The right proportions

If you have selected your favorite beans it is also very good to know the right proportions to make the best espresso or coffee. Depending on your personal taste normally 8gram stands for a good espresso. And 12 gram for slow coffee (filter) with 200ml per cup. If you use a consistent amount, every time you make an espresso, than you will have the ability to fairly compare different mélanges with each other.

The amount of water for an espresso should be 30ml. If you want a double, than just simply double the proportions. Use 16gr with 60ml. If you want to make a ristretto than still use 8gr but with less water, about 22ml.

For the perfect espresso use 100% Arabica beans. You could add 10% or max 15% of high quality Robusta beans to enhance the crema. Never use the grinds for a second time. This will cause a poor flavor.

If you grind the beans yourself use an extra fine grind size. The espresso machines work with pressure and force the water through the beans quite fast. Therefore the contact time is short. Also here you can play with the structure of the grind size to create your own perfect espresso.

Enjoy!

P.S. Do the math: 1kg of coffee provides circa 125 espresso shots or 80 coffee cups 250gr. provides circa 30 espresso shots or 20 coffee cups