How to Make Espresso At Home Even If You Are a Beginner

When you desperately need an espresso to kick off your day, but you don't have an espresso machine at home and you don't want to go to a coffee shop, how do you satisfy your caffeine needs?

EASY.

You keep reading this blog post.

I gonna show you exactly how to make espresso at home without putting a single foot out of your house.

From the different brewing methods you could use to the beans you should select to the grind size, this post will cover it all…

\

• Learn the different brewing methods you can do an espresso with.
• Follow the guide to make an espresso without any fancy machine.
• Discover some cool tools you need to make your espresso at home to elevate your coffee experience. 

What is a Espresso Machine?

Okay, let's start with the most basic concepts.

The short answer is that an espresso machine is a device specially designed for espresso, which uses steam and pressure to make highly concentrated coffee.

Even if the machine delivers a high-concentrated flavor to your coffee, you don't need it to satisfy your caffeine needs.

You can do it at home too, and in this section, I will walk you through the different ways you have to do so.

Moka Pot

So at this point, a large majority of US citizens should have a moka pot at home. If not, getting one is easy and you can find it on Amazon or any grocery store.

The moka pot helps deliver a dark, rich-flavored coffee. It's not exactly espresso, but it's TOO SIMILAR. 

To brew an espresso with a moka pot, follow this:

1. Grind 20 grams of your darker coffee
2. Add water to the bottom half of the pot until you reach the valve
3. Add the coffee on top of the water.
4. Screw the top onto the base of the moka pot
5. Turn on the heat and wait around 5 to 7 minutes
6. Serve your coffee and enjoy espresso!

Portable Espresso Maker

Yes...

You don't need an industrial machine to brew the best espresso. There are more portable and cheaper options.

It's a small device that delivers a decent flavor for espresso and it doesn't cost more than 100 US dollars on Amazon. 

To brew espresso with this machine must add about 8 grams of coffee and hot water into the tank, screw the tank to the chamber and press the piston to brew it. That's it, it is that easy!

And the best part of this is that you can take it to your work, travel, home, wherever you go!

Aeropress

I need to be honest, this is maybe not the best way to brew espresso, but it does its job!

The aeropress makes enough pressure to brew a shot of espresso. 

To brew espresso with an Aeropress:

1. Setup your Aeropress in the standard position
2. Add 20 grams of coffee in the chamber
3. Add 60g of boiling water
4. Stir for 10 seconds
5. Remove the scale and plunge as fast as you possibly can.

Step-By-Step Instruction to Make Espresso With A French Press

All these brewing methods are cool.

But let's talk about my personal favorite: the French press.

I love this one because it's the easiest to make and the most versatile one.

So in this section, I will dive a little bit deeper into how to make espresso with this brewing method.

Selecting the best espresso beans

There's something I didn't talk about... yet.

While selecting beans for espresso or drip coffee in general, I like to have the darkest roast possible to make it as strong as I possibly can.

Normally, brands expressively say that beans are made for espresso. That means that the folks who crafted that particular blend thought about doing it, especially for espresso during the process.

Selecting the right espresso beans will also depend on your taste. My preferred espresso blends won't be the same as yours, you know? 

However, let me give some coffee options for drip coffee or for just doing espresso with any brewing method.

• Trade coffee subscription: I like this subscription because you get to taste a lot of different blends within a short period for a cheap price.
• Lavazza Rossa: I like this one as it's from one of the most recognized coffee brands in the world and it has been out there for more than 50 years. They have to do something good.
• Coffee bros Espresso Blend: medium-dark roast specially crafted for doing espresso, blending arabica and robusta beans to make the best ground coffee possible.

But honestly, there are a lot of options out there, and you should pick the best espresso beans according to your taste and preferences.

Grinding and measuring your coffee grounds

The amount of coffee you use in each shot of espresso is also important.

You will not want to have excess coffee grounds, but you don't want to want more caffeine.

So, the best alternative is to measure your coffee grounds in the best way possible.

To do that, you should know first of all that a double shot of espresso has between 13 and 18 grams of coffee. I recommend you use 18 grams anyway, that's what I use.

To do that, you can use a coffee scale by putting your coffee beans into the scale until you reach 18 grams. 

Now, you need to grind those beans.

You can surely use your preferred grinder and grind it until you achieve finely ground coffee beans. Let's say you will need to grind it to an extra fine consistency, like sugar powder.

Use the French press to make your espresso

Now yes... You're ready to use your press to make the best shot of espresso with your coffee grounds.

Brewing coffee with this tool is easy, and there's no such science about the way it works. By saturating coffee with hot water, and then applying pressure to ground coffee, it produces a rich taste coffee. 

So, to use it:

1. Take the plunger out of the French press
2. Take your 18 grams of coffee beans that were previously ground and put them into the container.
3. Boil water.
4. Add the water to the container
5. Wait 5 minutes for the coffee to steep with the water
6. Take your plunger and press it.
7. Serve your freshly done espresso in your favorite espresso cup!

And that's the way I do espresso with a French press like I do it every single morning of my life!

Key Considerations for Making the Best Espresso

I talked about making coffee WITHOUT an espresso machine.

But...

What about doing espresso WITH an espresso machine?

The cool thing is that this post will cover it all!

So in this section I will (try) to teach you how to use an espresso machine, and some recommendations to look out for if you are looking to buy one.

Espresso Machines

The first thing you have to understand is why you need an espresso machine.

Espresso machines brew drip coffee by forcing hot water through ground coffee.

So the answer is no other machine, Aeropress nor Moka Pot will make espresso like an espresso machine (but they do their job successfully).

Having an espresso machine could be a little bit expensive. It's not enough with the espresso machine by itself. Here's a list of things you need to brew a traditional espresso:

• Espresso machine
• Portafilter
• Coffee Grinder
• Tamper
• Scale (optional but recommended)

So... As you can see, there's a lot to cover. But the result is worth the money!

Without further do, let's see how to make an espresso-like coffee, with one of these fancy machines.

1. Let Your Machine Heat Up: Turn on your machine.
2. Warm Your Coffee Cup: Warm your coffee cup by running it under hot water or using the machine’s cup warmer. This helps keep your espresso hot.
3. Clean and Dry the Portafilter and Basket: Ensure the portafilter and Basket are clean and dry. After each use, clean the basket to enhance the flavor of your coffee.
4. Use Freshly Ground Coffee: For the best flavor, grind your beans just before brewing. If you don’t have a grinder, use finely ground coffee from the store. Dose the coffee into the portafilter.
5. Distribute the Coffee Grounds: Gently tap the portafilter on a tamping mat to evenly distribute the coffee grounds.
6. Tamp the Coffee: Use a tamper to press down on the coffee grounds twice with light pressure. This ensures the water extracts all the flavors.
7. Rinse the Group Head: Rinse the group head before inserting the portafilter to remove any old coffee grounds.
8. Brew the Espresso: Insert the portafilter into the group head and start brewing. Use a measuring cup to ensure the right amount of coffee for your desired drink.
9. Serve and Enjoy!

Espresso Grind Size

To make espresso, you need to know how much coffee you need to grind. 

And for that, you need a grinder. A good one. So the goal of this section is to let you know of some key points.

• Make sure to have as many grind increments as possible so you can customize your grind as much as you can.
• Most grinders specialize in any of these two: fine coffee vs. coarse coffee. I haven't seen any grinder that can do both. So pick your side.
• Make sure that your grind is uniform and all the particles are the same size on average.
• You can choose from a burr grinder or a blade grinder. I prefer the burr grinders because they produce more consistent coffee.

Finely Ground Coffee for Espresso

Don't want to buy a grinder?

That's alright.

There's something you can do about it. And that's buying finely ground coffee instead of coffee beans. You don't need the best coffee beans to make espresso drinks. 

This type of beans is normally more expensive than regular coffee beans, but if you don't have a grinder is kind of the option you have.

In case you don't know where to start, you can buy yourself Death Wish Coffee or Stumptown Coffee Roasters.

They are both great and will do their job with any coffee brew, including Aeropress or French Press.

Wrapping up and My Experience with Espresso Machines

Making espresso at home can be easy and enjoyable with the right methods and tools.

Whether you use a Moka pot, portable espresso maker, Aeropress, or French press, you can brew a great espresso without an expensive machine. Experiment with different beans and methods to find your perfect cup.

But, in case you want to brew espresso with a machine, you will have a better result, but more expensive costs. Anyway, you will have to try different methods and coffee beans to find your perfect match.

Anyway, if you don't want to do it at home, you can always go to your local coffee shop and ask for a coffee with steamed milk. Or any espresso drinks of your choice!

Thank you for reading! I hope this guide helps you make delicious espresso at home.

---

Authors Bio

Felipe Renom is the founder & owner of coffeeroastclub.com and he writes articles about coffee, coffee beans and all coffee-related.