PODcast #36 : Espresso Pods News

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Espresso Elucidation

More on Extraction

Few things affect the quality of a shot of espresso more than the extraction process. This is where the "rubber meets the road," and if not done right, your espresso may well taste like a cup of burned rubber.

Fortunately — and unfortunately — espresso pods cut down the variables in extraction. There is little to go wrong, but also little that one can do to correct any problems. There are some basics that should be heeded to get a great shot and I want to talk about that.

In every order that we send out we include a stuffer intended to communicate the simple fact that one pod does not equal one entire cup of espresso. One espresso pod — 7 grams of ground coffee — is meant to produce one ounce of coffee — a single shot. A demitasse cup is a 2 ounce (2 shot) cup. If you are filling a demitasse cup to the top with the coffee from a single pod, then you are probably horribly over-extracting the coffee. Besides being very weak, the resulting cup will contain bad tasting compounds that would be better left behind in the grounds. If making a full cup from a single pod has been your practice, please try it the right way and see if you don't find an enormous improvement.

I wish it was always as easy as "one pod = one ounce" and leave it at that. It usually is just that easy, but some pods and machines don't fully cooperate. It is not only desired to pour one ounce of coffee from a pod, but also that this occur within a window of time — around 25 to 30 seconds. Too short, and the espresso is watery and often sour. Too long and out come the bitter compounds as well as high levels of caffeine. We can see this in the following chart, taken from "The Complexity of Coffee," by Ernesto Illy (yes, that Illy). Note how the rancid and smoke components rise rapidly with time.



Some brands, Lavazza for example, are a bit more coarsely ground than most. So, in some machines, the water will flow through the pod too fast and produce an ounce too quickly — say 15 to 20 seconds. This is too fast — the coffee will be underextracted. Besides being weak, the cup will not contain the desired balance of the bean's soluble compounds. The solution? Change to a more finely ground brand or, if applicable, tighten up a bit on the portafilter handle. (Note: FrancisFrancis! machines with the Trio system can easily adjust to variations in coarseness.)

One pod = one ounce — but under 20 seconds is too fast.

At the other end of the spectrum, the coffee just drips out of the spout instead of making a steady stream. Perhaps the coffee is too finely ground or too tightly packed for your particular machine. Or the pod may be too tightly clamped between the portafilter and shower screen in the grouphead. If this is happening, don't keep it flowing until the full ounce has poured. If you value quality over quantity, cut it off before 30 seconds regardless of how much has come out.

One pod = one ounce or 30 seconds, which ever comes first.

Steady flow — good crema.		Just dripping out. Be sure to cut off before 30 seconds.

PodMerchant News

Improvements at our online store just keep coming. We've implemented a search function to help customers find just the right espresso. Try it out! Search for Pods.

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That's all for this issue of the PODcast.


Kevin Garrett, The PodMerchant.