Dose, Distribution
& Tamping
In traditional Gaggia machines an espresso usually takes about 20 - 30 seconds to produce a beautifully balanced flavour in your espresso topped with a golden crema. However as well as texture, dose, distribution and tamping all play a role.
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Coffee dose
Traditionally the amount of coffee or dose, used for a single espresso (using the shallower filter in your handle) is 7 grams, and 14grams for a double espresso (using the deeper filter in your handle). You may choose to use a little more for your tastes but the most important thing is to be consistent in the quantity to ensure a consistent extraction.
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Distribution
Once the ground coffee is in the filter handle then give it a light tap to ensure the coffee evenly covers the filter. This is called distribution. Poorly distributed coffee may leave gaps allowing the water to flow "past" rather than "through" the ground coffee.
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Tamping
Tamping is packing the coffee firmly and flatly into the filter. To aid this your machine comes with a mushroomed shaped tamp. Simply push the tamp’s wide base flatly and firmly onto the ground coffee to secure it in place.
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The grinds should be firmly and evenly packed into the porta-filter, but be careful not to tamp the grinds so much that they are compact - the water will struggle to filter through.