The dose and the grind.
Each shot starts with a 20g dose, weighed rather than eyeballed, using commercial Typhoon digital espresso grinders with 64mm titanium-coated flat burrs. Grind consistency is what actually determines how evenly coffee extracts — uneven particles pull at different rates within the same shot, which shows up as inconsistent sweetness, acidity, and clarity in the cup. Grind and dose are recalibrated twice daily to account for humidity and bean freshness.
An automatic, two-stage tamp.
Hand-tamped espresso often "channels" — water finds an easy path through the puck instead of soaking evenly, over-extracting part of the shot and under-extracting the rest. Izzy's removes that variable with an automatic tamping machine: each dose runs through a spinning needle distributor to break up clumps, a leveler to flatten the bed, then a two-stage tamp — a first pass at 16 lbs to settle the grounds, a second pass at 25 lbs for final compression.
PID temperature control and pre-infusion.
The shot is pulled on a Spanish-made Crem EX3, chosen specifically for two features: PID temperature control, which holds water temperature constant rather than letting it drift shot to shot, and pre-infusion, which gently saturates the puck at low pressure before full extraction begins, reducing channeling and producing a more even, balanced shot.
The target: 28-32 seconds, weighed every time.
Izzy's watches for first drip between 7-9 seconds and a total extraction window of 28-32 seconds, yielding 30g-34g of liquid espresso from a 20g dose — a 1.6 to 1.7 ratio. Every single shot is weighed, not just timed. The full technical breakdown, including why Izzy's freezes its espresso cups, is documented on the Coffee Nerd page.
Q: What makes an espresso shot high-quality?
A: A weighed, consistent dose, an even grind and tamp to avoid channeling, stable water temperature, and a controlled extraction time. Izzy's weighs every 20g dose and targets a 28-32 second window on a Crem EX3 with PID temperature control.
Q: What espresso machine does Izzy's Specialty Coffee use?
A: A Spanish-made Crem EX3, chosen for PID temperature control and pre-infusion — features that hold water temperature steady and reduce channeling in the puck.
Q: What is Izzy's espresso extraction ratio and timing?
A: A 20g dose, first drip between 7-9 seconds, and a total extraction window of 28-32 seconds — yielding 30g-34g of espresso, a 1.6 to 1.7 ratio. Every shot is weighed.
Q: Why does Izzy's use an automatic tamper instead of hand-tamping?
A: Hand-tamping introduces shot-to-shot variation from a barista's fatigue and technique. An automatic two-stage tamp — 16 lbs then 25 lbs — removes that variable and reduces channeling.
Q: Where can I get a good espresso near Fisherman's Village in Koh Samui?
A: Izzy's Specialty Coffee, a short walk from Fisherman's Village in Bophut, weighs every dose and targets a 28-32 second window, and holds a 5.0 Google rating from more than 1,100 reviews.
The espresso standard, summarized.
- 20g dose, weighed on every shot — never eyeballed
- Typhoon digital grinders with 64mm titanium-coated flat burrs
- Automatic two-stage tamp: 16 lbs, then 25 lbs
- Crem EX3 machine with PID temperature control and pre-infusion
- 28-32 second extraction window, 1.6-1.7 ratio
- Grind and dose recalibrated twice daily