Here is how to make espresso at home: grind about 18 g of fresh coffee fine, distribute and tamp it level in your portafilter, then brew until you have about 36 g of espresso in the cup in 25–30 seconds at around 9 bar and 90–96°C (194–205°F). That’s the whole method. The rest of this guide explains each step, the gear you need, and what to change when the shot tastes wrong.
If you’re still choosing equipment, read our best espresso machines for beginners guide first, then come back here.
Table of Contents
What you need before you learn how to make espresso at home
- An espresso machine that brews at around 9 bar. Pump machines from Breville, De’Longhi, Gaggia and others all qualify.
- A burr grinder capable of espresso, built in or separate. Pre-ground coffee goes stale fast and is rarely fine enough. See our espresso grinder guide.
- Fresh whole beans, ideally roasted 1–4 weeks ago. Our best coffee beans for espresso guide has picks for every taste.
- A scale with 0.1 g readability and a timer. See best espresso scales.
- A tamper that fits your basket, plus ideally a WDT tool and dosing funnel. Our essential espresso accessories list covers these.
- Filtered or soft-ish water to protect your machine and improve taste.
The starting recipe
| Variable | Starting point |
|---|---|
| Dose (coffee in) | 18 g for a standard double basket (14–16 g for smaller 51 mm baskets) |
| Yield (espresso out) | 36 g (a 1:2 ratio) |
| Time | 25–30 seconds from pressing brew |
| Temperature | About 93°C (200°F); slightly higher for light roasts, lower for dark |
| Pressure | About 9 bar at the puck |
These numbers are a starting point, not a rule. Why 1:2 works, and when to change it, is covered in our espresso brew ratio guide.
Step-by-step: how to make espresso at home
1. Heat the machine properly
Fill the tank, switch on, and lock the empty portafilter into the group head so it heats too. Thermoblock and ThermoJet machines are ready in seconds to a couple of minutes; single-boiler machines like the Gaggia Classic Pro or Rancilio Silvia benefit from 15–20 minutes. A cold portafilter pulls a sour shot.
2. Weigh and grind your dose
Weigh 18 g of whole beans (or your basket’s dose), then grind straight into a dosing cup or the portafilter. Start at a fine setting; espresso grind feels like fine sand or powdered sugar with a little grit. If your grinder is new, start near the finer end of its espresso range.
3. Distribute the grounds
Stir the grounds with a WDT tool for 5–10 seconds, working through the whole depth of the bed to break up clumps. Then tap the portafilter gently on the counter (on a mat) to settle and level it. Even distribution is the main defense against channeling, where water finds a weak path and over-extracts it while the rest stays under-extracted.
4. Tamp level
Set the portafilter on a flat surface or the counter edge. Hold the tamper like a doorknob, wrist straight, and press down firmly until the coffee stops compressing. Exact pressure matters much less than being level and consistent. Don’t twist hard or tap the side of the portafilter after tamping.
5. Flush the group and lock in
Run water through the group head for 2–3 seconds to clear old grounds and stabilize temperature. Wipe the basket rim clean, lock in the portafilter, and brew right away. Grounds sitting in a hot group head start to cook.
6. Brew and weigh the output
Put your cup on the scale, tare, then start the shot and the timer together. Watch for:
- First drops at roughly 5–10 seconds (including pre-infusion).
- A steady stream like warm honey, darkening to a lighter “blonde” color towards the end.
- Stop at 36 g. Stop a gram or two early, since drips continue.
7. Taste and adjust
Stir the espresso (crema and liquid taste different), then taste. Adjust only one thing at a time:
- Sour, thin, salty, fast (under 22 seconds): grind finer.
- Bitter, harsh, dry, slow (over 35 seconds): grind coarser.
- Balanced but weak: lower the yield, e.g. 18 g in, 32 g out.
- Balanced but too intense: raise the yield, e.g. 18 g in, 40 g out.
For a fuller method, follow our step-by-step dialing-in guide.
8. Clean up
Knock the puck out, rinse or wipe the basket, flush the group head for a couple of seconds, and wipe the shower screen. If you steamed milk, purge and wipe the wand immediately.
Making milk drinks
Once your shot is right, a latte is that shot plus about 150–250 ml of steamed milk with a thin layer of foam; a cappuccino has less milk and thicker foam; a flat white is smaller with very fine microfoam. Steam milk to about 55–65°C (130–150°F); hotter than that and it tastes flat. If your machine has no steam wand, see our best milk frothers guide.
Pressurized vs non-pressurized baskets
Many beginner machines include dual-wall (pressurized) baskets with a single tiny exit hole. They create pressure artificially, so they work with pre-ground or less precise grinding, but they cap shot quality and create foamy “fake” crema. If your machine came with both types, start with pressurized to learn the workflow, then switch to single-wall baskets once you have a capable grinder. Machines in our under $200 guide often only ship with pressurized baskets.
How to tell a good shot
A well-made espresso tastes sweet first, with some brightness and a pleasant, short bitterness at the end; it shouldn’t make you wince. The texture should feel a little thick, closer to warm syrup than water. Crema should be present and caramel to hazelnut in color, but don’t judge by crema alone: very fresh beans make lots of crema, older beans less, and pressurized baskets make foamy crema regardless of quality. When in doubt, trust taste and your scale.
Common mistakes when learning how to make espresso at home
- Using old or pre-ground coffee. Stale coffee runs fast and tastes flat, whatever you do.
- Measuring by volume, not weight. Crema makes volume misleading; 60 ml in the cup can mean very different amounts of coffee.
- Changing several things at once. You won’t know which change helped.
- Skipping warm-up. Cold metal pulls heat out of the water.
- Overfilling the basket. If the puck touches the shower screen, reduce the dose by a gram.
- Not cleaning. Old coffee oils make every shot taste bitter.
Once you know how to make espresso at home and want a deeper look at the history and chemistry behind the drink, read the overview of espresso on Wikipedia.
FAQ
Can I make espresso without an espresso machine?
Not true espresso, which needs around 9 bar of pressure. A moka pot or AeroPress makes strong, concentrated coffee that works in milk drinks, but it lacks espresso’s body and crema. Manual lever devices can make real espresso without electricity.
How much coffee do I use for a double espresso?
Typically 16–20 g, with 18 g the most common for a standard double basket. Use whatever your basket is designed for.
How long should an espresso shot take?
Around 25–30 seconds for a 1:2 shot is a good starting target, but taste matters more than the clock. Light roasts often taste better a bit longer and darker roasts a bit shorter.
What temperature should espresso be brewed at?
Roughly 90–96°C (194–205°F). Start around 93°C (200°F) and go higher for light roasts or lower for dark roasts if your machine lets you adjust.
Why is my espresso sour?
Usually under-extraction: grind too coarse, shot too fast, yield too short, or a machine that isn’t fully heated. Grind finer first.
Do I need to buy special espresso beans?
No. “Espresso” on the bag usually means a roast or blend designed for espresso, but any fresh coffee can be brewed as espresso. Medium roasts are the easiest to start with.
