Complete Guide on How to Make Espresso Without Machine
The world of coffee is diverse with countless types of coffee, bringing many different flavors so that diners can choose and find their own taste. In particular, Espresso is a very popular and familiar coffee for many people. Café Espresso first appeared in Italy in 1930, then spread to Spain and European countries.
Currently, this type of coffee has become an indispensable part of the coffee culture of people around the world. Even many coffee lovers often say that if you have never tried Espresso, you have not stepped into the world of coffee. So what is espresso, and how to make espresso without a machine?
What is Espresso?
Espresso is coffee made by machine, using hot water compressed by high pressure through a finely ground coffee powder layer. The water used to make Espresso is pure water, and the coffee used to prepare this method must also be rustic roasted coffee, not marinated with any impurities.
In Italian, Espresso is called “express,” which means that the coffee can be served to the customer immediately. Ingredients for making Espresso coffee are coffee beans that are usually dark roasted. Why dark roast?
Because when brewing under high pressure, the natural acid of the coffee beans is dissolved faster, the coffee produced will have an unpleasant sour taste. To avoid this situation, people roast longer to reduce the acid content. However, when burning for a long time, affects the aroma of coffee. Therefore, the coffee maker must find a way to balance the acidity and aroma when roasting and brewing coffee.
An Espresso cup will consist of two basic layers, the Crema layer, and the Liquid layer:
The Crema layer is made up of CO2 foam surrounded by water and oil. Crema also includes coffee and the emulsifying oils found in coffee beans; this layer often has a very bitter taste and makes espresso a darker coffee than many other types of coffee.
The Liquid layer is made up of dissolved substances, gases, and insoluble substances, giving the flavor of espresso.
Usually, high-quality Arabica coffee is used to make Espresso. In addition, many people mix it with Robusta coffee to have more and denser Crema. Coffee mixed with this recipe does not have the aroma and rich taste like Arabica. Coffee connoisseurs still argue that 100% Arabica or a blend of 60% Arabica and 40% Robusta will yield the perfect espresso.
Roast level
The beans used to make espresso must be roasted darker than the others. From there, the resulting coffee extract will have a much stronger, more delicious, and characteristic taste.
The fineness of coffee powder
With Espresso coffee and the type of machine to make them, the coffee powder used to make delicious coffee must choose those with high fineness. The fineness of the coffee powder makes it necessary to use much higher pressure to push the coffee out of the filter.
However, if the coffee powder is too fine, it will cause clogging of the funnel. It is best to buy an automatic coffee machine that has many levels of grinding that change according to the fineness of the powder.
Coffee brewing pressure
Instead of doing it manually, now automatic coffee machines will replace this. They’re smart and handy, packed with exciting features that give you hands-free brewing and a delicious cup of coffee.
What is the principle of making Espresso coffee?
To create a cup of Espresso that makes diners fall in love is not an easy task. Coffee must have the bitter taste of pure coffee beans, the attractive aroma of freshly ground coffee, and special sweetness. The Espresso is both rich and elegant so that after drinking, the aroma of coffee remains on the palate.
How to make Espresso is regulated by 3 words: Macinazione means how to grind the coffee, Miscela is mixed coffee, and Mano is the skillful hands of the barista.
To make a perfect cup of Espresso, you need to follow these 4 principles:
- Mixing Espresso
The purpose of mixing is to create a distinctive coffee flavor. The types of coffee commonly used to mix are coffee from Brazil, Mexico, Panama, and Peru.
- Roasting Espresso:
Good espresso must have aroma and sweetness. Roasting Espresso coffee must retain the characteristic aroma and sweetness of coffee beans, reducing sourness and bitterness. Normally, people just roast coffee until the first crack of the beans is heard.
- Grinding Espresso
You can use glass or metal utensils to grind coffee beans to the smallest size. Grinding should take place as quickly as possible because this limits the loss of coffee flavor when exposed to air. Reasonable grinding time is from 23 – 28 seconds.
- Brew Espresso
After roasting, mixing, grinding, measuring the required amount, and compressing, the people in the Barista position proceed to make the coffee. Before placing the portafilter on the top of the machine, pass about 2 ounces of water through the front end.
This process is called temperature stabilization. Place the filter in place, then place a beaker under the filter spout. Press the button to start the first brewing process. This process allows the water to penetrate evenly throughout the coffee pieces before using hot water with high pressure.
Coffee will begin to flow at the mouth of the faucet, and you let the coffee flow until the Espresso turns pale. Making Espresso coffee is likened to an art form, and the Barista will show off their level and talent.
Not only for individual enjoyment, but Espresso is also a “platform” to create many other attractive coffees such as Latte, Cappuccino, Macchiato, Americano… Depending on the type, Espresso will be combined by the Barista with milk, chocolate, milk foam in the appropriate proportion.
How to make Latte coffee without using a standard machine
To make a latte without a coffee machine, you need to prepare the following necessary ingredients and tools:
- Pure coffee powder: 40g and 300ml of fresh milk without sugar.
- French press coffee maker, low profile porcelain cup, milk frothing mug, and measuring cup.
- The first thing you need to know is that the key ingredient of a latte is espresso. You may not need to use a coffee machine but use 3 types of pots: Aeropress, Moka pot, and French Press.
Today, to make Espresso, we choose the French Press to prepare the espresso. If there are two types of jars left, you can use them as usual.
Step 1: Prepare and make espresso
You boil about 700ml of water to a temperature of about 90 degrees Celsius (If you do not have a thermometer, you can watch for about 10 seconds after the water boils, then warm-up).
Next, you rinse the coffee pot and then add 40g of coffee powder. Then, you put a little boiling water into the pot so that the boiling water level is about 1cm higher than the coffee powder.
After that, you use a spoon to stir the mixture for 30 seconds so that the coffee powder can rise more evenly. At this point, you add the remaining 300-400ml of boiling water and cover the jar, then wait for about 4 minutes for the coffee to be infused.
Then, you use your hand to press the piston of the pot down to extract the espresso and transfer the finished coffee to a new cup.
Step 2: Whip the milk
To create milk foam for a latte without using a machine, you can choose 1 of 4 ways:
Method 1: Using a handheld foam stick:
This is a familiar tool in small coffee shops as well as families, and the hand-held foam brush is very compact and easy to use for foaming. You put the plant in the milk cup (tall cup) and press the start button of the plant. You beat until the milk has a soft foam, then stop.
Method 2: Using a French Press
Using this bottle to make milk foam is also away. However, because it uses manual force, this method is a bit laborious for you. You put the amount of milk you need to beat into the bottle and then pull the piston up and down repeatedly to create thick and foamy milk foam.
Method 3: Use a blender
If you don’t have a professional blender at home, you can use a blender instead. But the finished milk foam produced by the blender will not be very smooth. You need to warm the milk and then put the milk in the blender and blend for about 1 minute.
Method 4: Use a glass jar with a lid
The most manual way to make milk foam is to use a glass jar. Similar to using a French Press, this method also takes a lot of your energy. You put the milk in a jar with a tight lid and shake well, continuously until the milk has foam, then you stop.
Step 3: Separate the ingredients and shape the top layer
You need to prepare a special low cup of coffee for a latte. First, you add the espresso, then slowly pour in the milk and milk foam. You can use a toothpick to shape the top foam to your liking.
Slowly pour in the milk foam to shape the Italian latte. Photo: ST
Notes to make delicious Latte without a machine
To make a latte without a machine, you also need to pay attention to both ingredients and steps such as:
- Need to use clean, 100% pure coffee powder without any impurities. Boiling water is a comfortable environment to dissolve chemicals that create chemical odors at a temperature of 95 to 100 degrees Celsius. Espresso should only be used once, do not reheat coffee, use old espresso to make a latte.
- Using mineral water to make coffee is fine, but you need to choose water that contains low amounts of minerals.
- Normally, the ratio between coffee and water is 20g of coffee powder: 50ml of water. According to this ratio, you can adjust it by yourself according to different tastes.
- Add refined sugar to reduce the bitterness of coffee without affecting the taste, you can increase or decrease the amount of sugar to your liking.
- Tools used to make latte must be clean.
How to enjoy Espresso?
Unlike any other coffee, the best way to enjoy espresso is right after it’s made. The reason is that the crema layer secreted from the oil of the coffee beans if left in the air for a long time, will quickly dissolve, and of course, the taste of the espresso will also be greatly reduced.
So if on the table is an espresso without crema, don’t enjoy it. Because it is most likely made by a new barista, without much experience or a long time ago.
Enjoy your espresso while the crema is still on the top
Espresso coffee possesses an intense aroma but is still very gentle and elegant. Especially after enjoying the sweetness, it is still kept in the mouth for a long time.
And most of all, espresso is not a drink suitable for those who like to sit for a long time, sip every drop. But it will be ideal for daily breakfast; you come to the shop, order yourself an espresso accompanied by a small piece of cake.
Then, you can enjoy coffee, tell a few stories and then leave to start a new day full of energy.
How to make Espresso coffee is not that difficult, right? You must prepare enough safe ingredients and a quality coffee machine with many functions and utilities.
Conclusion
Hopefully, through this article, you will better understand what Espresso is and understand the principles to create a good cup of Espresso. If you have a special interest in coffee making, sign up for barista classes right away so you can make delicious coffee for everyone.
