Manual machines allow people to make high quality espresso at a fraction of the price of a good, automatic machine. In fact, manual machines can often produce espresso superior to what is made on automatics.

When compared to powered machines, manual machines can also offer improved simplicity, durability and reliability.

There are certain things you need to make your own espresso:
• An espresso machine
• A grinder capable of producing finely ground coffee
• Various tools such as a tamper, screen puck, distribution tool and maybe a scale
• Boiling water

Here’s a good starting technique:
• Weigh 18 grams of beans
• Grind, level, and tamp the coffee in your portafilter, then:
•  With the portafilter locked in, the duration of the shot should last for about 30 seconds when shooting at about 9 bar of pressure, and yielding about 36 grams of espresso out.

This question is likely asking about what Baristas refer to as ‘dialing in’ their espresso grind. The ground coffee restricts the flow and allows pressure to build. A proper grind size is critical in achieving the right time and pressure ratios.

The words ‘distribute’ and ‘tamp’ mentioned above refer to the resolution of a common issue known as Channeling.

Channeling is when water flows through less dense portions of the puck at a higher rate. The less channels, the more even the extraction. The more even the extraction, the better the flavor. This is acheived by first stirring the ground coffee around a bit in the portafilter to homogenize the distribution of coffee and second, tamping the coffee using the included tamper to introduce a specific density of the coffee puck so that it can push back against the water as mentioned above.

Darker roasts tend to do better at slightly lower temperatures, somewhere around 190 F. This is achieved on the Leverhead by simply pouring some boiling water into the tube with the portafilter and puck screen already attached.

Lighter roasts tend to do better at higher temperatures, around 190 to 200 F. This is achieved on the Model T by pouring hot water through the tube into a catch cup for a few seconds, attaching the prepared portafilter and puck screen and then filling the tube with boiling water.

Shorter shot duration usually means more acidic flavor, longer shots will taste more bitter. This of course is a somewhat subjective aspect of espresso but is a good general starting point.

Follow the instructions above! Everything mentioned from coffee weight into liquid weight out, water temperature to brew time can all be experimented with. There are lots of different recipes and opinions out there. It will take some trial and error to dial the shots but what matters the most is that you make espresso the way you want.