You've watched baristas pull perfect shots hundreds of times—it looks easy enough. So why does your morning espresso turn out watery and crema-less one day, then over-extracted and bitter the next? Surely a $6,000 La Marzocco can't be the only thing standing between you and café-quality espresso.

Yes, spending eight hours daily on a commercial machine gives professional baristas an edge. But if you're just trying to make a decent Americano at home with whatever machine fits your counter and budget, there are still ways to dramatically improve your results.

Kaleena Teoh, co-founder and director of education for Coffee Project New York , talks us through all the steps of pulling shots so that you can brew espresso at home like a professional.

Don't miss any of our unbiased tech cont

See Full Page