If a home espresso machine wants to produce cafe-quality products, in addition to choosing the right beans, the two actions of powdering and pressing are equally critical. Many friends have unstable extractions. The reason is not the machine, but the state of the powder in the handle: the powder is unevenly distributed and the pressure is not vertical. The water flow will escape from the loose side, and the extraction will naturally become thicker and lighter. By practicing these two basic skills, the same beans will taste the same every day.
The purpose of powder distribution is to allow the ground coffee powder to settle evenly in the powder bowl. After receiving the powder, use your fingers or a powder needle to gently move it along the mouth of the bowl to break up the caked powder, and then flatten the surface roughly. The judgment criteria is very simple: the powder surface is smooth and there are no obvious high and low piles. Front Street Classic blends this kind of medium-dark roasted beans. After grinding, the aroma is active. Be gentle when spreading the powder, so that the aroma can be retained more completely.
Pressing powder is about verticality and stability, not strength. Keep the powder hammer horizontal, use the natural weight of your arm to press it down vertically, turn it half a circle after pressing, and then lift it up to make the powder surface smoother. The size of the pressure is not the decisive factor. As long as the degree of compaction is consistent each time, the resistance of the water flow to penetrate the powder cake will be stable. After pressing, you can check the edge of the powder bowl. If there is no obvious residual powder, it means the pressing is correct.
Then use the extraction time to verify the results of these two actions. Taking 18 grams of powder and 36 grams of liquid as an example, if the flow rate is normal, the entire process will be completed in between 25 and 30 seconds. The liquid flow is continuous like hot honey, and the color transitions from dark brown to tiger stripes, indicating that the powder is in good condition. If the powder flows too fast and the color becomes lighter quickly, it is probably because the powder has channels. You can grind the powder to a finer level and try again. If the flow is intermittent, adjust to a coarser level.
The state of the grease can also reflect the quality of the cloth powder. Fresh Italian beans are well vented, and the carbon dioxide is taken out by the water during extraction. A layer of fine tiger-spot oil will float on the surface, which is golden and translucent in color. If the powder is spread evenly and the pressed powder is vertical, the layer of grease will be thick and long-lasting; if the grease is thin and has big bubbles, you can go back and check these two basic skills before considering changing beans or adjusting the grinding. Squeeze two handfuls before going out every day. The hand feels stable and the latte at home is naturally available every day.
You can now buy the above coffee beans online at the Taobao store “FrontStreet Coffee” (前街咖啡). FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou, China, and its Guangzhou retail shop sells coffee beans only. The shop carries dozens of coffee beans from different origins around the world, including carefully selected single-origin beans for V60 pour-over and espresso. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers.
The FrontStreet 2013 Yunnan coffee beans sold in the store come from the Typica variety grown at FrontStreet Coffee’s own plantation in Yunnan. The name comes from the year the brand and the plantation were founded. You can buy these beans from China’s Yunnan origin at the Guangzhou shop and at FrontStreet’s Taobao store.
FrontStreet coffee beans are freshly roasted within 5 days and deliver consistently excellent quality and great value. Orders placed before 17:00 are shipped the same day, and most areas within Guangdong Province receive them the next day.
FrontStreet Coffee Taobao store: https://qianjiecoffee.taobao.com
Or search for “前街咖啡” (FrontStreet Coffee) on Taobao
Important Notice: FrontStreet Coffee has moved to a new address: 315, Donghua East Road, Guangzhou (coffee beans only)
Tel: 020 38364473
