How I Make Espresso: Tools and Techniques

Honestly, the whole maximize your setup speech is why James is my favorite YouTuber. Thanks for watching out for us man.

"...a sign of obsession?" That ship sailed when I bought my first espresso machine. Nice presentation. Thank you.

This year I learned why even "Pro" coffee shops struggle with keeping their espresso consistent. My mom laughs out loud when she sees all these tools I bought alongside my new espresso machine, but after her first sip she understood. Thanks for all that you do, James!

You have the vanishingly rare ability to speak clearly and eloquently whilst providing so much information. I could watch your videos all day. Honestly, they are brilliant. I can see why you are so successful.

I don't do espresso myself (only V60) but watching all your videos is so much pleasure. The amount of effort you put into production (video quality, sound quality) is above all expectations.

With respect to the vibration distribution method and migration of fines - this is a well known topic in sediment science and hydrology. The smaller particles can more easily find small gaps to move down, while the larger particles cannot and appear to migrate up to the top. It's the same reason why if you shake a jar of sugar that has sat out for a while, the clumps move to the top.

I don’t even drink coffee hardly ever. But I love the way you talk about things and make a big point that some things are expensive and unnecessary and you do a great job of helping people not feel left behind who may not be able to afford things. I’m planning to make my first video in cocktail making in the next few days once I finish building my backdrop and I love watching your videos because I find they’re a great resource about how to talk to the public and teach in a way that isn’t overbearing, or condescending. I think a video like this could get a lot of “this is insane all you need is a good old cup of drip coffee” but with you, you make a great point of making everyone feel valid for what they do and at the same time saying “if you want to take things to the extreme in attention to detail, here’s how to do it, but you don’t need to, and you’re valid for wanting something quick and easy. There’s something so wonderful about watching a master share their love of something without putting down the people who do things differently or who can’t afford or don’t want to deal with the “best” or “proper” way of doing things. Love your content mate! You’re an inspiration to me! I really can’t speak highly enough of how good a teacher you are!

i just bought a Breville barista pro. Ive never made an espresso, and very rarely do I go out and buy one. I usually drink regular coffee from Tim hortons. Ive learned all my techniques through James's videos, and since there's so many tutorials out there that teaches beginners how to use their machine. One thing that ive learned is that each roast, roaster need a different technique to make a great shot; and i learned that from James. No body has taught that so thoroughly, and now a month after owning my machine, I am confident to say, i have perfected the roast i most enjoy. After adjusting grind settings, temp settings, changed portifilter and now a stirrer which I felt was the main item that got my shot tasting exactly the way i wanted. Thank you again

Hey James, thanks for the shoutout my friend. The Porcupress is definitely a unique tool, but like you the WDT is my daily driver. I’ve got a similar video in production at the moment comparing extraction numbers between a handful of distribution tools, will be a great addition to this conversation. Cheers!

The final video of a full process was so well done. That camera shot at the end with James turning off the coffee machine, was very cinematic. Great stuff as usual.

In addition to better extraction, the metal disc on the coffee tablet allows you not to clean the mesh of the group from coffee grains. So I choose to clean the disc rather than the grid group. This is a subtle but important advantage for me over paper filters

Your final section is perfection. Expresso making as art. Did everyone else also notice James’ reflection on the group head above the filter basket?

I love that James emphasizes spending money to solve specific problems. None of your prep looks in any way excessive; it's low maintenance and easily repeatable. Every espresso machine should come with a link to this video.

As a newbie to espresso making I am binge watching your videos. There is so much to learn and I appreciate all the knowledge and suggestions you provide. I am compiling a list of the basic items necessary and a list for future purchases after I’ve become comfortable with the process and can then decide what I really need. You have opened my eyes to a whole new world and I look forward to exploring it with you.

The way James is able to provide so much information, so fast, consistent, and clear blows my mind. Other people would take 40 minutes providing the same amount of information. Thank you James!

Yes I like all these prep procedures...they give a sense of ceremony, meaning and intimacy to an otherwise mundane activity

I find it amazing that when I started in coffee 15 years ago the purpose of going to a Third Wave coffee shop was to get better coffee than you can make at home. Today the very opposite seems true. With enough time, resources, and a pinch of obsession you can make better espresso at home than almost any cafe in the world, and us in the coffee industry have yet to reckon with that reality.

In no way am I interested in speciality coffee, mostly because I don’t have the money but my god when im stressed or feel just shit I watch your videos and am calmed by your voice and your clear expertise! Thank you James!

Awesome. I've been tinkering around with my espresso shots for a year now. Test after test, tool after tool, and came to a similar conclusion as you. I do everything the same, just no filter and only spray when shooting for near perfect retention. I really struggled with channeling when I first acquired a bottomless portafilter. I was stumped. I was using a WDT then a metal distributer. Every shot had channeling. As soon as I stopped using the metal distributor, and started stirring a level-as-possible puck before tamping, it's been smooth sailing. Very interested in trying out the filter. Awesome video, James. Really appreciate all you do.

The motion under vibration of small particles to the bottom and large particles to the top is called the Brazil nut effect because it explains why the (large) Brazil nuts are always on top of a can of mixed nuts. It’s common in granular materials.