Once again, it depends on your taste. Some people want strong, dark or indeed powerful coffee, and there are multiple things that should be taken into consideration prior to making an espresso. For instance, the quality of the espresso grind is very important, as well as the espresso pressure. In general, you should fill the machine's reservoir and heat the machine, remove the portafilter and apply the right dose of espresso ( about 7 grams for a single cup, or 14-18 grams of ground espresso for a double shot). Once this is done, you should tamp the espresso in the portafilter and choose one of the dedicated brewing options and start brewing. Finally, keep in mind that if you're extracting a single cup of coffee, you may have to wait around 20 seconds, whereas, for a double shot, you can leave the machine run up to 30 seconds.