If you've ever enjoyed espresso at an Italian restaurant or coffee house, you know just how delicious it can be. Have you ever wondered whether you can make the same quality espresso at home? You can, and you don't even need a fancy espresso maker to do it. With a basic espresso pot and the following tips, you can turn out restaurant-quality espresso in your own kitchen.

Use real, dark roast espresso beans

You can make a strong coffee with any coffee beans, but if you want true espresso, you need to use espresso beans. Espresso beans are roasted to the dark stage, which releases a lot of the oil from the beans. You need this oil to give the espresso its characteristic crema and its smooth mouthfeel. Look for the best espresso beans that you can afford. The more expensive ones do, indeed, produce a better cup of espresso. But don't fret too much if you're on a tighter budget. Even lower-cost espresso beans can create a good cup if you prepare the drink properly.

Grind your coffee beans finely

To make good espresso, you need your coffee to be ground very finely. This allows more of the flavor to be extracted from each coffee bean. Turn your coffee grinder to the finest setting. On some coffee makers, this is even labeled "espresso grind." The ground coffee should look almost like dirt or very fine sand.

Weigh your beans

You cannot measure coffee accurately by volume since different beans have different densities. A better way to make sure you have the proper water-to-coffee ratio is to weigh your beans. You can weigh them before grinding so you don't grind and waste extra coffee. The classic espresso ratio tends to be one part espresso beans to two parts water, by weight. If you find your cups are not quite as strong as you like, you can experiment with adding a little more coffee. Some restaurants do this.

Filter your water

If your water has any minerals or chlorine in it, you will taste those substances when you make your espresso. So, be sure to use filtered water for the best taste. You can use bottled water instead; just look for a brand that does not contain chlorine.

Follow the tips above, and you'll be turning out restaurant-quality espresso in no time. Your friends might start coming over for a cup, too!

Reach out to a company like In Common NYC Cafe to learn more.

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