While brewing espresso in a coffee maker isn’t the easiest brewing method for your favorite espresso roast, it is possible. You can still have that strong, smooth taste without having an expensive espresso machine on hand.
There is a different brewing process available to you, so long as you know how to maximize the roast, grind and pressure needed for brewing espresso. Once you have those aspects nailed, then you can make espresso without the shiny espresso machine.
In this article we explore three ways to brew espresso in a coffee maker.
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While regular coffee beans are used for espresso, choosing a roast specifically for espresso helps with the flavor profile. Using a traditional roast with a dark finish gives espresso its strong, potent taste.
Using a dark roasted coffee bean means that those coffee solubles that are so tasty can be easily extracted. The dark roast beans have been roasted longer than others, so they are more porous which then increases the flavor compounds.
Once you have the dark roast, then using an espresso grind is benificial as well. An espresso coffee should be ground very finely. By creating a fine grind, the water penetration is slowed.
This in turn increases the needed pressure to push the water through so you get a good shot of espresso. You need to find a balance though – if the grind is overly fine, then the filter can be blocked. Using a burr grinder can help with this precise grind.
Because espresso needs pressure to force hot water through the fine grounds you need to find a way to mimic that pressure without having the special espresso machine.
Now that you have the right beans and grinder, you can make espresso at home with much less expensive equipment compared to the full espresso machine.
This is a great way to use a coffee maker to get an espresso. All you need is your AeroPress, freshly roasted beans and a good coffee grinder.
This is a preferred way to make coffee in Europe and Latin America. It uses water pressure to create that espresso taste.
Most coffee lovers have a French press on hand so it’s easy to access and make an espresso.
These methods are all good for making espresso at home when you don’t have access (or the budget) to use an espresso machine. They will give you that espresso taste without the machine costs.
You can create a great espresso if you remember to follow the general guidelines. Use a dark roast bean as a basis for your espresso. Make sure that the bean is ground finely but not so fine it clogs up the process, and then follow the steps for extraction so the pressure through the fine grounds is consistent and strong.
It will probably take a few tries to get it exact but with a little bit of practice, your barista skills will be top-notch.