How many grams of coffee do I need in my portafilter?
Single (espresso) container:
A single espresso container usually contains between 8 and 12 grams of ground coffee.
Double (espresso) container:
A double espresso container usually contains between 18 and 22 grams of ground espresso beans .
How do I know the exact number of grams for my portafilter?
Not all espresso machine brands use the same portafilters. This sometimes makes it difficult to find the right number of grams for your espresso machine.
But there are a number of tricks for this.
A Mountain of Coffee:
Fill your portafilter to the brim with a small mound on top.
Press the ground coffee with the tamper until it is about half a centimeter below the edge of the filter holder. Then you have enough coffee to make your single or double espresso.
Screwing in the filter holder:
You can use another trick when screwing in the portafilter in your espresso machine.
If you can turn the filter holder all the way, there is not enough coffee in your container.
By turning we mean that when you turn the portafilter in the group of your espresso machine, the handle of your portafilter does not get stuck on the left or in the middle, but turns to the right. So it's gone too far.
If you can't even get the portafilter into the middle of the group, it is too full.
So being in the middle is best.
Too watery or too dry:
Another indicator of too much or too little coffee in your portafilter is a puck that is too wet or too dry.
A 'puck' is the term for the remains after the extraction; the puck that you eventually knock out and throw away.
A puck that is too wet, with a lot of water on top, is often a sign of too little coffee in your portafilter or too fine a grind.
The reverse also applies: a puck that falls apart easily when tapping is a sign of too much coffee or too coarse a grind.
More questions? Feel free to ask them or book a barista workshop !
