Espresso is the most technically demanding brew method and the one where quality of raw material matters most. There is nowhere to hide: a 25-second extraction under nine bars of pressure will tell you exactly what is in the cup — good or bad. It is why we care so deeply about how our beans are roasted. At 1880m in the Swiss Alps, we roast with the kind of precision that espresso demands: every degree of development, every second on the drum, considered as part of the final result you pull into your cup.
What you need
- Espresso machine (pump-driven, minimum 9 bar)
- Burr grinder (essential — blade grinders will not work)
- Digital scale with 0.1g precision
- Tamper
- Distribution tool or WDT needle (recommended)
- 18g freshly ground Zermatt Kaffee espresso bean
- Target: 36–40g yield in 25–30 seconds
Step 1 — Dial in your grinder
This is the most important step. Grind size controls extraction speed. For a standard 1:2 ratio (18g in, 36g out), you want the shot to flow in 25–30 seconds. If it runs faster, grind finer. If it runs slower or stalls, grind coarser. A new bag of coffee — even the same product — may require a small adjustment. Temperature and humidity affect grind too.
Step 2 — Weigh and distribute
Dose 18g of freshly ground coffee into your portafilter. Use a distribution tool or WDT needle to break up any clumps and level the puck before tamping. Uneven distribution creates uneven extraction — channels form in the path of least resistance, resulting in a sour, weak shot even at the right time and weight.
Step 3 — Tamp level and firm
Tamp with consistent, level pressure — approximately 15–20kg of force. The key word is level: a tilted tamp creates a channel on one side of the puck. Your goal is a uniformly compressed disc of coffee that presents equal resistance to water across its entire surface.
Step 4 — Flush and lock in
Run a short flush (2–3 seconds) through your group head before locking in the portafilter. This purges any stale water from the previous shot and stabilises the group temperature. Lock the portafilter firmly and start extraction immediately.
Step 5 — Extract and weigh
Place your cup on the scale, tare to zero, and start the pump. You are looking for 36–40g of espresso in 25–30 seconds for an 18g dose. The first few seconds should show a slow, honey-like stream that gradually increases in flow. If you see pale, watery blonding before 25 seconds, stop the shot early — extraction is moving too fast.
Step 6 — Taste and adjust
Taste the shot before adding milk. A good espresso is sweet, syrupy, and complex — not bitter, sour, or sharp. Bitterness indicates over-extraction (grind coarser or reduce yield). Sourness indicates under-extraction (grind finer or increase yield). Each adjustment should be small and evaluated over two or three shots before changing anything else.
Which coffee works best?
All of our espresso range is roasted specifically for extraction under pressure. For approachable, crowd-pleasing espresso, start with FIFTI FIFTI or Brazil Minas. For intensity and a serious kick, KICKASS and MADDOG are the house choices. Our Guatemala honey anaerobic is the wildcard — complex, fruited, and spectacular as a long black.
