The Five Elements for Good Espresso |
In Italy there is a traditional rule, known as the five M’s, which all must be achieved to make good espresso. 1. Miscela (Espresso Blend) Whilst it is possible to make a bad espresso using a good blend, it is impossible to make a good espresso using a bad blend. The exact blend you choose is purely down to personal taste but you should use coffee which is: a) fresh and; b) of high quality. Coffee oxidizes in air and quickly changes taste, so coffee you use should be recently roasted and kept in an airtight container. A word of warning though: coffee can be too fresh. If you try and make an espresso with coffee roasted less than 48 hours ago you may produce a shot with tons of crema which quickly dissipates. This is because the coffee is still ommiting too much CO2 as a result of the roasting process. The espresso blend should use high quality beans. However, this does not mean that the blend needs to be 100% arabica. Traditionally, espresso blends from Northern Italy contain a small percentage of high quality robusta beans. Robusta can add character to a blend if used sparingly, giving it that bit of extra zing. 2. Macinadosatore (Grinder) The most important aspect of a good coffee grinder is its ability to make very small changes to the coarseness of the grind. The perfect espresso takes 25-30 seconds to make. It is the job of the grinder to control the flow rate of the espresso through adjusting the grind. If the espresso is coming out too fast the grind needs to be finer. If it is coming out too slow then the grind needs to be coarser. Finally, for the best results, the coffee should be ground immediately before use as once ground, it has a larger surface area and so is more vunerable to oxidization. 3. Macchina Espresso (Espresso Machine) 4. Mano dell’operatore (Skill of the User) You do not have to be World Barista Champion to make good espresso. Once you have learned the basics it is just a case of lots of practice and experimenting. 5. Manutenzione (Maintenance)
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