All Brew Guides
Brew Guide 01
Espresso
A short, intense extraction under pressure. The benchmark for a milk drink, and the hardest brew to get exactly right at home. Here is how we pull it on the bar.
Watch · Espresso
Step by step
Four steps to a better cup.
01
Grind fine and dose 18 g
Use a freshly ground 18 g dose into a clean, dry portafilter basket. Grind finer than you think — espresso wants the texture of caster sugar moving towards flour.
Tip · Grind fresh, every shot. Pre-ground espresso is already stale.
02
Distribute and tamp level
Settle the grounds evenly, then tamp with firm, level pressure — about 15 kg of force. A level puck is more important than a hard one.
Tip · A tilted tamp pulls a sour, uneven shot.
03
Lock in and pull immediately
Insert the portafilter and start the shot straight away — sitting on a hot group head scorches the grounds. Aim for first drips around 6–8 seconds.
04
Watch the flow, stop at 38 g
The stream should run like warm honey — dark, then fading to caramel and blonde. Stop at roughly double your dose: 38 g in the cup, around 28 seconds total.
Tip · Too fast & thin? Grind finer. Choking & dripping? Grind coarser.
Brew this with
Espresso No. 1.
Roasted medium-dark, built to pull sweet and full-bodied.
Dial it in
If something's off.
Shot tastes sour & sharp
Under-extracted. Grind finer, or pull a touch longer.
Shot tastes bitter & dry
Over-extracted. Grind coarser, or shorten the yield.
No crema
Beans may be stale, or ground too coarse. Check the roast date.
Gushing in under 20s
Grind much finer, and check your tamp is firm and level.