The Secret of Beautiful Coffee:

The secret of beautiful coffee can be better explained by the Italian formula of the

4 M’s. Lets look at these elements and what they mean:

Macchina – the espresso machine.

The espresso machines task is to deliver heated water to the grounds in a predetermined pattern of temperatures and pressures. These patterns are known as temperature profiles and pressure profiles.
A quality espresso machine should be able to produce consistent temperature and pressure profiles every shot, even under heavy use.

Tip:
The machine should be back flushed every day using a small amount of espresso machine cleaning powder to remove any build up of coffee oils and the dispersion
screen brushed with a nylon cleaning brush to remove any trapped grinds. The porta filter can be left to soak over night in a week solution of cleaning powder but not the plastic handle. Rinse off all trace of cleaning powder and season the porta filter with a shot of espresso before serving.

Mano – The hand of the Barista.

A skilled and enthused Barista is essential to creating superb coffee. Here are the Barista’s main objectives:

Create a dose of consistent mass every shot.
Chose a grind setting that will provide the desired flow resistance.
Distribute the dose evenly to provide uniformed resistance to water.
Tamp with enough pressure to eliminate void spaces within the coffee bed and to seal the surface bed.
Ensure the brewing water is of the desired temperature.

Miscela – The blend

The two most common types of commercial coffee bean Arabica and Robusta:
Arabica grows on high mountain sides and is difficult to cultivate and harvest. However, Arabica coffee is the smoothest and has the most refined flavour of the two and although comparatively expensive, is responsible for some of the finest coffees in the world.
Robusta is a hardier plant and grows on lower plains and thus is easier to cultivate and harvest. It is therefore far less expensive. It is harsher to the taste and is mostly used to blend with Arabicas to reduce cost and with correct roasting, tone flavours.

An espresso is a blend of two or more beans mixed together to create a unique flavour profile. Most roasters use a combination of Arabica and Robusta but the best are pure Arabica blends like Espress Café’s – Blue Lagoon and Dark Side blends.

Macinatura – Correct grinding

To obtain the best from your machine, the grinder must be used correctly. Never choose a grinder on price as this is a critical piece of equipment for good quality coffee.
The grinder should be set to dose 7-8 grammes of coffee. It must be ground perfectly in order not to over extract (create bitter dark coffee) or under extract (create weak wishy washy coffee) and the coffee should be Tamped firmly and consistently.
This is how you control the flow of coffee which should take between 18-23 second from when you see coffee emitting from spout.

For further information Scott Rao’s; ‘The Professional Barista’s Handbook’ is an excellent source of further study.