by Cara Dack

Created on: May 24, 2010

There is nothing better than good cup of espresso to perk you up. Forget the health scares and sink into the smooth taste of a freshly made coffee.

To make the perfect espresso is an art form and something that professional baristas spend hours practising. Firstly decide whether you want a single or double shot.

1. For a single shot empty your ground coffee into the appropriate pod (the one with only one nozzle below) loosely.

2. Using your finger slide straight across knocking off any excess grind.

3. Using your tamper (this is usually metal and will come in the form of a round, relatively thick disc with a handle) press the grind down firmly, gently tap the side and press firmly down again.

4. To make a double is mostly the same, except you use the double pod (the one with two nozzles) and you form a slight bump with your finger instead of straight across.

Now we are ready to go. Screw the pod onto the machine, at this point either you machine will have specific buttons for single and double shots or it will simply be a free flow which you will have to stop manually. Regardless of how your machine works, it should take 13 seconds for a single shot to pour through and 26 second for a double. If the machine takes too long then you will end up with a very thick strong coffee, too short and it will be thin and weak. It may take a couple of goes before you get used to the amount of coffee to put into your pod in order to create your perfect coffee. Once finished you coffee should have a smooth flavour and have a nutty colour film on top called the “crema.”

If, unlike me, you want milk with your coffee then you will need the steam wand. Ideally you need cold milk and a cold jug.

1. Pour milk into the jug up to about a third.

2. Angle the steam wand and jug so that the jug is on a slight tilt and the wand points at the side closest to you.

3. The steam wand should be just below the milk's surface.

4. Turn on your steam wand, the end will shoot steam into the milk. If you have angled them correctly, the shooting steam will send the milk swirling around the jug. Keep tilting until you get the perfect swirl.

5. Depending on how frothy you want your milk, pull the wand up to the surface of the milk and gently pull up. The longer you do this the more frothy it will be.

6. Then dip the wand back into the milk until it reaches the desired heat.

You can tell when the milk is ready as the sound it makes will lower in tone and be a bit grumbly.  Turn off the steam wand before you remove the jug.

1. Tap the bottom of the jug against the table to bring all the bubbles to the surface.

2. Swirl the milk around the jug, the frothier this is the longer it will take but when it is ready it will have a silky consistency.

3. And pour.

Congratulations on your first cup of espresso coffee.!

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