Decades ago long before I transitioned from traditional coffee to an espresso based coffee drink, I had little to no idea what an espresso was much less how to brew one. In reality, it wasn't until a number of years later when I had turned 56-57 years old that I was literally forced to reduce my daily coffee caffeine allowance due to an undiagnosed Afib disorder I was totally unaware of aside from having experienced occasional heart palpitations I attributed to an increase in caffeine consumption when I decided it was time to read and learn everything I possibly could about traditional coffee and options available to reduce my daily caffeine consumption. While my findings eventually helped me to narrow the playing field down to traditional decaf coffee and espresso, given my dislike of traditional decaffeinated coffee, I opted for Caffe Americano, an ever popular espresso-based coffee drink that not only contained a third less caffeine than traditional coffee but tasted much better given a lower acid content than what I had grown accustomed to over the years. As I began to learn more and more, it wasn't long before I had come to realize the vast amount of knowledge, practice, and skill required to brew an espresso based coffee drink. IMO, suffice it to say that brewing a perfect espresso is virtually a crapshoot for amateurs including average espresso coffee drinkers that patronize Starbucks.

Based on trial and error brewing espresso-based coffee beverages over the past eighteen years, I have come to learn strict adherence to a specific number of variables, namely: 1) ingredients including but not limited to 100% natural Spring or purified water, 100% Arabica Blend Coffee such as illy espresso coffee preparation or equal; 2) brewing preparation including correct grind—if and when using whole coffee beans—adding the correct amount of dry ground coffee and water to achieve the desired coffee to water ratio for a given number of espresso shots to be produced, tamping dry ground coffee tightly in place by applying a downward hand pressure not to exceed 20-30 lbs max to ensure the coffee isn't packed too tight or loose, known to have an adverse effect on the quality of espresso produced, and 3) obtaining correct extraction/bar pressure provided by the espresso coffee machine, appear to be the solution for brewing the perfect shot of espresso. Needless to say, omission of any one of the aforementioned variables as well as replacement with an unsuitable substitute not withstanding poor/improper preparation or brewing procedure, serve to increase the likelihood of failure to achieve the perfect espresso.