Making a good espresso does not have to be hard

If you don't read any other post on the Breville Barista Touch, please read this one.

Today, I stumbled upon a New York Times article entitled, “Making Espresso at Home Is Kind of a Nightmare—But If You Insist, Here’s How to Do It Well.”  The article opened, “No one should make espresso at home, leave it to the shops; it’s a multi-thousand-dollar rabbit hole you might never find your way out of.”

 

For me, the advice was a little late. I gave Judy, my wife, a Breville Barista Touch for Christmas. Why? I had read a NYT Wirecutter review assuring me, "The Barista Touch lets beginners make a variety of café-quality espresso drinks at home with very little learning curve."

 

Taking those words to heart, I bought Judy a Breville. I got it on sale but I still spent big bucks. I had jumped blindly into the rabbit hole. Wisely, Judy did not follow. After Christmas, I discovered another NYT article. This time the NYT was warning readers, "Of all the ways to make coffee, the espresso machine is the most intimidating." Intimidating: good word even if it is a little late.

 

For the past six months I have been tumbling down the rabbit hole. Today, I think I have stopped falling. I have a freezer full of good coffee beans bought on sale. Hey, I have to to cut costs somewhere. I have learned to measure, to time, to weigh, to preheat and post-clean – in short, I have learned how to make a very good latte. As for good espresso, espresso is something else all together. Don't confuse the two.

 

I have grudgingly developed a love-hate relationship with the Breville latte-maker. If you are thinking of getting into the latte-making game, take the time to read “Making Espresso at Home Is Kind of a Nightmare . . . ”

Try to avoid the very common mistake I made. I bought a machine that did not match my wife's lifestyle (nor mine). Many folk who make this mistake enjoy their purchase for a few weeks and, when the novelty wears off, when the coffee-making ritual begins to feel like work, the machine is abandoned. It sits on the counter-top looking imposing and gathering dust.

Do not buy more machine than you need. I did. I bought a very beautiful, café-quality espresso machine at a price that was also a beaut. I should have looked for a  simpler, less expensive machine. I had lots of options. I turned to ChatGPT.

Let's cut to the chase. When it comes to brewing espresso, my café-quality espresso machine falls short. If I brew two shots, one right after the other, one may weight 34g and the other 54g. There is no way these two shots can taste the same.

I have taken to brewing two shots, one after the other, and brewing both in the same insulated glass or cup. I add the sugar for both drinks as my wife and I agree on sweetness . I stir until the sugar is dissolved. Then, I spoon half the espresso into the empty cup. In this example, both cups will contain 44g of espresso.

Ideally, a dose of 19g should result in a pull of 38g. In this example, I have about 15% more espresso than I should have. If you were a pure espresso drinker, this would be a problem. But, if you are making a latte, you are off the hook. There is three times more milk than espresso in a traditional latte. All that milk can hide a lot and it does. 

I have now accepted the fact that my lattes owe more of their good taste to the steamed and frothed milk than to the not so perfectly brewed espresso.

Before buying a state-of-the-art espresso machine, complete with coffee grinder and milk steamer/frother, I would look at cheaper alternatives. My wife's cousin makes his espresso in a Bialetti moka pot. He uses a good, medium-fine grind, coffee and he heats his whole milk in the microwave taking care not to make it too hot. 150 degrees Fahrenheit is about perfect. Not more. He froths the milk in his French press.

Does the moka pot deliver true espresso. No! It is rich, highly-concentrated coffee. It is not espresso but if you are making a latte, does it really matter? Not to a lot of people.

Frothing the whole milk using a French press can be done in such a way that it will please the average latte drinker: Submerge the plunger halfway into the warm milk (140°F–150°F), raise it slightly above the surface of the milk and pump four to five times. Now, push the mesh screen to the bottom and pump rapidly for 20 seconds without breaking the surface. Tap the French press on the counter to pop any large bubbles, swirl the milk, add the frothed milk immediately to the espresso.

Most folk are quite happy with the resulting latte. Everyone is happy with the price. A moka pot and a French press can be purchased with spare change. A bank loan is not necessary.

Enjoy.