Today I headed back to one of my old favourite haunts for coffee. But rather than doing the drinking, I was doing the making. This was something different for me, but I did really enjoy it. A lot of times, I am making my own coffee at home using my new coffee machine. I have to say, I think it is probably one of the best purchases I have ever made. But this wasn’t easy. As well as saving my money to purchase this machine, I also did a bit of research into companies such as Identifyr, where I was able to read reviews on various machines before making any decisions. Once I had enough saved, I was off to the shops to pick up what has now become a new addition to the house. I have to say, using a coffee machine is a lot easier than using the machines here in the shop. I was told that the Eureka Atom is a great grinder for espresso but I decided to buy another machine instead. I’m pretty happy with my choice actually!
I have a few friends here who work in coffee, and it’s like a different language. Whilst you can get close to the taste with some of the Great Coffee Brewers recommended machines, there’s a difference between these and a barista produced product for sure. It’s easy (and ignorant) to think these baristas just switch on a machine and chuck it in a cup, but it’s both a science and an art. Even sourcing the right supplier can be a massive challenge. Luckily, going to www.ironandfire.co.uk is like having a one-stop shop for all your coffee shops needs. This would definitely help you to make sure you are only using quality products
Tonight I went to Think Coffee on Bleecker Street, where Dylan taught me how to make espresso – and we started with expanding my vocabulary. First of all, I discovered that you put coffee in a ‘brew basket’ in the ‘portafilter’ (the thing with the handle), and then you place this into the ‘grouphead’ to let the water run through.
![Think Coffee](http://todaysthedayi.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/p1010535.jpg)
But before we got to that, Dylan tried to teach me what ‘dialing in’ on the grinder meant. I think it’s getting the coffee beans to the right coarseness so that when you pour the water through, it travels at exactly the right speed to gather the flavour – but not too much. If the grinds are too coarse, the water rushes right through, if they’re too fine, there’s gloops of liquid instead of a steady stream. Luckily, the machine had been set already, so I didn’t have to figure this part out.
I simply put the portafilter beneath the grinder and pressed for a double shot of espresso. Then I levelled the grinds and ‘tamped’ it – i.e. pressed down on the coffee with a hand-held leveller. Dylan said you should put around 30 lbs of pressure, but a good test was turning the portafilter over afterwards and making sure the coffee didn’t fall out. Thankfully mine was okay.
![Think Coffee](http://todaysthedayi.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/p1010530.jpg)
![Think Coffee](http://todaysthedayi.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/p1010542.jpg)
After running the water through the machine for a few seconds to clear it out, I put the portafilter in the grouphead, steamed the coffee for five seconds and then let the water run through for around 20 seconds, or until I started to see a bit of a milkier colour running through the liquid. And then it was done! Bitter deliciousness.
(If I’d run the water for too long, it would’ve tasted more burnt.)
![Think Coffee](http://todaysthedayi.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/p1010543.jpg)
![Think Coffee](http://todaysthedayi.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/p1010544.jpg)
![P1010545](http://todaysthedayi.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/p1010545.jpg)
I did the process twice; once to make an espresso and again to make an iced latte. The first time was near perfect, according to Dylan (even though he doubted I would manage it), but the second time I didn’t tamp the coffee down enough and the water moved through too quickly, so we had to stop before it hit the 20 second mark.
Hmm… this an exact science. And I was far from getting it, but I can see how with a bit of practice, it could be done. But for now, maybe I should just stick to drinking the stuff.
Thanks for having me, Think! And thanks for the lesson Dylan!
![Think Coffee](http://todaysthedayi.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/p1010551.jpg)
![Think Coffee](http://todaysthedayi.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/p1010552.jpg)
![Think Coffee](http://todaysthedayi.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/p1010521.jpg)
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