Operation Manual

38
Grind, Dose, Tamp
Let’s put the DD to work! You have spent a good amount of time making sure that the DD is properly
setup and working as intended, so you deserve a nice espresso as a reward for your efforts. If this is your first
time making espresso, don’t worry if things do not go quite as planned. Even the most confident and respected
of baristas will pull a bad shot once in a while that ends up being poured into the sink. There are a lot of vari-
ables that can turn what might have been a good beverage into something that should be tossed. With patience
and practice you will get a feel for the process and become more and more successful in your efforts.
As we outline what you need to do to prepare coffee for pulling a shot of espresso please be aware that
there is no one correct or best way to do this. Debates over this procedure continue to this day (and the de-
bate will likely never end). Articles have been written, websites created, and books have been written on this
process. These simple instructions are meant to give you a starting point. Over time you will create and refine
your own procedure. Think of the following as a foundation from which to build.
Your goal at this point, as we have mentioned, is consistency. You are trying to do all the following tasks
the same way each time. The one variable that you should be adjusting at this point, the grind, will be dis-
cussed in detail in Chapter 15.
If you are new to making espresso (and even if you are not), the best advice we can offer is to keep things
simple. It is easy to fall into a pattern of adding all sorts of steps, procedures, trials, and tribulations when it
comes to making espresso. Strive to eliminate steps instead of adding them.
Let’s walk through the process:
Insert The Portafilter
At this point you are well on your way and will soon be ready to make espresso. While the machine is
warming up, take the two portafilter handles and three baskets and wash them in hot soapy water, rinse thor-
oughly, and dry.
NOTE: Using nylon, metal, or other abrasive scrubbing pads or scouring powders will scratch the
chrome, stainless and plastic parts of the machine. Only use a soft sponge to wash the portafilters
and baskets.
Locate the correct portafilter. Your machine came with two portafilter handles and three baskets. These
two are for making espresso:
A single basket is for making about
one ounce of espresso at a time
A double basket (with more holes and greater
volume) for making about two ounces at a time