Recipes

Work Blend Brewing Method

So, you’ve tried the Work Blend at our coffee shop, and you’ve purchased your very own bag of fresh beans to run home and brew yourself up a cup of coffee, but what method do you use? How much coffee do you need? How did those baristas get that espresso shot perfect in every way? Well, we’re here to answer all those questions and send you on your way to making the best homemade espresso you’ve ever tried.

Brewing With The Work Blend

While it may look like there is a lot that goes into making the perfect espresso, realistically, all you need are the right measurements, and you’re good to go. Lucky for you, having worked in the coffee industry for many years, Lincoln Coffee House & Roasters has all of the information and top tips that our baristas in our coffee shops swear by. All you will need is an espresso machine and a grinder if you have purchased whole beans, as the Work Blend is best brewed as a delicious and intense espresso.

What Is An Espresso?

The espresso method consists of applying heat and pressure to the coffee grinds to form a rich and intense shot of coffee; this makes the temperature of the coffee an important factor in how the final cup tastes. For this reason, we advise brewing your espresso at 96°C to draw out and enhance the chocolatey and apple notes found in the Work Blend. The machine works by pushing the coffee through a series of chambers; this is done by placing ground coffee into a puck and then using high pressure to push the coffee through the chambers and out into your espresso cup.

Weighing & Grinding Your Coffee

The weight of the coffee once you have ground it will impact the final cup, and this weight will follow a very specific ratio of coffee and water to ensure that it comes out perfect every time. For the Work Blend, you should always use 19g of coffee with an extraction weight of 38g.

How you grind your coffee usually differs depending on the method that you use. For an espresso machine, it is best to grind finely as this will affect the rate of extraction as well as the flavour and aroma found in the coffee. These flavours have been perfected in the profile of the coffee and have been perfectly roasted to use for espresso.

How To Brew Using The Espresso Method

Now that you know more about how an espresso is made, the perfect weight of your coffee grounds and optimal temperature, it’s time to perfect your espresso technique. As professional coffee roasters and baristas, we have come up with an easy step by step method to follow when using your espresso machine at home:

Turn on your espresso machine – aim to turn on your machine around 25 minutes before you make your coffee. However, the timing for this may change depending on your machine, so take a look at your user manual for further advice.
Weigh out your beans – place your coffee beans onto weighing scales and measure out exactly 19g of coffee. Make sure that this coffee is finely ground before the next step.
Place ground into the puck – pop your freshly ground beans into your puck, using your fingers to gently level out the coffee.
Level out your coffee – use a tamper to level out the coffee in our puck. You will need to make sure that you get this as straight as possible and apply a fair amount of pressure.
Pull your shot – press the button on your machine to pull the shot of espresso into your cup; this should take 32 seconds.

The Perfect Espresso Every Time

It is as easy as that to create the perfect espresso, and by following the same steps and using the same measurements every time, you are guaranteed to enjoy the perfect espresso time and time again. Please feel free to contact our team if you require any further advice or would like to know more about our Work Blend.