How to use an Italian Espresso Machine like a PRO
We all love espresso coffee. We often start our days with the flavor of this tasty drink, or we punctuate the rhythms of the work day with a coffee break with colleagues.
Espresso coffee was born in Italy and spread quickly throughout Europe and then around the world, with the birth of different variants of coffee prepared by different types of machines (if you want to know what the most common types are, you can read our article on what are the three types of espresso machines).
Although the machines introduced also have very different features, there are some secrets that, if followed effectively, will allow us to prepare a coffee of absolute quality.
How to use an Italian espresso machine like a professional
Keep reading our article to find out.
The best choice to prepare a 100% made in Italy coffee:
How to use an Italian espresso machine like a professional: the preliminary steps
Although espresso coffee is a very common tradition, few know how to perfectly use a typical Italian espresso machine, and even fewer know the main types of models on the market.
There are in fact three main variants that are particularly popular in coffee shops and homes: automatic, semi-automatic and manual lever.
Although the first two can be extremely convenient, if you want a coffee worthy of a real professional there are no alternatives: equip yourself with a lever machine and learn the 100% manual management of the lever, so as to adjust the entire coffee preparation process yourself.
Only in this way will you be able to affirm that you have fully respected the tradition of Italian espresso.
Prepare the coffee: grind the beans
Many take this stage for granted, but it should not be. Grinding the beans correctly, in fact, is the first essential step to correctly use an Italian espresso machine.
In fact, no matter how good and prepared you are in managing the machine, coffee will never be of good quality if this process is not carried out correctly.
The coffee should first be measured in the right amounts: no more than 6-8 grams for a normal coffee, 15 for a double coffee. After that, it is necessary to make the finest bean possible; in this way the water will penetrate the coffee better, obtaining a higher quality brew.
Pressing the coffee properly
Another operation not to be underestimated is linked to the pressing of the coffee.
In fact, it is not enough to grind the beans correctly, but it is necessary to distribute the grind perfectly throughout the filter, finding the right pressure with the press.
There are in fact two parameters that are fundamental for the preparation of a good coffee, and one of these is undoubtedly linked to the compactness of the grind, to allow the water to permeate the brew uniformly.
The other consists, for the same reason, of homogeneity: the coffee must be spread along the filter in a balanced way, without creating any accumulations that would prevent the creation of a homogeneous layer.
Start the coffee machine
At this point, all that really remains is to start the espresso machine.
A trick that few know about is to leave the machine on for a few moments without filter and cup underneath: in this way, we can carry out a quick cleaning of the head of the machine.
Only after this preliminary operation do we arrange the filter and cup and start the brewing: with a lever machine, we can manage everything like real professionals, in a 100% natural way.
And there you have it, the coffee is ready.