Preparation of espresso in the portafilter

It requires some time and practice to brew perfect espresso. Apart from excellent espresso beans you will also need a good espresso machine and a little bit of handicraft skills.

Procedure:

1. Preheat the cup
   Since coffee - especially the small espresso - is sensitive to changes of temperature, the cups should be preheated. Most espresso machines have a dispenser with hot water for this purpose.
    
2. Clean the portafilter thoroughly
   It is very important that the portafilter is clean and free from any old coffee oils. Oils released during previous brewings would strongly affect the taste of espresso.  
    
3. Grind the coffee beans and fill the powder into the filter
   Grind the coffee beans shortly before brewing at the finest grind-setting. Place about 7g espresso powder in the portafilter. Now use your index finger to spread the powder evenly over the edge of the portafilter to get a flat surface for tamping.
    
4. Tamp the espresso powder
   Compact the espresso powder with the help of the small tamper. Apply evenly pressure of up to 20 kg on the portafilter.
   
   TIP: You can train the correct pressure with the help of a domestic scale.
    
5. Clean the brewing unit
   Before inserting the portafilter, the brewing unit should be cleaned. For this purpose let hot water run through the brewing unit for a few seconds.
    
6. Insert the portafilter and let espresso run
   Place a pre-warmed cup and let the espresso run through the machine. The coffee is ready to serve!