The espresso recipe
for your table
Finely grind 8 grams of beans, noticeably finer than for filter coffee, distribute the grounds evenly in the portafilter, and tamp straight down with even pressure so the water cannot find a fast path anywhere.
Briefly flush the group and warm the cup with hot water, then discard it. Twenty-five millilitres of coffee is so little that a cold cup immediately draws heat from it, and you can taste that.
Insert the portafilter and start immediately. Aim for about 25 millilitres in 25 to 30 seconds. If it runs much faster, grind finer; if it runs much slower, grind coarser.
Serve the espresso immediately with a glass of cold water alongside it and drink it within a few minutes, while the crema is still on top. If you like, stir in a splash of grappa or sambuca to make a caffè corretto.
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The story
Espresso is not a type of bean but a brewing method: hot water forced under high pressure through a compact bed of finely ground coffee. As a result, more dissolves than with filter coffee, and gas and oil are carried through as well, which explains the crema. The exact same filter basket produces three drinks. Stop at around fifteen millilitres and it is called a ristretto: more concentrated and rounder. Run twice as much water through it and you get a lungo, which runs longer and therefore becomes more bitter. The same coffee, three different results.
The right glass
Espresso goes in a cup holding six to nine centilitres, and no larger: in a spacious cup, twenty-five millilitres of coffee cools within half a minute and the crema collapses. So warm the cup before pulling the shot. Glass has the advantage that you can see the crema and the colour transition, so you immediately know how the extraction went. A double-walled glass keeps the coffee at temperature the longest and remains warm to the touch on the outside; you can find these in the double-walled coffee glasses.
Luigi Bormioli Thermic Glass Sublime Espresso Glass 8.5 cl (2 pieces)
La Rochère Ouessant Espresso Cup 9 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 50,90.
The right tools
For an espresso, you need little besides the glass: a jigger to measure the splash for a caffè corretto precisely, and a nutmeg grater for grating a little dark chocolate or nutmeg over the crema. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glassware set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 45,85.
Which splash goes into an espresso?
Without alcohol, an espresso is simply coffee. Stir in a splash of liqueur or spirits and, in Italy, it is called a caffè corretto. Traditionally, it is made with grappa, though at the bar sambuca or amaretto is just as common. On each drink page, you can read the percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works well in and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Stop a ristretto at around fifteen millilitres, while a lungo runs through to forty or fifty millilitres. Add a splash of grappa or sambuca and it becomes a caffè corretto; add a cloud of warm milk and it becomes a macchiato. A doppio is simply a double: sixteen grams of coffee and twice as much in the cup. If you add hot water, it is not called a lungo but an americano. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Serve the espresso immediately and drink it within a few minutes, because the crema settles and the coffee cools quickly. Put a spoon next to it, even if it is mainly for stirring in the sugar. In Italy, a small glass of cold water is served alongside it as standard; drink it before the coffee to cleanse your palate.
Good to know
Eight grams in, twenty-five millilitres out
A single espresso uses about eight grams of ground coffee and yields around twenty-five millilitres in the cup, roughly a one-to-three ratio. A double doubles both. If you want to be precise, weigh not only the grounds but also the coffee that comes out; an ordinary kitchen scale is sufficient.
Why grind size determines everything
The water takes the easiest path through the coffee bed. If you grind too coarsely, it runs through in ten seconds and the espresso tastes thin and sour because too little has dissolved. If you grind too finely, it drips through and becomes bitter. The grind size is therefore the first dial you adjust, even before the amount.
Where the crema comes from
During roasting, carbon dioxide is produced and remains trapped in the bean. Under the pressure in the machine, this gas dissolves in the water, and as soon as the coffee reaches the cup and the pressure drops, it is released again as thousands of tiny bubbles. Oils and dissolved substances from the coffee hold these bubbles together. Fresh beans therefore produce more crema than beans that have been open for months.
Ristretto, espresso or lungo
All three come from the same coffee bed; the difference is how much water you pull through it. A ristretto stops at around fifteen milliliters and is thicker and rounder. An espresso is around twenty-five. A lungo runs to forty or fifty milliliters and also extracts the substances that dissolve later, making it more bitter. So a lungo is different from an espresso with hot water added: that is called an americano.
Preheating the cup
Twenty-five milliliters is so little coffee that a cold cup immediately draws heat from it. So rinse it with hot water and discard that, or place the cups on the machine if it has a warming plate. A double-walled glass keeps the temperature stable the longest afterward.
The glass of water beside it
In Italian bars, you often get a small glass of water with your espresso. The idea is to rinse your mouth with it before drinking, so the coffee arrives more cleanly. Drinking it afterward is of course fine too; it is not a fixed rule.
Frequently asked questions
How long should an espresso run?
Allow twenty-five to thirty seconds for approximately twenty-five milliliters. If it runs faster, grind finer or tamp more firmly; if it runs much slower, grind coarser. The time itself is not the goal, but it is the easiest signal that your grind size is right.
How much coffee goes into an espresso?
Allow about eight grams of finely ground beans for a single, and twice that for a doppio. This yields around twenty-five milliliters of espresso, so roughly one part coffee to three parts in the cup.
What is the difference between an espresso, a ristretto, and a lungo?
Only the amount of water you pull through the same coffee bed. A ristretto stops at around fifteen milliliters and tastes more concentrated, an espresso is around twenty-five, and a lungo runs to forty or fifty milliliters and consequently becomes more bitter.
Which glass do you use for an espresso?
A small cup holding six to nine centiliters, preferably preheated. Glass has the advantage that you can see the crema and the color; a double-walled glass keeps the coffee warm the longest and remains warm to the touch on the outside.
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