What exactly goes into YOUR ESPRESSO SHOT?
Photo by Büşra Salkım on Unsplash
Millions of people visit coffee shops around the world every day and watch with fascination as skilled Baristas create their cup of morning bliss.
One step in this beautiful process is grinding fresh espresso beans into a small metal basket with an attached handle. This “mini brewer” is a standard part of all manual espresso machines. It’s known as a “portable” filter (ie. portafilter).
Graphic from www.prima-cofffee.com showing the process of an espresso shot.
Basically, think of the portafilter as a fancy coffee term for the "magic wand" that baristas use to make espresso. It has a handle with a filter basket attached. You fill that basket with ground coffee, lock it into an espresso machine, and then press the start button to brew a shot of espresso.
Think of it as the coffee equivalent of a cauldron! It holds the coffee grounds, lets the hot water work its magic, and then out comes the elixir—your espresso!
The Science Behind the Portafilter
The science behind the portafilter is that it holds the freshly ground coffee in place and creates a seal with the pressurized water delivery system inside of the machine. Therefore, the perfect amount of water, at the proper temperature and pressure, is forced through the coffee.
Because the portafilter is made of solid metal, it easily handles the 9 bars of pressure while 200-degree water is pushed through the fine espresso grinds. This unique brewing process produces a much more intense and flavorful beverage than any other method of coffee extraction.
The typical standard espresso extraction produces 1oz of espresso and is referred to as a “shot”. The next time you order that triple-shot latte at Vienna Coffee House you can thank the portafilter (and the Barista) for making it possible!
AT VIENNA COFFEE COMPANY…
Our dedication to ensuring that we are a market leader in craft coffee throughout the southeast dictates that we apply the same critical scrutiny used for our complete coffee lineup to any product we offer.
This commitment demonstrates our continued pursuit to provide craft coffee that enriches the lives of customers and producers alike by providing an experience grounded in excellence and hospitality. We custom pick our green coffee beans from regions across The Coffee Belt and always seek responsible sourcing from seed to cup.
Our roasting team ensures each bean varietal is roasted according to its characteristics to enhance its peak flavors. Vienna Coffee Company goes further by evaluating each varietal harvest through coffee cuppings to evaluate and adjust its roasting profile.
Explore our complete line of coffees online or stop by the Coffee House and let our baristas do the brewing for you. We hope that exploring what we offer (whether its organic, single-origin, a VCC custom blend or your favorite flavored coffee) continues your journey in discovering that “Great Coffee is an Adventure”.