You no longer only find them in the hip cafés of St. Pauli, but also increasingly in the cozy kitchens of Hamburg: the portafilter machine. Why is that? Quite simply, coffee prepared with a portafilter machine is a pleasure and a real craft. And every craft requires the right material. In our case, that is of course the right coffee. In this article, you will find out which coffee is suitable for your portafilter and what you need to look out for with your portafilter coffee. Enjoy reading!
The portafilter coffee: spoilt for choice
The most important thing first: Only coffee roasted specifically for espresso preparation goes into the portafilter. No filter coffee! This is because filter coffee needs a certain amount of extraction time to develop its aromas. The extraction time of an espresso of 25-30 seconds would be far too short and would make the filter coffee prepared in the espresso style taste sour. So pay close attention to which beans you buy! Here are the most important criteria for the right portafilter coffee:
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Quality
This should go without saying, but I can't stress it enough! You can simply taste the difference. So make sure you buy real quality beans from your favorite roaster. You can recognize them by their personal contacts, traceable supply chains and insight into the craft. Stay away from industrial roasters!
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Freshness
The be-all and end-all of portafilter coffee. The aromas come out better with freshly roasted coffee - so always pay attention to the roasting date!
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Roasting level
Do you like mild coffees ? Then you should go for medium to dark roasts. The longer roasting process makes the portafilter coffee less acidic and more chocolate and caramel notes come out. Conversely, light roasts mean lots of fruity notes and more acidity.
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Whole bean
Of course, you buy your beans for your portafilter coffee whole and grind them fresh at home. Every home barista should therefore buy an espresso grinder and get to grips with it. Whether with a timer and/or scale. There are many ways to get to Rome - the most important thing is to always use the same amount, so you get a consistent result.
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Arabica vs. Robusta
This is where your personal taste comes into play. The Italians would probably go for their 50/50 blend. In Germany we prefer the classic 80/20 blend in favor of Arabica. Real coffee lovers love 100% Arabica coffee so that they can really taste every hint of fruit. 100% Robusta coffee is rare, but it must be mastered by the roasting master - if it is roasted too dark, the bitter substances will quickly come to the fore. Ultimately, everyone should try out the variety of beans and decide according to their personal taste.
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Bean picture
When choosing beans for portafilter coffee, it is important to make sure that the beans are not oily. This only happens if they have been roasted too hot! The escaping oils and essential fats can go rancid really quickly and really ruin your portafilter coffee. Oily coffee also sticks to the grinder and if you don't clean it enough, it can even break. So make sure you get nice, evenly roasted coffee that is not oily!
Coarse or fine - that is the question!
Once you have chosen the perfect portafilter coffee, it should now be perfectly ground for your portafilter. In general, the longer a coffee is in contact with the water, the coarser it needs to be ground. Since the espresso only has 25-30 seconds with the water in a portafilter coffee, it needs to be ground very finely. As already mentioned, the grinder is really important for preparing portafilter coffee - I often didn't recognize my espresso because the grinder was so out of adjustment that nothing decent came out of it. So try and practice a lot with the grinder to get the perfect grind! And of course we are also on hand to give you advice and support!
Now tamper properly!
When preparing portafilter coffee, it's not just the right coffee and grind that's important, but also the right tamping. The right amount of coffee powder, 7-10g for a simple espresso, should be pressed firmly and evenly into the portafilter. You can read how this works in our espresso guide here .
Conclusion for a successful espresso
Always make sure you use really good quality beans. The rest is a matter of practice! Try our espresso bundle - here you will find an incredibly delicious and varied selection for your portafilter coffee. If you like to learn directly from the object, you should come to our barista seminar in the Hafencity. Here you will find delicious coffee, cool people and a lot of coffee knowledge. And all of it with lots of fun!
See you soon - Your Kaffeebrewda