully by using a distributor tool and tamp it evenly with adequate force.
According to most literature and our personal experience, the finest filter coffees are made in a 1:16 to 1:17 dissolution ratio. This means that the weight of the ground coffee used is 1/16 or 1/17 of the weight of the water. Simply put, use 16x or 17x as much water as coffee.
In practice, such a recipe looks like this:
Pour 18g of ground, 305g (94-100C) of water.
To do this, we will need a grinder, a Hario V60 device, a paper filter for it, a tenth-gram scale if possible, a stopwatch and a gooseneck kettle.
For this we will need an Aeropress, its own paper filter, a tenth of a gram scale if possible, a stopwatch and a kettle. The recipe below follows the inverse method, so put the Aeropress together and turn it with the filter side up, but don’t put the filter cap on it yet.
To make delicious coffee, it is essential to use some soft, filtered water or low-mineral bottled water, such as e.g. from Norda or Nestlé Vera. You can also use a filter jug like PEAK WATER (Brita or BWT) or osmotic filtered water.
The best solution, though, is to mix your own water for yourself by mixing distilled water and mineral salts. We only recommend this to real fanatics. Detailed instructions can be found here: https://www.baristahustle.com/blog/diy-water-recipes-redux/