Let's be honest, everyone wants a good coffee. Whether it's your first one of the day or your afternoon pick me up we all deserve a well rounded cup with that perfect pick me up!
Now if you're sourcing your caffeine hit from an espresso machines, you'll be hoping you've got an experienced barista behind the wheel. As you know by now, there's a tonne that goes into pulling a great shot and if you're an experienced barista you know just exactly what we are talking about.
A good espresso shot begins when grinding, ensuring you've got the correct grind size and your particles are consistent and uniform. The Portafilter is then filled with freshly ground beans, once your filter basket has your required dose of coffee grounds is where the coffee distribution tool comes in. This tool is one of our favourites, when your grinder pushes all your grounds into the basket, it becomes stacked like a big mound, this can be a problem.
Usually you might find in common practice levelling out the grounds with your finger, shake the portafilter to settle the grounds or skip straight past this and just tamp! There's nothing wrong with any of the above processes but the coffee distribution tool allows the coffee to be distributed among the area of the filter basket in a level manner. One of our favourite products is the Ona distribution tool v3 which is well known within the speciality coffee industry.
These coffee distributors sit in your portafilter and spin to create an even and level surface on your loose coffee grounds. It distributes the grounds and grooms surface and like that it's job ends there. Your coffee grounds are ready for a well performed tamp. It's a simple but significant tool to have in the tool bag and the impact on quality and consistency is noticeable.
The ONA ocd v2 and its more recent counterpart the ocd distribution tool v3 have many appealing features. Along with other barista distribution tools we sell such as the Pullman, features include: advanced static reducing coating, ergonomic design around the sides and they can be adjusted to accommodate for the desired dose.
The coffee distribution tool provides a level, well distributed surface. When combined with an evenly compacted tamp it will allow the water to flow evenly through the beans and extract perfectly. Better tasting coffee has never sounded so good.
How to make the best espresso?
Once you've set your recipe (brew ratio) then you'll have a good idea on what your dose and yield is. We personally like a 1:2 ratio with 23g in and 46g out, not saying this is the best but it's been delicious for me so far!
Step 1: Adjust your grinder so that your extraction time is aligned with 25-30 seconds.
Step 2: Weigh your portafilter basket with 24g of freshly ground beans, then tamper.
Step 3: Place the portafilter into the machine and pull your shot. Either use scales underneath spout to time extraction and weigh the yield (in this case 46g).
Step 4: Make sure your result aligns with the brewing ratio you chose. If yield is larger than expected make grind size finer to slow the extraction process. If the yield is smaller than expected, you guessed it, make the grind coarser. 3mm of adjustments on the grinder will result in a longer or shorter extraction time by approximately 3-5 seconds.
How do I use a coffee distributor?
There are many different types of distributors, however they all function in a very similar way. The tools depths can be set to specifically suit each portafilter basket. The tool sits on top of your portafilter basket and requires a twisting motion for the blades to evenly disperse the grounds within the basket. Making sure the height is set so it does not compact the grounds but rather spread them out evenly. Once the grounds are even, you're ready to tamp!
As we know by now, there’s a little more to brewing coffee than just putting a coffee capsule into a machine and hitting a button, well for a quality cup of coffee anyway. All of our accessories are meant to complement and significantly enhance your brewing experience and ability! Usually, you’d begin your espresso process by using a Dosing tool to weigh the appropriate amount of beans with your Coffee Scales before grinding your fresh coffee!
Your coffee grounds will be put back into your dosing cup and transferred into your Portafilter Basket which may be a single, double or triple! The Distribution tool will help you to evenly distribute the grounds within the Filter Basket prior to using a coffee tamper to compress the grounds. By placing your portafilter onto a Tamping Mat you’ll prevent damage to the portafilter handle or bench, simply place 10-30kg of even pressure down on the tamper and twist to polish. Lock the portafilter into your machine, use the scales under the spout with whichever cup, glassware or reusable cup you prefer and commence brewing.
Now when texturing milk it's important to use the correctly sized milk jug for the amount of milk you require. Once you texture the milk, use a milk Thermometer to get the ideal steaming time for whatever milk you’re working with and if in a cafe you might have the option of a Milk Jug Rinser which is incredibly convenient for the post brew clean! A chocolate shaker is a must for those mocha or cappuccino lovers. When the shot is pouring, make sure to use a barista timer or your scales to measure for the perfect extraction, we recommend 23g in and 46g out at an extraction time of 25-30 seconds. Knock the puck out in either a Knock Box at home or a Standing knock tube or in bench shoot if you’re in a cafe!
Now every machine deserves a good clean, check out our range of Blind Filters, cleaning brushes, cleaning products and chemicals! Everyone loves having a few beans up your sleeve so be sure to check out our favourite Coffee Storage units for home or cafe! If you've got a passion for coffee, well there's nothing tastier than some cupping, use some of our coffee Cupping Tools, such as bowls and spoons to bring this professional experience into your own home!
