How to Brew Café-Quality Espresso at Home with the Rocket Appartamento

When it comes to making café-quality espresso at home, having the proper equipment is key. The Rocket Appartamento is one of the most popular home espresso machines out there for a reason — it's small, stylish, and made with serious baristas in mind. Designed and hand-built in Italy, the Rocket Appartamento squeezes commercial-grade features into a footprint that will fit nicely into smaller kitchens or apartments. But having a world-class machine is just half of the deal; having the capability to utilize it at full capacity will be the distinction between a horrible shot and one that hits its mark.

Here, we give you a guide on how to produce café-level espresso at home in your Rocket Appartamento. Are you brand new to coffee and espresso and want to take it to the next level? Maybe you are a more seasoned home barista looking to hone your game. Well, these tips and steps will help you take it to the best this iconic machine has to offer.

Knowing the Rocket Appartamento

Let's break quickly into the Rocket Appartamento and explore why it differs from other machines before we examine the brewing process. With the heat exchanger boiler constructed around the iconic E61 group head, the Appartamento allows you to steam milk and make espresso simultaneously. Its substantial stainless-steel construction, copper 1.8L boiler, and resilient vibration pump provide consistent temperature and pressure — the two corequisites for a perfectly made espresso shot every time.

Even without the programmability and PID temperature control found on higher-end models, the Rocket Appartamento is a manual, which translates to having complete control over the entire process of extraction. That level of interaction is the experience and can be extremely fulfilling once you are used to it.

Step 1: Preparing the Rocket Appartamento for Brewing

It's best to get your Rocket Appartamento preheated thoroughly before taking a shot. Turn on the machine and let it be at least 20–30 minutes before use — both the boiler and the E61 group head should be thoroughly heated for consistent water temperature in brewing. Preheating this way also gets all of the metal pieces up to their perfect heat retention so your shots will extract level.

Next, top off your water tank with filtered water. Good water is the key to good espresso, and filtered water will prevent scaling on the machine, too.

Step 2: Dialing In Your Grind

Rocket Appartamento will be equally well-matched with a decent-quality espresso grinder. Coffee grind size will have a dramatic impact on the flavour and draw time of your espresso. Begin on a fine grind that is approximately similar to that of table salt and go upwards and downwards accordingly. When your espresso is running way too quick and tastes sour or under-extracted, then grind finer. When it runs too slowly and is bitter, grind coarser.

In general, use a 25- to 30-second shot with a proportional brew ratio of approximately 1:2 — 18 grams of ground coffee to yield some 36 grams of liquid espresso.

Step 3: Preparing the Portafilter and Dosing

Once your grind is set, quickly purge out the grinder and dose 18 grams of new coffee ground into your dry portafilter. Evenness is also a concern at this point. Tap the portafilter lightly to level out the grounds before tamping.

Evenly flatten the tampered tip with a small amount of 30 pounds of pressure- consistency is the key. An excess amount of pressure will over-stuff the puck and cause slowed down water flow, and a lack of pressure will compress the tamp and result in channelled extraction and unequal extraction.

Step 4: Pre Infuse and Pull Shot

Close the portafilter into your Rocket Appartamento group head and raise the brew lever. There is some mechanical pre-infusion on the E61 group, the few seconds of low pressure water which wets the puck before rising to full pressure. The pre-infusion will be this much to neutralize the extraction and prevent channelling to produce a richer, more silky shot

Step 5: The Tasting and Adjusting

When you drink the espresso, you will discover a well-balanced flavor of sweetness, acidity and bitterness and a healthy texture. When it is watery and sour, then what you have is under-extracted: grind finer or dose larger. If it is bitter and dragging to pour, you should be over-extracting — grind more coarsely or reduce your dose.

As you gain experience, your Rocket Appartamento will be making shots every bit as good as your neighbourhood's favourite café.

Step 6: Steaming Milk with the Rocket Appartamento

The heat exchanger boiler of the Appartamento allows for steaming milk at the same time one is pulling a shot, thus making it perfectly suited for cappuccinos, lattes, and flat whites. After pulling your espresso, purge the steam wand to remove water, then insert the wand into your cold milk jug. Begin with the tip at the surface to add air, and then submerge the tip further after you've achieved your ideal microfoam consistency. Attempt to heat the milk to a temperature of 60–65°C (140–149°F), then stop and give the jug a gentle tap and whirl to combine the foam.

Step 7: Cleaning and Keeping the Rocket Appartamento

Regular maintenance is important to keeping your Rocket Appartamento in top shape. Clean and flush the steam wand after every use. End the day by backflushing the group head with water and a blind filter and cleaning the drip tray and reservoir with a scrubber on a regular basis. Cycle a specialty espresso machine detergent through every few months for an aggressive backflush cycle.

Final Thoughts

With its stunning appearance and café-level performance, the Rocket Appartamento is one of the most well-respected home espresso machines available — and for good reason. Whether you're just starting out in the realm of espresso or you're an experienced home barista, this machine will evolve and change with you as you hone your craft.

By noting grind size, tamp technique, pre-infusion, and frothing of milk, you'll be pulling shots of espresso that rival those freshly pulled at your favourite coffee house. The interactive nature is just one of the features of owning a Rocket Appartamento that makes it such a delight — and next thing you know, with practice and tact, you'll be pulling café-style espresso at home confidently and in style.