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TIPS FOR GREAT RESULTS
and sweep any excess coffee from the filter
with their fingers, leaving exactly what they
need. After you've had some experience
dosing, leveling, and tamping your coffee,
you'll be able to consistently dose your
coffee by sight, just like the pros.
If you're dosing coffee without the aid of
a measuring scoop, it is important not to
overfill the filter basket. Coffee needs room
to expand when brewing. If the coffee is
crushed against the shower screen, it will
prevent an even dispersion of water across
the filter, leading to uneven extraction and
poor espresso�
Here's how to tell if you're overfilling
the filter basket:
• Fill the basket, level the coffee, and apply a
good tamp (see the next section, "Proper
tamping technique")�
• Attach the portafilter to the brew head,
then remove it immediately�
• If the coffee in the portafilter has an
imprint of the shower screen or the
shower screen screw, there is too much
coffee in the filter basket!
Leveling
Leveling the coffee after it has been dosed
into the filter is a critical technique for
great espresso. If the coffee isn't evenly
distributed in the filter, tamping the coffee
will create areas of high and low density�
The high pressure brew water will inevitably
follow the path of least resistance, flowing
Proper tamping technique
The tamper handle should be grasped
1
like a doorknob, with the base of the
handle firmly against the palm� When
tamping, try to keep the tamper, wrist,
and elbow in a straight line.
18
heavily through the low density coffee –
overextracting the bitter coffee compounds
– and flowing lightly through the higher
density coffee, underextracting the flavorful
essences� This uneven extraction results in
thin, weak, bitter espresso.
To Level Coffee In the Filter Basket:
• Make sure the filter basket is dry before
adding coffee; moisture in the basket will
create a path of least resistance for the
brew water.
• After dosing the filter with coffee, level
the coffee by sweeping a finger back and
forth over the filter. Do not sweep in one
direction only – this will cause the coffee
to pile up on one side of the basket and
produce uneven extraction� Try to impart
a slight bowl shape to the coffee, with the
center lower than the sides�
• Make certain there are no gaps between
the coffee and the sides of the filter.
Tamping
Tamping compresses the coffee into a
level disc (also called a puck) that provides
uniform resistance to the high-pressure
brew water. Properly leveled and tamped
coffee will produce an even extraction of
coffee compounds – and great espresso.
Coffee that is tamped too softly will be
deformed by the brew water, resulting in
uneven extraction, a fast brewing time, and
mediocre espresso� Coffee tamped too
firmly will slow the brewing time, making for
a bitter, overextracted beverage.
With the bottom of the portafilter
2
resting on a solid surface, gently press
the tamper into the coffee with the goal
of creating a level surface� Remove the
tamper from the filter basket with a
slight twisting motion�
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