KitchenAid KES0503ER Use & Care Guide - Page 19

English TIPS FOR GREAT RESULTS and sweep any excess coffee from the filter with their fingers, leaving exactly what they need. After you've had some experience dosing, leveling, and tamping your coffee, you'll be able to consistently dose your coffee by sight, just like the pros. If you're dosing coffee without the aid of a measuring scoop, it is important not to overfill the filter basket. Coffee needs room to expand when brewing. If the coffee is crushed against the shower screen, it will prevent an even dispersion of water across the filter, leading to uneven extraction and poor espresso. Here's how to tell if you're overfilling the filter basket: • Fill the basket, level the coffee, and apply a good tamp (see the next section, "Proper tamping technique"). • Attach the portafilter to the brew head, then remove it immediately. • If the coffee in the portafilter has an imprint of the shower screen or the shower screen screw, there is too much coffee in the filter basket! Leveling Leveling the coffee after it has been dosed into the filter is a critical technique for great espresso. If the coffee isn't evenly distributed in the filter, tamping the coffee will create areas of high and low density. The high pressure brew water will inevitably follow the path of least resistance, flowing heavily through the low density coffee - overextracting the bitter coffee compounds - and flowing lightly through the higher density coffee, underextracting the flavorful essences. This uneven extraction results in thin, weak, bitter espresso. To Level Coffee In the Filter Basket: • Make sure the filter basket is dry before adding coffee; moisture in the basket will create a path of least resistance for the brew water. • After dosing the filter with coffee, level the coffee by sweeping a finger back and forth over the filter. Do not sweep in one direction only - this will cause the coffee to pile up on one side of the basket and produce uneven extraction. Try to impart a slight bowl shape to the coffee, with the center lower than the sides. • Make certain there are no gaps between the coffee and the sides of the filter. Tamping Tamping compresses the coffee into a level disc (also called a puck) that provides uniform resistance to the high-pressure brew water. Properly leveled and tamped coffee will produce an even extraction of coffee compounds - and great espresso. Coffee that is tamped too softly will be deformed by the brew water, resulting in uneven extraction, a fast brewing time, and mediocre espresso. Coffee tamped too firmly will slow the brewing time, making for a bitter, overextracted beverage. Proper tamping technique 1 The tamper handle should be grasped like a doorknob, with the base of the handle firmly against the palm. When tamping, try to keep the tamper, wrist, and elbow in a straight line. 2 With the bottom of the portafilter resting on a solid surface, gently press the tamper into the coffee with the goal of creating a level surface. Remove the tamper from the filter basket with a slight twisting motion. 19