Espresso Gear Guide

Espresso is a relatively new way of brewing coffee. In the early 20th Century Luigi Bezzera patented the first espresso “Coffee Making Machine.” Later Desiderio Pavoni purchased Bezerras patent and made a few improvements to the design introducing the pressure release valve as well as the steam wand.

Standard Ratio: 1:2

Grind Setting: Fine - Coffee grounds should be generally the size of flour

What to look for

Espresso machines come in all shapes and sizes. Generally speaking there are three main types of machines, Manual, Semi-Automatic and fully automatic. We will not explore all of the intricacies of these types of machines. Generally what you will want to look for in an espresso machine is shot temperature control, something that will maintain a sufficient amount of pressure (9 Bars) to extract espresso. Entry level espresso machines generally have one boiler. Single boiler machines will require you to brew your espresso shots, then allow the boiler to get up to temperature to steam your milk. To avoid a gap between brewing your espresso and steaming your milk, generally you will need a dual boiler espresso machine. These machines have a boiler that heats up the brew water to about 200 degrees f. While the other heats the steaming

water to the point of evaporation to allow the steam to travel through a steam wand to froth and steam the milk.