Life is too short for bad coffee. So I strive to let my crema ooze out of the espresso machine like thick amber honey (like we did in the picture). Not an easy task, but practice makes perfect. Making a good espresso is almost an art. It’s hard to get it right with every shot.

But I know these tips will bring you closer to that goal:

Perfect Espresso!
The quality of an espresso depends on a combination of factors: time, temperature, grinder calibration, dosage, tamping and.. your coffee. A well-brewed espresso has a smooth amber golden froth: the ‘crema’.

1. Buy freshly roasted beans of high quality or roast your own.
2. If you use coffee beans, grind them just before you brew the espresso. Ground coffee soon loses its flavour and aroma through exposure to air and humidity.
3. Heat the espresso cups beforehand. Make sure that the filter holder fits securely in the machine and let hot water flow through it for 3 seconds.
4. Place 7 to 8 grams of coffee in the filter holder for each cup of espresso. Adjust the dosage till you find the right flavour for you. Use a little more if you like your espresso robust, a little less if you like it mild.
5. Now tamp the coffee. Exert pressure of around 15 kg and turn the holder 45 degrees to ‘set’ the coffee. Clean the holder of excess coffee in one short sharp movement, so the surface is even.
6. Place the filter holder in the machine with the cups underneath. The ideal time for one espresso is 20 -- 25 seconds.
7. Test your crema: it has the right consistency when a little spoonful of sugar lays on top of your cream for at least a second. (ideally it is 5-10 mm thick)

Note: also within world of the much praised 100% Arabica coffee beans there is a lot of difference in quality. Every country has it’s own classification system for coffee quality. Look for high quality beans (‘specialty coffee’) and do not forget about the coffee farmer! Look for coffee that supports initiatives to give farmers a good price for their coffee. For example: Cup of Excellence, Rainforest Foundation, E-Café Foundation (Ethiopia).

Also read my tips on good quality coffee beans