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Writer's pictureWallace Rô

Sipping a cup of Espresso at the street coffee stand in Vietnam

Travelling to Vietnam, you will be immersed in a coffee culture that appears to have been there forever. From the big cities to the small towns, coffee is more than just a drink, it’s a way of life. At Robust Coffee stand, each cup of espresso will share with you each story of Vietnam. Your amazing morning rush should be relieved by coffee smell.


But, what is espresso?

According to some coffee gurus, espresso is a very concentrated coffee drink that is made by pushing 1 or 2 oz of heated water through coffee that has been finely ground and put under intense pressure ( 8 – 10 Mb). This results in a very rich and flavorful coffee. Additionally, the brewing process combines air bubbles with the soluble oils in the coffee creating the "crema", a rich foam on top of the shot.

Therefore, when waiting and sipping a cup of espresso, you will never miss the best flavour of coffee: rich, aromatic and velvety all at once. However, could we use Robusta coffee beans for espresso brewing? Awesome, we can! In Vietnam, Robusta coffee beans that were processed by the honey method is one of the great choices for making a perfect cup of espresso. Would you like to sip it now? Here you are.



Step-by-step to make a cup of espresso

#1: Measure and grind your beans

Set your grinder to a fine grind. Place your portafilter on your scale and tare the scale-out, then fill your portafilter with around 15-20 grams of ground coffee. Next, using your hand to shave away the excess coffee, push it into the nooks and crannies and smooth it down so you can start applying pressure with your tamper.

#2: Tamp your grounds

Tamping ensures uniformity of extraction by levelling and packing the grounds to ensure equal and consistent water contact is forced through the coffee. The proper tamp method is to hold your elbow at 90 degrees, rest your portafilter on a level surface and then apply pressure until the coffee has an even, polished look.

Note to check the portafilter for any unwanted grounds.

#3: Preheat the group head

Before attaching the portafilter to the machine's group head, run the hot water for a few seconds to rinse and preheat it

#4: Pull the first shot

Position the portafilter in the grouphead and start your shot. Basically, a single shot is about 30ml (1 ounce) while a double shot is about 60-75ml (2.5 ounces). It’s a good idea to note down the brew time. Around 25-30 seconds should be the sweet spot.

#5: Notice the crema.

The thick golden layer on top of the espresso used to be seen as the hallmark of real espresso

Note: You should clean and dry the portafilter after each use to ensure that coffee buildup doesn’t form on the inside.



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