Your Guide to Brewing Espresso at Home

Espresso: What's the Perfect Extraction Time

Whether you've just got your hands on the Profitec GO espresso machine, or you're looking to improve your home barista skills, this guide to the perfect espresso extraction time will definitely help you get there. Find out why your coffee grinder is so important, how hard you should tamp your coffee and why your crema isn't silky smooth in the article below...

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Profitec GO Espresso Machine

Single Boiler Home Espresso Machine

Regular price£795.00
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Welcome to bolder coffee. The Profitec GO is the new slimline espresso machine, manufactured in Germany by Profitec. With it's 2.8L water tank, 0.4L brass boiler and PID temperature control, you'll be pulling the perfect shot of espresso at home in no time at all.

Why We Love It:

Fast Heating Phase:

Making barista-quality coffee at home is an art form, but it has to be convenient. That's why we're thrilled about the fast heating phase on the Profitec GO. Once turned on, your espresso machine will take between 5-7 minutes to get up to temperature.

The Profitec GO is a single boiler espresso machine, which is ideal for home use. It takes between 60-90 seconds for boiler to come up to steam temperature.

PID Control:

PID control is a sophisticated temperature control system used in espresso machines to regulate the water temperature consistently and precisely during the brewing process. Usually found on higher end machines, the Profitec GO promises more consistent extraction and overall better quality espresso shots by continuously monitoring and adjusting the heating element. 

Slimline Design:

Profitec knew what they were doing when they designed the Profitec GO. At only 21cm wide, it's compact design is the perfect size for home use. While it may be a small espresso machine, they've spared no expenses. You'll find a 2.8L water tank tucked into the back of the coffee machine.

Dimensions: 21 x 36 x 38 cm (without portafilter)

Copper Heating:

Copper's is a fantastic thermal conductor, with the ability to keep water at optimal temperature for brewing for longer periods. Its anti-bacterial nature provides a cleanly brewed cup, and these types of heating elements have been known to last for decades.

Eco Mode:

Something you rarely see on an entry-level coffee machine is fully-customisable eco settings. This is something seriously worth considering, as it means you can keep the water in the boiler hot without running up huge electricity bills. It's definitely a feature worth looking out for if you have more than one coffee a day. 

Profitec GO Colours:

What's the point of being the best espresso machine if you can't sing and dance about it. The colours are bold, bright and ready to elevate your kitchen. Of course, the black Profitec GO is a brilliant option... but if you're serious about great coffee, you'll want your espresso machine to stand out.

Added Features:

There are so many features to the Profitec GO that you wouldn't expect to find on a machine at this price point. As well as advances technical features like brewing pressure adjustment, anti-burn steam wand and programmable temperature modes, you'll get the added benefits of a cup warmer, removable tank lid and fully customisable accessories. 

Please note: This product ships with a protective tape on the drip tray that you need to remove. Do not remove the tape until you are happy with the machine as we may have to charge if you choose to return the product and the protective tape is damaged. You may also find the portafilter is stiff as it is a new machine, this will loosen with use. The rubber feet are not bolted to allow the user to reposition depending on the support service. 

Colour

Espresso: What's the Perfect Extraction Time

perfect weight of coffee for espresso with crema

The art of great coffee has long been debated, particularly when it comes to pulling the perfect espresso. You see, milk is excellent at hiding some qualities. If you over or under extract your grinds, milk is the perfect cover up. But espresso is less forgiving. That's why you should always aim to let your espresso extract for 25 – 30 seconds.  

 

The perfect extraction time for an espresso is 25 – 30 seconds. This is true for pressurised and non-pressurised baskets. Whether you're using a Sage coffee machine at home or you're keeping an eye on the barista using a La Marzocco espresso machine at your favourite café... the extraction time should always be the same. 25 – 30 seconds. 

 

If you're making espresso at home and you haven’t managed to achieve this perfect pull yet, there are a few things we recommend trying out. 

How Much Coffee are You Putting in Your Portafilter Basket? 

 

Firstly, are you weighing your beans? For a single espresso portafilter basket, you need 11 grams of fresh coffee. For a double espresso portafilter basket, you need 18 grams of fresh coffee. We weigh our beans out before we put them in our coffee grinder to minimise waste and ensure we're getting the best coffee to water ratio. 

 

espresso portafilter basket extraction time

As you can probably guess, if you're not using enough coffee then the pressure will force the water through the grounds much quicker than it's supposed to. On the other hand, too much coffee will cause a slower extraction time as the water tries to find its way through. 

 

Some coffee grinders have espresso machine settings, designed to stop when you've got the perfect amount of ground coffee in your portafilter. If you are having trouble with extraction times, weigh what you get in your basket. It may be that your grinder needs to be dialled in or that the setting on your machine is faulty and does not weigh correctly.  

The Perfect Coffee Beans to use for Espresso 

 

Did you know, the freshness of your coffee beans will affect your espresso's extraction time? Not to mention the taste. But it might not be in the way that you expect it to... 

 

supermarket coffee vs independent roastery

Supermarket coffee could have been in the bag for 2 years before it landed in your kitchen. We know it's convenient. And we know the pretty packaging is practically begging you to put it in your basket. But next time you reach for a bag of coffee on the supermarket shelf, have a think about how long it's been there. 

 

You see, mass market coffee (like the stuff you find at the high street) passes through as many as 15 middle men before it even gets to the supermarket shelves. There's the coffee farmers, exporters, salesman, agents, brokers... you name it, they're involved in the chain.  

 

Don't even get me started on how they manage to pay all these people fairly. The answer is that they don't. That's how Barista & Co (and loads of other independent roasters) can pay their farmers up to 4x more than these companies do). Can you tell I'm not a fan? 

 

Anyway, we went slightly off topic there. The problem with older coffee beans is that they lack a lot of the flavours that you know and love from great coffee. To counteract this, most of these brands will dark roast their coffee. When you dark roast, you lose a lot of the natural flavours and get an Italian style bitter taste – feel free to learn about light roast vs. dark roast, you might be surprised to find out which one has more coffee. 

Is Your Espresso Over Extracting? Or is Your Coffee Supermarket Stale? 

 

two single espresso shots extraction time

Now as these supermarket coffee brands are dark roasting their beans to hide the nasty flavours, you'll get a bitter taste. Almost burnt. Which you might confuse with over extraction. We do... all the time. Before you go tinkering with your espresso machine or your coffee grinder, get your hands on a sample of freshly roasted coffee and give it a go. I might be wrong, but I'm willing to bet you'll notice the difference. 

Is Your Coffee Too Fresh? 

Yes, this is a thing. Your coffee beans might be too fresh. This is because coffee is full of carbon dioxide – it's perfectly safe so don't worry. 

 

In fact, we use the carbon dioxide decaffeination process to create our organic decaf coffee. This is a non-solvent method that certifies our beans as organic. The Swiss Water Method is known as one of the best, but did you know that the only certified organic Swiss Water Decaf Facility is based in Switzerland? Either your beans have travelled a long way, or they're not organic... we're not naming names here. 

 

James at the Barista and Co roastery

Anyway, a lot of independent coffee roasters like Barista & Co roast fresh to order. Our Super Fresh Guarantee means that you'll get your money back if your coffee wasn't roasted and posted within 7 days. Some people roast and post on the same day... here's why that might be causing your espresso machine some problems. 

The carbon dioxide in your beans needs to get out. That's it. If you roast and bag your coffee immediately, you're basically trapping all that gas inside your beans. This could lead to any number of problems when it comes to grinding your coffee in your grinder or your extraction time. 

 

Always check the roast date on your coffee bag. If your beans were roasted less than a week ago, leave them to rest for a few more days and try again. Or, save yourself the trouble and choose a coffee subscription that takes care of the resting for you. 

Is Your Grind Size Off? 

The next thing to do is check your grind size and your grind consistency. Espresso machines and pressurised brewers. This means they brew coffee by forcing hot water through fresh grinds and require a fine grind size. If you find your espresso is extracting too quickly, try grinding your coffee even finer. 

 drinking super fresh espresso coffee

This is the most common cause of fast extraction times. The thing is, water is lazy and it is going to find the quickest and easiest route through the coffee. If your grind is off, or inconsistencies in your grind size means you have a few coarser bits in there, the water will move through the coffee much quicker than it's supposed to.  

 

On the other hand, if your espresso shot is taking longer than 30 seconds to extract it might be because your grind is too fine. If your coffee is ground too fine, the water won't be able to get through which will cause your machine to choke and splutter. This is more common with pressurised baskets. We'd recommend grinding your coffee ever so slightly coarser and testing shot by shot until you get the perfect pull. 

Tamping Your Espresso 

 

using at home espresso machine and steaming the milk

Now onto a source of debate for many professional and at-home baristas: tamping. Do you tamp your espresso shots? The likelihood is yes... but how hard do you tamp? 

 

Tamping is when you push the ground coffee down into the portafilter basket to create the perfect puck. Some coffee grinders have a tamp attachment, but you can pick up tools that allow you to do it at home.  

 

espresso grind size and tamping

Tampers are typically made out of metal, and the circular shape means that they fit in the portafilter basket perfectly. You grind your coffee directly into your portafilter head, then use the tamper to apply pressure and tamp the grounds down into the perfect puck. 

 

So why is this art debated? Well, some professional baristas have been putting it to the test. They've tried extracting espresso without tamping. They've tried extracting espresso tamping as hard as they possibly can. The conclusion? Tamping is necessary, but you don't need to apply as much pressure as you think. 

 

In fact, the ideal amount of weight to push down on your coffee is between 20 – 30 pounds. That's not a lot of force in the grand scheme of things... 

 

If your espresso is taking too long to extract, try tamping lighter and see if that does the trick. 


2 comments


  • Steph

    When do you start counting the extraction time? From the first drip to when the machine stops extracting, or first drip to last drip?


  • Bradley Lagers

    I have a question
    Should I start timing my shot from when I start the pump or when I first see the espresso?


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