How Many Espresso Beans In A Shot [Barista Tips]

How many espresso beans in a shot? If you’ve ever asked yourself this question, this post will provide you the answer. Here’s the short version. On average, an 8-gram single espresso shot will use 71 coffee beans, while a 16-gram espresso serving contains about 142 beans.

For coffee lovers, the rich smell of freshly brewed espresso is the perfect thing to wake up to each morning. This is especially true if the espresso has been recently ground.

It is essential to use the right beans and the proper brewing method to produce the perfect espresso beans in a shot that is aromatic, dark, and rich in cream.

I arrived at these numbers by dividing the 8 grams by the average weight of an espresso bean equivalent to 70.54 coffee beans, which is 0.113398 grams.

The total amount of coffee beans in an espresso shot will largely depend on the type of coffee bean and its level of roasting.

The darker the bean’s roast, the less the bean weighs, which means it is used to make a shot of the espresso.

How Much Caffeine Is In a Shot of Espresso?

There will be around 63 mg of caffeine in a single shot of espresso. Although it has less caffeine per ounce than espresso, a standard cup of coffee still contains about 120 mg of this stimulant.

This is because a standard cup of brewed coffee contains approximately 8 oz, which means it has more than a shot of espresso. The goal is to use 14-18 grams of ground coffee beans to fill the portafilter.

How Do Coffee Beans Affect the Taste of Espresso?

This is another reason that it’s important to know how many espresso beans in a shot. The kind of coffee beans used to produce the espresso can significantly affect the way it tastes.

When using Arabica beans, it will generally give a smoother taste to the espresso. Arabica beans, however, can also result in a slightly sour-tasting espresso. Robusta beans, on the other hand, result in a more bitter taste than Arabica beans.

Beans that originate from the same area tend to give espresso a sharper flavor. However, they can also make it taste a little bit sour. Although, if the beans are of various origins, it will generally give a more complex taste to the espresso.

Espresso made from medium roast beans typically has a less bitter flavor. A dark roast can add a more-nutty flavor taste to the espresso, which can also cause it to taste bitter or even burnt if it is too much roasted.

A blend of dark-roasted Arabica and Robusta beans is often used to make espresso. This is because espresso should have a rich and slightly bitter flavor. However, based on your taste preference, you can choose to use the mix of beans you want.

How Finely Should You Grind Espresso Beans?

It would be best if you ground the beans to make espresso and tamp them so that they sit in the portafilter evenly. This is done to prevent the water from flowing through the coffee too quickly. It also lets more of the coffee’s natural oils to mix with the water.

The grinding size should work well. This is because the grind must be fine enough to prevent the hot water from quickly running through it; otherwise, it will not blend with the coffee.

Usually, it should take 25-30 seconds to pull a double espresso shot. If your espresso takes longer than that, it’s a warning you should use a less fine grind. If it comes out faster, then it would be a sign that less coffee should be ground.

Because the espresso turns bitter, then the grind is probably too coarse. That’s because a bitter taste means too much coffee oil has mixed with water.

You want to add some of the coffee oil, but not too much. A coarser grind will usually resolve this. If the espresso has a more sour flavor, then the grind is not fine enough.

How Much Energy Do Coffee Beans Give You?

Neither brewed coffee nor coffee beans contribute much in the way of calories. Eating coffee beans does not provide you with nutrition scientifically as food energy is measured in calories. Yet coffee beans are rich in caffeine, so you can feel more healthy.

In the form of espresso, one ounce of highly concentrated coffee beans contains only 3 calories. Because calories are the most significant measure of energy in food, coffee beans give you very little energy.

Nonetheless, consuming chocolate in the form of dark chocolate-covered coffee beans gives you a lot of energy, with 216 calories added to your daily calorie count in a 28-bean.

Due to their high content of caffeine, coffee beans give you a boost despite providing very little energy from calories.

Eating coffee beans gives you a lot more caffeine than drinking coffee. Similar to the 95 mg in 1 cup of brewed coffee, there is 336 mg of caffeine in a 28-bean serving of dark chocolate-covered coffee beans. Because 1 ounce of dark chocolate contains just 24 milligrams of caffeine, coffee beans can be eaten alone without the added calories.

However, it can be easier to find the best espresso beans than done with so many varieties of blends and single-origin coffees available in a variety of roasts.

Why It’s Important to Know How Many Espresso Beans in a Shot

There are several reasons why it helps to know how many espresso beans in a shot.

First, this knowledge will help you achieve the balance that coffee lovers need for the perfect espresso. If your espresso contains too many (or too few) beans, its taste will definitely suffer.

Understanding how many beans should go into your espresso also helps you monitor the amount of caffeine you consume on a daily basis. Everyone has a different level of tolerance for caffeine, but there’s no reason to overdo it.