The Ultimate Guide to Brewing Better Espresso at Home

A great espresso doesn't have to come from your favourite café. With the right coffee, a little practice and a few simple adjustments, you can make a delicious shot at home.

Espresso is a concentrated brew, which means small changes to your coffee, grind size and extraction can make a noticeable difference. Here's where to start.

1. Choose Coffee You Enjoy

Start with fresh coffee beans that suit your taste. Medium and darker roasts are popular for espresso because they can offer sweetness, body and familiar chocolatey or nutty flavours. Lighter roasts can also make excellent espresso, often with brighter and more distinctive notes.

The best choice is the one you enjoy drinking.

2. Use a Consistent Dose

A digital scale helps you measure your coffee accurately. Consistency makes it easier to understand what's changing from one shot to the next.

A common starting point is around 18g of ground coffee for a double espresso, although the ideal dose depends on your basket and equipment.

3. Get the Grind Right

Espresso generally requires a fine grind. If the grind is too coarse, water may pass through too quickly, producing a thin or sour shot. If it's too fine, the shot may run slowly and taste bitter or harsh.

Make small adjustments rather than changing everything at once.

4. Pay Attention to Your Yield and Time

A useful starting point for a double espresso is a brew ratio of approximately 1:2 — for example, 18g of ground coffee yielding around 36g of espresso.

Many shots take roughly 25–30 seconds, but this is a guide rather than a rule. Different coffees and machines will behave differently.

Taste the result and adjust to suit the coffee.

5. Distribute and Tamp Evenly

Before brewing, distribute the grounds evenly in the portafilter. Break up clumps if needed, then tamp level and consistently.

Uneven distribution can lead to channeling, where water finds easier paths through the coffee and extracts it unevenly.

6. Keep Your Equipment Clean

Old coffee residue can affect flavour. Clean your portafilter, basket and other equipment regularly, following your machine's instructions.

A clean setup helps every shot taste its best.

Troubleshooting Your Espresso

Too sour? Try grinding a little finer or increasing the extraction slightly.

Too bitter? Try grinding a little coarser or reducing the extraction.

Too weak? Check your coffee dose, yield and whether the coffee is suited to espresso.

Change one variable at a time so you can understand the result.

Make It Your Own

Great espresso comes from a balance of good coffee, consistent technique and personal taste. Start with a simple recipe, take notes and adjust gradually.

The more you practise, the easier it becomes to recognise what makes a shot taste right to you.

Looking for your next espresso coffee? Explore the Conway Coffee range.