Making Great Espresso at Home - A Beginner's Guide

You’ve got yourself an espresso machine and want to recreate the same high-quality espresso as your favourite coffee shop - This is a great first step, we understand this is the most exciting stage!

However, great-tasting espresso isn’t just about the machine; it’s the result of several key elements working together that achieve the quality taste and consistency you're looking for. 

In this blog we’ll aim to set you up with all the information and skills you need to achieve great tasting espresso at home.

Where to begin? 

Here is what we’d consider as an essential list for great tasting espresso at home.

• Espresso Machine & Grinder (or a bean to cup machine) 

• Portafilter and Portafilter baskets - this is the handle and basket that the coffee sits in (these come in different shapes and sizes). 

• Tamper and distribution tool - a Tamper is the flat bottom tool used to flatten and compress your coffee bed. A distribution tool removes clumps and creates an even bed of coffee in your basket.

• Water filter (or bottled filtered water in a pinch).

• Scales 

• Well Rested Coffee & a Sealable Airtight Container to Store Coffee In

1. Water Matters More Than You Think

Espresso is mostly water, so the quality of your water has a huge impact on the taste. Hard water (high in minerals) can make your coffee taste muted and dull. It can also cause scale build-up in your machine, leading to costly repairs.

Easy fix? Avoid using tap water, instead switch to filtered water. It’s best to invest in a water filtration jug like the BWT Small Filter Jug to improve the clarity and taste of your espresso- plus it also protects your machine from long term damage. 

Improving water quality has a greater impact on espresso taste than equipment alone, as poor water can undermine even the best equipment setup.

2. A Quality Espresso Machine Deserves a Quality Grinder

A good grinder makes all the difference. Blade grinders cause uneven coffee grounds, leading to an inconsistent and under extracted espresso. Instead, a Burr grinder achieves the fine, uniform grind required for espresso - this makes all the difference in getting a smooth and balanced espresso. When investing in a grinder, ensure it can grind fine enough for espresso. We recommend the Mahlkönig X54 Home Grinder.

3. Espresso Machine - Care & Maintenance 

Your espresso machine is your biggest investment, so take care of it! Use filtered water, clean after each use, and stay on top of maintenance. A little effort now saves you from expensive repairs later.

Investing in a blank portafilter basket and some espresso machine cleaner such as Cafiza or Puly Caff will allow you to keep the inside of your espresso machine and group heads clean. 

Research how accessible repairs will be before investing in a machine, as cheaper models are often hard to service, with scarcely available spare parts.

4. The Basket Makes a Difference

Your portafilter basket (where the coffee sits) plays a big role in your espresso quality.

• Pressurized baskets (found in most beginner machines) are double walled, often tapered, with one central hole where the espresso will be filtered through.

They are designed to make it easier to get a lot of crema and a decent brew time from coarser coffee. They reduce the margin for error - but severely limit the flavour and complexity you can achieve. You want to avoid these if you’re looking for a high quality espresso at home.

• Non-pressurized baskets are flat, single wall baskets with multiple, evenly-distributed holes in the bottom. They give you more control and much better-tasting espresso. This is the universal standard model basket in your specialty coffee shops.

The majority of the pressure required for espresso will instead come from the fine compressed coffee bed - worth upgrading once you’re comfortable with adjusting grind size for different results and looking to experiment with different coffees. 

When purchasing a new basket for your portafilter, ensure that your basket size is compatible with your portafilter. It’s also key to use an appropriate dose (the amount of coffee you’re using) for the capacity of the basket - so you avoid messy flooded baskets from too little espresso or weak shots from overfilled compact baskets. 

5. Always Measure Your Coffee

Eyeballing your coffee dose? It’s time to stop. Weighing your coffee will lead you to making consistent quality espresso. Small changes can have a big impact on the taste of your espresso - knowing what went in, will help you understand what came out. 

Aim for even coffee distribution and a flat bed of coffee in the basket. If coffee is unevenly distributed, water will find paths of least resistance, leading to really quick weak and sour shots - we call this effect channelling.

Gently tap your portafilter to even the distribution of your coffee bed before you tamp - or even better, invest into a distribution tool to effectively remove clumps and even the distribution of your coffee bed.  

These techniques will help make your espresso shots well balanced and more consistent. 

6. Finding the Right Balance

It’s easy to overcomplicate things! So here is a simple espresso recipe to start with:

Use a 1:2 ratio → If you use 18g of coffee, aim for 36g of espresso. Aim for a shot time of 25 - 28 seconds.

• If the shot tastes bitter and runs too long - make your grind coarser.

• If the shot tastes sour and empty, running too short - make your grind finer.

7. Small Adjustments = Big Improvements

Making small incremental changes to your grind size is the best way to fine-tune your espresso. Avoid big jumps in settings, and always purge old coffee grounds before pulling another shot. This will help prevent overcompensating too far in one direction - overshooting the desired result.

8. Coffee 

Last but certainly not least, we need to discuss the coffee itself. 

Resting coffee for 7-10 days after roasting allows excess CO2 to escape the beans, preventing it from muting your espresso’s flavour and causing inconsistent results. Check the roast date of your coffee before brewing to see if it is well rested, and for optimal taste, use coffee that has been opened from its sealed bag/container within 1–2 weeks. 

We have an entire blog post on coffee freshness that we highly recommend reading which uncovers The Truth About Fresh Coffee - For suggestions on the best storage techniques and practices, give this a read!

Quick Tips for Great Espresso:

✅ Use a burr grinder for even coffee grounds
✅ Switch to filtered water to protect your machine and improve flavour
✅ Weigh your coffee for accuracy and consistency
✅ Distribute coffee evenly to avoid uneven extraction
✅ Start with a 1:2 ratio and a 25-28 second shot time - making small incremental grind size adjustments to reach this result.
✅ Keep your machine clean for better-tasting espresso and to avoid costly repairs.

Espresso-making is a learning process, but once you get the hang of it, it’s incredibly rewarding. Stick with it, make small improvements, and soon you’ll be pulling shots like a pro barista!

Home Espresso Workshop

Our Home Espresso Workshop is the best way to gain confidence and learn the fundamental skills required for making espresso at home. Run by one of own experienced baristas, this is an opportunity to watch each step in motion, get hands-on practice, and receive personalized guidance.

Our workshops can be booked via our website and are tailored based on group size, this also makes a great gift for the person in your life dabbling with home espresso. 

Check out our workshops here!

Happy Brewing!