How to Dial in Espresso - The Fundamentals of Dialing in - Made Simple!

Espresso Dialing-In Fundamentals

Equipment

• Espresso machine and grinder
• Portafilter with a double-shot basket
• Tamper; a Sage/Breville Razor tool is optional
• Brew scales
• Airtight container or resealable bag for storing beans

Keep These Variables Consistent

• Coffee dose: Use a dose suited to your basket. Examples:
  • Sage/Breville Bambino: about 19 g
  • Gaggia Classic stock basket: about 17–18 g
  • Sage/Breville Dual Boiler stock basket: about 21 g, or sometimes 22 g, depending on the basket
• Tamp: Tamp consistently and level. There’s no need to target a particular pressure; press until the coffee stops moving.
• Yield ratio: Start with 1:2—for example, 18 g of coffee to 36 g of espresso. If the result tastes too intense, try 1:2.5 (18 g to 45 g) or 1:3. Choose a ratio and keep it fixed while dialing in.
• Shot-time window: The presenter uses 28–32 seconds; 25–30 seconds is another option. Choose one window and use it consistently.
• Temperature: If your machine allows adjustment, choose a setting and keep it fixed. The presenter suggests a medium or cool setting when learning with darker espresso roasts.
• Beans: Start with the same darker-roasted espresso blend and buy enough to practice—ideally around a kilo rather than repeatedly switching between small bags. Store the beans airtight and take out only what you need.

Method

1. Flush the group. Flush for the same amount of time before each shot; about 10 seconds is suggested. For the first shot, flush with the portafilter locked in to warm it, then dry it. Flush into the cup to warm the cup. For later shots, flush without the portafilter.
2. Purge stale or exchanged grounds. Unless you use a near-zero-retention grinder, purge about half a basket after changing the grind. Adjust the amount if you know your grinder’s retention. Also purge before the first shot of the day or after the grinder has sat unused for a few hours.
3. Weigh and prepare the dose. Weigh the chosen amount into the basket and tamp with a repeatable, level press. A Razor tool can be used after tamping to level the puck and set headspace, but it’s optional.
4. Pull the shot and weigh the yield. Start timing when the coffee first contacts the flowing water. Stop the shot when it reaches your chosen yield ratio.
   • If the target yield arrives before 28 seconds, grind finer.
   • If it takes more than 32 seconds, grind coarser.
   • Purge after each grind adjustment, then repeat while keeping the other variables unchanged.
5. Assess the taste as you gain experience. The basic method uses yield and shot time. Later, taste can guide finer adjustments: sourness may suggest under-extraction, while bitterness or astringency may suggest over-extraction. The presenter suggests exploring temperature and other variables later.

Tips and Variations

• At first, focus on changing only the grind size. You can introduce distribution techniques such as WDT later if desired.
• A darker espresso roast is presented as easier to learn with than a medium, omni, or lighter roast.
• With pressurized baskets, taste is the main guide. The basket controls pressure and flow, so traditional flow-rate dialing isn’t applicable.
• Bean-to-cup machines offer limited control and, according to the presenter, aren’t suited to this traditional dialing-in process.
• In the Sage/Bambino demonstration, the shot button is held for about a second and released to avoid its usual 7–8 seconds of pre-infusion. The example initially runs too fast, then improves after progressively finer adjustments, reaching a 1:2 ratio in 28 seconds.
• A puck may sometimes stick in the portafilter after brewing; the presenter notes that this can happen on different machines.

Presenter and Sources

The presenter is Coffee Kev. He refers viewers to more detailed dialing-in videos, including work by James Hoffmann and Lance Hedrick. He also mentions his Fruitcake blend from Coffee Works as an example of a suitable bean.