Starting Basics of Espresso Making

This section is for the beginner, so if you don't fit into this category, then look further down the blog, as you will find the more advanced techniques there.


Don't think you need to spend $1000 first off in order to make good espresso. You can make quite nice espresso drinks from a machine that cost as little as $120. But to make consistently great espresso, an $800+ machine is probably what you will eventually need.

Espresso does take longer to make than a cup of instant. But then it also takes much longer to make a fine wine than it does to make a cup of cordial. Espresso to my mind as far as taste goes, is a 3 dimensional drink whereas instant is very 1 dimensional. Espresso can take on so many different tastes and nuances. Making espresso is virtually an art form and all good art takes time. If you want some figures: warming a boiler based machine can take upwards of 30 minutes, though there are ways around this that can shorten it to about 3 minutes. Thermo block machines are much quicker as they don't have a reserve of water to heat up. Then grinding, tamping, extracting and preparing the milk can mean another 10 minutes or so. Of course these times will vary depending on if you grind your own beans (you should) and how proficient you are with your espresso techniques. It is possible to make an espresso from go to woe in about 15 minutes.

There is a bit of cleaning up afterwards for as far as espresso making goes, cleanliness is next to god shotliness. But this only takes a few minutes at most.

Yes it is possible to roast your own green beans and not only is it much cheaper, but it really isn't all that hard. You can even roast it in a popcorn maker (details later in the blog).

If you're going to buy an espresso machine, then do yourself a favor and get a grinder as well. It really does make a big difference. Not only does the coffee stay fresher longer, but you also can alter the grind in order to get that perfect extraction. You can get your coffee pre-ground of course and that might be a good idea if you are only toying with the idea of taking up espresso making. But usually you spend at least half as much on a grinder as you do on the espresso machine. The better the grinder, the more consistent the grind and the better the pour.