hOW TO MAKE ESPRESSO WITHOUT A MACHINE

Making espresso without a machine basically means making it via other methods. But is that actually espresso? Let’s see.

A shot or two of espresso is an incredible luxury, particularly for those who love great coffee. Enjoying an espresso shot typically requires a fancy espresso machine or a trip to your local coffee shop.

But what if you don’t have the time or money for those options? You just need a little creativity to make espresso at home without a machine. In this article, I’ll teach you four ways to do it, using coffee brewing gear you probably already have on hand.

Ways To Make Espresso Without An Espresso Machine

Before we start, ensure you have your favorite espresso beans on hand. I recommend a medium or dark roast coffee for the best, most espresso-like results. You’ll also want a decent burr grinder with the ability to produce a fine espresso grind.

Without further ado, here are four ways to brew espresso or an espresso-style shot of coffee without a fancy machine.

• Method 1: With A French Press
• Method 2: With A Moka Pot
• Method 3: With An Aeropress
• Method 4: With A Handheld Espresso Maker

Method 1: How To Make French Press Espresso

French press is an immersion style of brewing that clearly lacks the required pressure for a shot of espresso. But I have a hack to help you make ‘almost espresso’ with your French press. It’s called double brewing, and it delivers a powerful punch of coffee that’s delicious on its own or as the basis of your favorite espresso drinks.

Steps to make it:

1. Grind your coffee beans to a coarse grind, using twice as much coffee as you normally would for French press brewing.
2. Add half the ground coffee to the French press.
3. Heat water to 200 F in your kettle or a saucepan.
4. Add hot water to the French press and let the coffee steep for 3 to 4 minutes.
5. When the coffee is done, filter your brew into a pitcher or carafe, and rinse out the French press.
6. Add the remaining ground coffee to the French press and repeat the process. But instead of using water, brew using the coffee you just made.
7. After the second 4 minute steeping time, serve the coffee in a warmed mug.

It’s not exactly espresso with a thick layer of crema on top, but you’ll end up with a super strong coffee with a heavy body and rich mouthfeel. Now add a splash of cream or steam milk to make a latte, cappuccino, etc. 

Method 2: Making An Espresso With A Moka Pot

The Moka pot is often called a stovetop espresso maker, but it doesn’t make true espresso. It relies on steam pressure to force hot water through the coffee grounds. In contrast, espresso machines have pumps that achieve much higher pressures.

The resultant beverage made on a stovetop is concentrated and flavorful, like an espresso, but lacks the characteristic crema when poured. (If you use the freshest beans, you can get a beautiful golden layer on top of the pot, but it doesn’t transfer to the cup.)

Nevertheless, a Moka pot is a simple and inexpensive way for a coffee lover to enjoy espresso coffee at home. The biggest worry with a Moka pot is over-extraction and burnt tasting coffee, but both issues can be avoided with a little care and practice.

Steps To Make It

1. Grind the coffee beans to a fine espresso grind.
2. Fill the bottom chamber of the Moka pot with cold filtered water.
3. Fill the filter basket with the ground beans and assemble the Moka pot by placing the filter basket into the water-filled bottom chamber and screwing on the top chamber.
4. Place the Moka pot on a heat source over medium heat and wait for the water in the lower chamber to come to a boil.
5. Await for the characteristic gurgling sound that lets you know the upper chamber is now full of delicious coffee. Remove the Moka pot from the stove immediately and pour the contents of the upper chamber into a pre-heated mug.

Here’s a detailed guide on how to use the stovetop espresso maker.

Method 3: Making An Espresso With AeroPress

Like an espresso machine, the AeroPress relies on pressure to force hot water through coffee grounds, extracting the maximum flavor from your coffee beans. Unlike an espresso machine, however, the AeroPress is cheap, lightweight, portable, and requires no electricity.  It has quickly developed a following among backpackers and RVers as the best way to make coffee off the grid.

While it makes a good cup of coffee, you can’t just make great espresso using an AeroPress the normal way. You need to get creative and rely on a bit of muscle.

Steps to Make It:

1. Add a coffee filter to your AeroPress as normal.
2. Grind coffee beans to a fine grind resembling table salt.
3. Pour the coffee grounds into the Aeropress brewing chamber. Use about 3 tablespoons (18 grams) of coffee grounds – a little more than you would when brewing coffee.
4. Compress the grounds as much as possible, using your spoon or another tamping device.
5. Heat water to 200 F in a kettle.
6. Add another coffee filter on top of the grounds.
7. Add 3 ounces of hot water and press hard!

Pro tip: Replace the first paper filter with a metal filter designed for the Aeropress. This will allow the oils found in coffee into your cup, better replicating the body, mouthfeel, and espresso flavor of the real thing.

If you really want to get into the details of making AeroPress espresso, we have a whole article on the topic: how to make Aeropress espresso.

There are a few clever gadgets you can add to your Aeropress to make something closer to espresso. If you have the budget, check out the JoePresso or Fellow Prismo. Both work by increasing the pressure, resulting in a fuller-bodied coffee with a hint of real crema.

Method 4: Making An Espresso With A Handheld Espresso Maker

A hand espresso machine is a simple and lightweight unit consisting of a pod for coffee grounds and an adjacent arm that is filled with hot water. The pressure required to pull a shot of espresso is built up by pumping the arm, much like using a bicycle pump.

Many of these gadgets can reach the same high pressures as a real espresso machine, with a little practice you can make cafe quality espresso almost anywhere. If you like the sound of this, read our guide to the best portable espresso makers now, to find the right one.

The hand espresso maker is popular among outdoor enthusiasts, much like the AeroPress. Some are also compatible with prepackaged coffee pods, though your espresso will be far superior with freshly ground beans. Many include a lid that doubles as a demitasse.

These steps are specifically for the Wacaco Minipresso, but they are fairly consistent across brands. Consult the instructions with your device for details.

Steps To Make It

1. Finely grind enough beans to fill the espresso pod of the machine. This is typically 2 tablespoons of coffee for a double espresso shot or 1 tablespoon for a single shot.
2. Unscrew the espresso pod filter and add the coffee grounds. Fill it until the grounds lie flat and in line with the top of the pod.
3. Heat the water in the kettle until it reaches boiling point, then add it to the water cavity. Ensure the cavity is full to the top.
4. While firmly holding the upper portion of the machine, pump the bottom pump up to 16 psi. 
5. Once you reach this pressure, press the extraction button and hold over a coffee cup till complete.

What Is An Espresso Shot?

Surprisingly, despite its prevalence in coffee shops throughout the world, there is no fixed definition for a perfect espresso (1). In fact, it is almost easier to get experts to agree on what espresso is not. There are, however, a few basic guidelines upon which everyone agrees.

Espresso is a highly concentrated coffee beverage made exclusively of coffee and water. It is prepared using very high pressure to force hot water through a tightly packed basket of finely ground coffee over a short time span.

The resultant drink has a foamy surface layer known as the crema which is difficult to achieve with other home coffee brewing methods.

What varies among machines, baristas, and definitions are the specifics, like the precise pressure, water temperature, and grams of coffee. Most concur that a pressure of 9 bars (130 psi) is standard for brewing espresso, a force that requires a specialized machine.

The intense flavor typical of espresso comes from a high coffee-to-water ratio, though opinions vary on the exact amounts. Scott Rao, author of The Professional Barista’s Handbook and other works on coffee, has this to say (​2​​​):

So if you can force a little hot water through a lot of coffee in a short time, you can make something that will be pretty close to espresso. 

If you enjoyed this guide, check out our other brewing guides here.

Final Thoughts

A rich espresso is a wonderful thing. With this set of tutorials, you can enjoy one any time without investing in an expensive machine.

The alternatives listed here even provide ways to enjoy homemade espresso off the grid. Whether it’s a French press in your cottage, an AeroPress at the trailhead, or a Moka pot over the campfire, you need never be without good espresso.