The 3 Most Important Factors When Preparing Espresso With A Port Filter Machine
There are 3 important factors for coffee preparation that significantly influence the success of a good espresso during the brewing process with an espresso machine. On the one hand, it is the degree of grinding of the espresso beans, the compression of the ground coffee in the port filter, and finally the duration of the brewing time.
Why Is That So Important?
By adjusting the individual factors in the operation of a port filter machine, the quality of the espresso drink and the taste result can be adjusted very precisely. Since the factors also influence each other, a lot of practice and experience are required here.
1st Degree Of Grinding
The finer the coffee powder is ground, the slower the brewing process takes place. You should start with a medium-fine grind. After a test run, you can then adjust the grind so that you achieve the optimal brewing time.
2. Compression Of The Ground Coffee
If the ground coffee in the espresso machine is pressed unevenly or too tightly, the result will suffer. Pressing on with a pressure of about 15 kilos with subsequent “polishing” is optimal.
3. Length Of Brewing Time
In the best case, this is adjusted via the degree of grinding. The optimal brewing time is approx. 25 seconds for 2x 25 ml. A pre-infusion is also recommended.
Tip: If there are holes in the “puck” (the moist coffee grounds after the cover), you can mix the ground coffee with a needle and/or tamper it a little harder and use a leveler.
What Is Pre-Infusion?
Pre-infusion (also pre-infusion) describes a process in which the coffee powder swells before the actual espresso is drawn off. Some machines collect water in a chamber for this purpose, in order to then evenly pre-brew the espresso powder. This avoids channeling, i.e. the uneven penetration of the water during extraction, and improves the taste of the espresso.
In general, you can also carry out the pre-infusion manually with My next espresso machine.
This is how a manual pre-infusion is carried out: Start the brewing process 1-2 seconds before the actual reference and then interrupt it for 5-10 seconds. Then draw the espresso as usual.
Port Filter Machine: Which Coffee Is Best?
Any type of espresso can be used for all of the port filter machines we present. If the coffee is not so tasty, this can be regulated to a certain extent by the amount and the amount of water added. Carefully roasted, biologically tested varieties of high quality and coffee beans with the Fair-trade seal should be preferred here. Because the quality and freshness of the bean ultimately determine the taste.
Depending on the coffee bean and the roast, the relationship between acidity and bitterness varies.
The following applies to coffee and espresso beans:
- Light roasts are more acidic
- Darker roasts are more bitter
Here you should give free rein to the joy of experimentation and simply try it out to get to know the differences.
Tip: You can easily get good organic coffee by subscribing to Coffee Circle.
However, it is important to mention again that the whole beans should be freshly ground with the port filter machine before each brewing process. In addition to the right espresso machine, a good grinder with a fine grind is essential for the right result with the best aromas.
What Pressure? – “Real Cream” Vs. “Fake Cream”
Real Cream
Most of the port filter machines available today (like those in our test) are operated with an electric pump that is responsible for generating the pressure. A vibration pump is often used, the highest quality models are equipped with a rotary pump.
However, there are also devices that have a lever that can be operated manually. In terms of their functionality, however, both variants are optimally suited to producing a real cream as the professionals do.
The actually optimum pressure of the brewing water in a port filter machine is 9 bar but is set to 12 bar in advance in most machines. The pressure is reached at a brewing temperature of around 88-94 °C.
You can easily check this with a built-in pressure gauge. This pressure ensures that a layer of cream is formed on the surface of the coffee. The more stable the brewing temperature of the port filter machine, the finer the cream. This type of cream is “real cream”.
Tip: If there is not enough cream, it can help to grind the beans a little coarser.
Fake Cream
Many of the (semi-professional) smaller port filter machine models that are offered in many places these days are more suitable for beginners who have not yet had any experience with the preparation of espresso. The manufacturers, therefore, offer this inexpensive type of espresso machine with a sieve insert with a so-called cream valve.
With these inserts, the water is only released for treatment when the pump has reached a pressure of 10 bar. 15 bar means the maximum pressure. However, this is only achieved if the scalding water cannot drain off. The problem: The manual fine adjustment of the brewing pressure and the brewing time is not necessary here.
However, the cream that is created by this cream valve is not the actual emulsion of the coffee oils. It is usually a simple coffee foam that has no taste. This technology can be found today in many household coffee machines.
In the beginning, the cream was still called a natural coffee foam, so that there would be no suspicion that it was artificially created. Today this cream is also called “fake cream” because it lacks the taste and does not consist of coffee oils.
