all brew guides

Espresso

At Conscious Cup, we appreciate the intensity and emulsification of oils and sugars that the espresso method brings out in our coffee. The recipe behind our bars is simple to state and takes practice to repeat: 19 grams of ground coffee, 38 grams of espresso in the cup, and 25 to 30 seconds from the moment the pump starts. Everything else on this page is about hitting those numbers on purpose.

conscious cup coffee brew methods espresso

What you'll need

  • Espresso Machine · Any machine that holds 9 bar and a stable temperature
  • Portafilter · With a 20 to 21 gram basket
  • Tamper · Flat base, sized to the basket
  • Burr Grinder · Espresso grinder with fine adjustment
  • Gram Scale · 0.1g precision · with timer
  • Filtered Water · Softened for the machine, never distilled

Directions

  1. Warm up | Setup | Switch the machine on at least twenty minutes before the first shot so the group head and the portafilter reach working temperature. Lock the empty portafilter into the group to warm it.
  2. Dose | Setup | Weigh 19 grams of coffee and grind it fine, about the texture of table salt. Grind directly into the basket if your grinder allows it, and weigh the basket to confirm the dose.
  3. Distribute | Setup | Tap the side of the portafilter gently or use a distribution tool so the grounds sit level across the basket with no low spots. A clump or a slope in the bed becomes a channel under pressure.
  4. Tamp | Setup | Press straight down with the tamper until the bed stops compressing, then stop. The pressure only needs to be even and level; pressing harder does not change the shot. Wipe any grounds from the rim of the basket.
  5. Flush and lock in | Setup | Run the group for two seconds to clear the screen and settle the temperature. Lock the portafilter in and start the shot straight away, before the heat of the group begins to bake the coffee.
  6. Pull the shot | 0:00 → 0:28 | Put the cup on the scale under the spouts, tare, and start the pump and the timer together. The first drops should appear at 6 to 8 seconds. The flow starts dark and thick, then lightens to a golden brown as the extraction goes on.
  7. Stop at weight | Finish | Stop the pump when the scale reads 38 grams. The clock should read between 25 and 30 seconds. If the shot ran faster, grind finer for the next one; if it ran slower, grind coarser. Change the grind only, and keep the dose at 19 grams.