Pre-infusing coffee sounds complicated - something you would do using a coffee shop espresso machine with a pro-portafilter. But it easily translates across to coffee pod machines too!
What is Pre-Infusion?
Pre-infusion refers to the process of gently saturating the puck of ground coffee used in an espresso machine before applying the full desired brewing pressure and shot yield (for the espresso techs this means at a low pressure around 1 to 2 bars).
The objective is to ensure that water evenly penetrates the grounds to ensure that the entire bed of coffee has the same amount of water flowing through it once extraction begins.
This pre-infusion should cause significantly fewer instances of 'channelling', which is when water finds a path of low resistance and flows through it, avoiding nearby grounds. This can over-extract that particular channel, leaving surrounding areas under-extracted.
How to apply pre-infusion to Nespresso Pods?
The great news is that you can apply the same basic principle to Nespresso compatible pods as well! It's as easy as:
- Shake the pod before putting it into the machine;
- Tap the button of choice;
- The moment the coffee pours the first drip, tap it again to stop the pour;
- Wait 30 seconds
- Tap the button again and let the shot pour in full.
Remember to tap the button, not hold it down (otherwise this will change the shot size)
This pre-infusion will increase perceived strength and boost the sweetness of your morning brew. Plus reduce that hidden channelling issue that you never knew about!