How to Choose the Right Espresso Machine for you
At Di Bartoli, we are committed to helping people understand the key differences between the myriad of machines, so you can make the right choice with confidence.
How to Choose the Right Espresso Grinder for you
As with choosing an espresso machine, choosing the right espresso grinder will come down to your individual preferences. At Di Bartoli, we ensure that every grinder we sell grinds finely 
enough and consistently enough for espresso. However, there are variations in build quality, type and size of grinding burrs, power of motor, speed, noise level, etc.
There are also variations in the mechanism used to adjust grind particle size: a 'stepless' grinder allows infinitely fine adjustments and is idea for those who like to have complete control over every aspect of the extraction process, while a 'stepped' mechanism allows you to choose from fixed increments in grind size, and is usually easier and faster to adjust, particularly for those who alternate between grinding for espresso and plunger or filter coffee.
3 Easy Ways to Ensure Your Coffee Doesn't Taste like Dishwater OR
How to Clean Your Espresso Machine's Group Head?
Bitterness? Rubber taste? Sharp sourness? Not what we would like our espresso machine to produce but a surprise we all wish we could avoid when it happens. Most likely, it's the 'coffee gunk' that builds up inside the group head's shower screen and slowly finds it way to your cup. No one wants to think 'maintenance' while buying a new machine, yet the reality is you cannot avoid it, but you can keep it simple. How then, do you keep it simple, easy and manageable?
How to Choose the Right Tamper For You
Tamping is a very important step in the espresso making process. Tamping compresses the ground coffee, slowing the rate at which the espresso is extracted, liberating the full flavour of the coffee.
Coffee prepared without tamping will tend to be watery, have a straw like flavour,
and will lack crema.
Things to consider when choosing a tamper are:
· Base Diameter (to match your ‘basket’)
· Flat or Convex bottom
· Feel in your hand· Weighting (is it too heavy, or bottom heavy)
· How it looks
In order to produce predictable high quality coffee and avoid any unnecessary maintenance, it is important that your grinder be regularly cleaned, internally and externally.
Daily
Roasted coffee beans have a shelf life of only a few weeks. What is more, if coffee is not stored appropriately, a number of chemical and biological changes can take place, making the coffee rancid, stale, mouldy, or worse.
When deciding on how to store your coffee it is worth taking these into account, by 
understanding the ‘enemies’ of coffee:
To understand how to troubleshoot our espresso shots, we need to understand what we are looking for. Here is a short definition of what espresso is:
What is Espresso?
Espresso is a full-flavored, concentrated form of coffee that is served in 30 ml “shots.” Espresso is made by forcing pressurized water through very finely ground coffee beans, at 85-95 degrees temperature, extracting in that process the aromatic oils, the sugars and the soluble out of the bean. Ideally, espresso should have a thick, reddish-brown crema, a potent aroma and balanced in flavour between the sweetness, the bitterness and the sourness, leaving a lingering after taste on the tongue minutes after drinking.
Other 'How To' Guides:
How to Make V.60 Fretta Ice Coffee
How to Make Hario Water Dripper Coffee
