How to Make A Delicious Espresso Without An Espresso Machine: An espresso lover knows this powerful brew tastes great anywhere. Sometimes it’s easy to find yourself in situations where you don’t have access to an espresso maker. Sometimes those situations can’t be helped. But if you really crave espresso at home and don’t want to spend cash, you will be happy to hear that you can learn how to make an espresso without an espresso machine.
Espresso Coffee: Strong, Dark & Powerful
There are three most important matters which must be kept in mind while making espresso. The matters are the roast, the grind, and the pressure used to brew the coffee. Once you have mastered all the basic things, you will be a great craftsman of espresso.
- Espresso Roast
The things which people love about espresso are strong and more dynamic flavor than drip coffee. It’s easy to extract all those yummy coffee solubles from dark roasted beans. The more it is roasted, the more alveolar coffee beans will become.
- Espresso Grind
Once the roasting is done, the coffee grounds into an excellent powder. This fine coffee grind slows water infiltration. This increases the pressure necessary to create a fine shot of espresso. It’s possible to hand-grind the beans to the superfine firmness required for espresso, but it takes a lot of time and requires a lot of stamina.
Also, Check out Best Semi-Automatic Espresso Machines 2022: Top Picks Reviewed
- Espresso Pressure
Espresso machines work by forcing boiling water through the finely ground coffee at great pressure. That is about 130 pounds of pressure.
Mere humans cannot create that kind of force by hand without particular equipment.
How to Make an Espresso Without An Espresso Machine? Easy Methods
1. How to make Espresso with an AeroPress:
There are huge fans of AeroPress. It’s perfect for making single and double shots.
The requirements are
- AeroPress
- Freshly roasted coffee beans
- Scale for coffee measuring
- Burr coffee grinder
- Electric gooseneck kettle or stovetop kettle
Once the equipment and beans are collected, it’s time to make espresso.
- Heat one cup of water.
- Grind the beans to a fine firmness until you have 2 tablespoons
- The filter should be rinsed with hot water in the AeroPress drain cap.
- The drain cap will be put on the AeroPress and will be placed onto your coffee mug.
- The ground coffee will be transferred to the AeroPress.
- Measure half a cup of hot water. Pour the water into the AeroPress and quickly stir it
- Wait 30 seconds after stirring. Once the submergence is fully depressed, remove the press from the cup
- Take your brewed espresso to your cup and enjoy it.
2. How to Make Espresso With a Moka Pot:
In Europe and Latin America, a favorite and the Moka pot might not be an espresso maker, but it’s amazement in Italian engineering. If you are thinking about making espresso or at least the next best thing like the coffee Glitterati, a Moka pot is the most suitable answer.
The requirements are:
- Moka pot
- Freshly roasted coffee beans
- A small spoon for stirring
- A tablespoon
- Burr coffee grinder
- Electric Gooseneck kettle or stovetop kettle
Once the beans and gears are gathered, it’s time to join team Moka.
- As you will want to grind the coffee to a perfect caster sugar texture, measure and grind 4 to 4 and half of coffee
- Add water to the bottom of the Moka pot to reach the fill line, and don’t overfill the tank.
- Add the ground coffee to the filter tray of the Moka pot.
- Attach the Moka’s jet top.
- Place the Moka pot on a stovetop burner over medium heat.
- Listen for the hissing sound.
- When the top of the pot is full of coffee, remove it from the stove.
- Give the coffee in the upper chamber a quick stir, and it will be ready for serving.
This process is one of the fun and classy way to enjoy the espresso experience at home.
3. How to Prepare Espresso with a French Press:
There could be a chance you already have a French Press if you are a serious coffee lover. This thing can also be used for making your favorite espresso drinks.
The gears which will be needed:
- 8-cup French press
- Freshly roasted beans
- A tablespoon
- Electronic gooseneck kettle or stovetop kettle
- Burr coffee grinder
Armed with your gears and your grind, it’s time to press forward:
- Using very dark roast or espresso beans, grind your coffee very fine.
- Fill the kettle and heat the water to boil, then wait 30 seconds for brewing.
- Add the coffee grounds to the French press. You will be using double the amount of coffee. This will give the brew a stronger flavor and a darker brew.
- Use the hot kettle to add a few water splashes to the French press and let it rest for a few seconds. This helps your coffee to bloom.
- Add the rest of the water to the French press. Don’t stir it. This will make the grounds to fall out of the suspension and potentially ruin the extraction of yummy coffee flavors and richness.
- Close the lid and allow the coffee to steep for around 4 minutes. If you like a stronger taste, you can let it steep for a while longer. Don’t let it go for too long. It can lead to over-extraction and will taste bitter.
- With slow, steady, and even pressure, press down the plunger on the French press. Do it halfway, and then pull the plunger to the top before plunging all the way to the finishing point of the press.
- Pour the coffee into a serving pot, which will help halt the extraction and help preserve the coffee flavor.
- Serve your coffee and enjoy it.
A French press is not actually designed for making espresso, but it is the least effective of the three choices. But it’s an easy way to brew a strong espresso shot if you can keep in mind the process to keep the grind fine, extract timely and serve the coffee just right after brewing.
4. How to make Espresso with a Hand Espresso Gadget:
A hand espresso machine is a simple and lightweight unit formation of a pod for coffee grounds. It has an adjacent arm which is filled with hot water. The pressure required to pull an espresso shot is built up by pumping the arm, more like using a bicycle pumper.
Like AeroPress, the hand espresso machine is very much popular and known among outdoor enthusiasts. It is even more impenetrable than the AeroPress. It has a few parts to manage. But the espresso will be far superior with freshly ground beans.
The tools which will be needed:
- Grinder
- Mug
- Espresso beans
- Kettle
- Hand espresso machine
- Coldwater
The collection of tools is done. Now, let’s start.
- Finely grind the beans to fill the espresso pod of the machine.
- Unscrew the pod filter and fill it with the ground coffee. Fill it until the grounds lie plane and in line with the top of the pod.
- Heat the water in the kettle until it boils, then add it to the water lacuna. Make sure the lacuna is full to the top.
- While holding the upper part of the machine, pump the bottom pump up to 16 psi. Once you reach this pressure, press the extraction button and hold a mug till completion.
5. How to Make Espresso with a Lever machine:
A manual lever machine is an intricate and nice piece of equipment that takes a certain skill to use well. However, once this skill is mastered, this machine delivers a truly remarkable product as you take up arms for the perfect espresso.
The things which will be needed:
- Tamp
- Grinder
- Pre-heated Mug
- Espresso Roasted Beans
- Cold filtered water
- A manual lever espresso machine
Now, let’s start the process.
- Please turn on the machine and allow it to warm up.
- Grind the beans in a burr grinder to espresso grind.
- Spoon the grounds into the portafilter. Press down on them with the tamp, the target for about 30 pounds of pressure.
- Place the portafilter in the machine and place a heated espresso cup underneath. Slowly and steadily pull the lever. When you reach the top, wait ten seconds, then smoothly and slowly lower the lever. This will take about 20 seconds and 45 pounds of pressure.
Also, check out our Best Espresso Machine Under $200
Conclusion: How to Make an Espresso Without An Espresso Machine
There is totally no need to sell a kidney or to go to the neighborhood Java point for a strong shot of Italian coffee. With everyday brewing gear and quality coffee, you can learn how to make espresso no matter the budget or skill level. Just try to remember the three main factors of this process. Roast, grind, and pressure: and you will be making some perfect “˜Espresso‘ in no time.
