Coffee Data Science

Variables of Espresso

Making the list to make the drink

Published in

Towards Data Science

4 min readOct 5, 2021

I have been going through some basic experiments exploring the variables of espresso, and in the process, I thought I should make a list. I thought it would be straight-forward, but the list grew really quickly. I better categorized the list, and I’ll present it here in a few categories. This isn’t to scare the new person to espresso, but rather to show the complexity of the process, which is why I love espresso.

My Espresso in 2018

A few years ago, I mapped out everything that went into me making espresso, and I thought it was complex at that time.

Coffee Beans

The amount of variables that go into roasted coffee beans is pretty immense. From the green beans to the roasting equipment, each of these variables can have a big impact on taste.

Essential Hardware

Of near equal importance are the grinder and espresso machines. Both have plenty of variables to confuse on what is the best configuration.

Espresso Basket/Prep

Even though preparing the puck might seem simple, it is the more sensitive of the steps of espresso.

The Shot

These variables need to be thought of before hand because they are more difficult to adjust on the fly, especially for the novice.

The Coffee

This liquid gold is the most concentrated form of coffee, and yet, even in the final result, there are many minor things to consider.

Data

For data scientists like me, I collect a bit of post-shot data that is half the fun of the shot as these variables allow for improved iteration through all the other variables.

At the end of the day, most of these variables are constant from one shot to the next. There are quite a few that blend into the background, and luckily, we live in a society where we can dive into as many or as few of these variables to have great espresso as we please.

If you like, follow me on Twitter and YouTube where I post videos of espresso shots on different machines and espresso related stuff. You can also find me on LinkedIn. You can also follow me on Medium.