Café-style espresso at home: a beginner's guide
A compact espresso machine can make genuinely good coffee at home. The machine matters, but technique and fresh coffee matter more. Here's how to get café-style results.
Start with fresh coffee
Espresso shows up stale coffee instantly. Buy beans with a roast date, use them within a few weeks of roasting, and store them in an airtight container away from light and heat. Grinding just before brewing makes the biggest single difference to flavour.
Dial in the grind and the dose
- Grind size: espresso needs a fine grind, close to table salt. Too coarse and the shot runs fast and sour; too fine and it drips slowly and tastes bitter.
- Dose: use the same amount of coffee every time. A small kitchen scale makes this easy.
- Tamp: level the grounds and press down firmly and evenly. Consistency matters more than force.
A good starting point for a double shot is roughly twice as much liquid coffee out as ground coffee in, in about 25 to 30 seconds. Adjust the grind from there.
Warm everything up
Let the machine heat fully before your first shot, and run a little hot water through the group head and into your cup. A warm cup keeps the crema and flavour intact.
Frothing milk
- Start with cold milk in a cold jug.
- Place the steam wand just under the surface to draw in air for a few seconds, then lower it slightly to spin the milk into a smooth whirlpool.
- Stop when the jug is too hot to hold comfortably, then tap and swirl to remove big bubbles.
- Wipe and purge the steam wand straight away so milk doesn't dry inside it.
Keep it clean
Rinse the portafilter and basket after each use, empty the drip tray daily and descale regularly following the manufacturer's instructions. Hard water areas need descaling more often. A clean machine tastes better and lasts longer.
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