Disclaimer: This guide is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It represents one approach to espresso dial-in and is not a substitute for the manufacturer's instructions, safety guidelines, or professional advice. Always read and follow your machine's manual before attempting any adjustments. Use of this guide is entirely at your own risk. The authors accept no responsibility or liability for any damage to equipment, injury, or loss arising from the use of this information. When in doubt, consult a qualified technician or your machine's manufacturer.

⚠ Warning: **Safety Notice:**

Espresso machines operate at high temperatures and pressures. Steam, hot water, and machine surfaces can cause serious burns. Never force the portafilter — overdosing and forcing the lock can damage the group head gasket. Always allow the machine to fully heat up before use and follow all manufacturer safety guidelines.

Goals

We are going to attempt to dialing in for taste here but before we can get to that we have to get into the right ballpark. There are however a few variables involved and perhaps many things that may affect our outcome. For example, if someone leaves soap all over the equipment we will obviously be affected in our goals and we can't cover every possible dimension. So we have to assume you are capable to a certain point and we wont cover every basic of using a machine here. There are a few main variables involved and they can be tweaked in various directions to get to the same point so this is an attempt to provide one way of doing this but there can be others.

Phase 0: Prep

You need some things

The main variables involved:

So there is a lot going on here. We will assume we are working with a manual middle of the road starting machine. So no temperature or pressure controls. We will have to pick a dimension to start but we may have to adjust over time and start over.

The more you can do to get a consistent prep method for the coffee going in the basket the better off you will be. The more variables that change the harder this is going to be because you will not know what change caused your outcome. Which is why we start with grind size. We need consistency there. A burr grinder is going to be far more consistent than a blade grinder. A tamper with self-click feedback and a set spring tension is going to be more precise then a novice trying to guess what 30lb of force is consistently. So pay attention to your process. If you see you always have too many grounds, find a way to adjust. If you are not getting consistent output doing the same steps ask why and adjust. Without finding a consistent way to make a nice puck that is the same each time the harder this process is to gain a good tasting shot every time. With a regular tamper, press lightly with even pressure rotate to ensure level and press down until the coffee compresses. You do not need to obsess on pressure. Folks say that research shows once the coffee compresses it doesn't really compress more. So just a good even pressure should be sufficient.

💡 Tip: **Weigh EVERYTHING**

Measure the wand and the basket and them together. Measure the beans before grinding. Measure the weight of the ground beans. Measure the cups before and after each step. Measure the cup before the liquid drops and when you hit the goal yield (grams of liquid output). The more you take time to measure and pay attention the more you will begin to understand what is going on. At once point I noticed the ground beans was lighter than usual. It turned out a lot of grounds was left in the grinder (retention). If you weigh, you will notice when things change like this.

Phase 1: Rough-In Grind and Dose

Step 1 — Establish Dose

Here we are just trying to get the rough amount of beans we need in the basket to begin dialing in. Which is loosely based on a "full" basket but not too full. We don't want pressure on the machine from coffee.

Begin by looking at the manual for your portafilter basket (or machine if it came with the machine). You may also be able to look on the side of the basket itself and it may have the recommended dose in grams printed on the side.

📝 Note

- Be sure to use a burr grinder which will grind based on particle size.

- Use a scale with at least 0.1g resolution — cheap or imprecise scales can make dose and yield measurements unreliable and difficult to repeat.

- Beans should be rested at least 5-7 days off roast before dialing in. Fresh roasted beans contain excess CO2 which causes unpredictable extraction and inconsistent results. Check your bag's roast date.

- You can start with store bought inexpensive whole bean coffee to start but you may not reach peak taste without fresh roasted beans. Figure out the basics before you spend a lot.

Step 2 — Pull & Time

Here we start to pull a shot and see if the timing fits into the right ballpark. If it does not we will adjust the grind size until it is. These are guidelines to give us something to work on but ultimately taste will be the final decision maker. But we need something to go by for now. So if we have a full basket for a grind size in the previous step, we now have to test if that fits the window for an estimated good shot. Note, that if you have an automatic machine you will have to read the manual to see what you can adjust and what you cannot. You may need to determine if there is a manual mode for your machine if you want to play with this. If you cannot do that, you can still play with grind size.

⚠ Warning: **Safety:**

Steam, hot water, and machine surfaces can cause burns — handle the portafilter and cup carefully during and after the shot.

📝 Note

- Flush/purge the group head by running a small amount of water through before locking in the portafilter. This clears old grounds and stabilizes group head temperature for a more consistent shot.

- Pay attention to what the output liquid stream looks like. Is it clear? Is it foamy? Note how this changes as you change parameters. This foam is often the goal called crema. It is not an indication of a good tasting shot but it might mean we are in the ballpark on our grind size.

- Use your machine's default water temperature until your recipe is fully locked in. Temperature is a real extraction variable — changing it mid dial-in adds complexity and makes it harder to isolate grind and yield as the cause of taste changes.

- "But, my grinder is automatic and it runs for N seconds when I press double". You can still measure the weight of the beans before and after to determine your dose size. You can grind into a separate cup and use a spoon to transfer the desired amount. You can press the button to stop grinding earlier.

- Automation Volumetric Machines e.g. Bambino. If you machine is automatic and uses volume to decide when to stop, see if pressing the same button again stops it mid pour. It does on the Duo Temp Pro. If so you can easily stop on yield while weighing on a scale. You can also see if the manual states how much water comes out. 1ml water ~= 1g in weight. The internet suggests the bambino buttons produce 60ml for double (double check your manual). 18g (dose) in and 60g (60ml) (yield) out is about 1:3.3 ratio. That's more of a lungo. So we need less water to bring down that ratio. As already stated, we use a scale and stopping earlier. The online manuals suggest a second button press should stop the water early and there is a similar method that allow syou to program that permanenetly (per button). Check your manual. You might also check out manual mode. **WARNING:** I saw someone online mention turning off the machine briefly at the desired yield, I would NOT do this. This may damage the machine as it avoid the normal purge and depressurizing phase. I would check your manual and follow all manufacturers recommendations for proper and safe functions.

Step 3 — Rough Grind Adjustment

Goal: get shot time into the 25-32s window. This is a coarse adjustment — don't chase taste yet.

📝 Note

- Pre-infusion time is the time it takes for the first drip to fall. You can often tell if you are in the right ballpark how long this takes. On my machine something like 8-12s until the first drop falls is normal. So if it's been like 15-18s I know something is off and I turn off the shot and grind courser.

- After any grind size change, purge a small amount of coffee through the grinder and discard before dosing. Grinder retention means the first grounds out will be from the previous setting, not the new one.

- Increment grind changes one step/click at a time. Espresso is sensitive — large jumps make it hard to find the right setting and easy to overshoot.

Phase 2: Dial-In the Taste

Preparation Step (optional) — Scorpion Shot → train your palate

Recommended if you are new to evaluating espresso for sour vs bitter. (See Appendix A for full details)

Step 4 — Fine-Tune Grind for Taste

Grind was set roughly in Step 3 to hit the time window. Now fine-tune for taste — but note that even small grind changes can shift your time, so re-verify time after each adjustment.

Two independent axes — fix them one at a time:

Using your recorded settings from Step 3, pull a fresh shot and time it.

Once complete, use a small spoon to mix (lift) the layers of flavors in the shot and taste it and ignore body for now. Does it taste sour, balanced, or bitter?

Re-pull after every grind change, re-check time is still in range, and re-evaluate taste. Remember to purge the grinder after each grind change before re-dosing. Repeat until extraction tastes balanced.

→ See Appendix C — Extraction & Concentration Matrix for a full breakdown of grind and yield adjustments by taste profile.

📝 Note

These steps are rough guidance based on a common barista diagram (**Appendix C**). However, some prefer to not change grind size once you get it dialed in the the correct ballpark range (25-30s). They only modify yield. If we increase the yield (more extraction time), we are adding more bitter flavors to balance out sour/acidic taste. If we decrease the yield (less extraction time) we are adding more sour/acidic flavors to back off bitter taste.

We typically only change 1 dimension at a time. We get the shot in the ballpark range with grinding finer/courser with fine adjustments, then we refine the taste changing the yield/ratio. You may need to play with both to find what works for you.

Step 5 — Fix Concentration (Yield)

Extraction taste is now balanced. Pull a fresh shot using your current grind setting and dose. Once complete, only ask: does it feel watery, good, or muddy?

Dose was fixed in Step 1 — yield is your only lever here. Yield adjustments don't affect shot time, so no need to re-chase Step 2 after changes. Make small adjustments — ±2-3g at a time. If watery/muddy issues persist despite yield changes, revisit dose in Step 1 on the next session.

→ See Appendix C — Extraction & Concentration Matrix for a full breakdown of concentration adjustments and channeling diagnosis.

Step 6 — Record Your Recipe

Once dialed in, note: grind setting, dose in grams, yield in grams (ratio), shot time, and water temperature. This is your repeatable baseline. Keep a notebook. Use an app. Next time you want to pull the same type of drink, use the dose (g) from your notes.

📋 Appendix

A. Scorpion Shot — Palate Training

This diagnostic breaks the extraction into thirds so you can taste each phase in isolation, helping you identify what sour vs bitter actually taste like in your specific beans and setup. Do this once or twice early in dial-in — it makes Step 4 much easier and more confident.

B. Basket Fullness Methods

The goal of all methods is the same: find where the shower screen sits and ensure the tamped puck sits 1.5-2mm below it without touching. With all these methods, if you weigh the basket before and after you determine the weight of the coffee (dose) in grams to use for future extractions. Essentially we are just getting in the ballpark with basket fullness. You can use more than one method below to help you gauge height.

⚠ Warning

Use small incremental changes and never force the portafilter — forcing an overdosed basket can damage the machine. Whenever the coffee touches the parts of the espresso machine you are at risk of damaging things. If you see indentation marks in the top of your coffee after you remove it from the machine, you have too much coffee in your basket, take some out before trying again. Proceed gently and with caution. Pay attention to how hard the portafilter wand is to insert and never force. As always check your manual for proper dosage and instructions.

2. Estimating height using the Tamper

💡 Tip

A nice tamper that is self-leveling and has a click feedback for consistent tamping pressure (~25-30lb) will do wonders for your proper puck prep consistency. No this is not required but it takes away one more variable when starting out. In my experience these also seem to typically leave enough room for a screen on top but **see warnings**.

3. Razor Tool (Breville Razor)

4. Visual Inspection Feedback

We are striving for a "puck" (like hockey) where it the coffee comes out mostly in one piece when tapping the wand against hard surface. Though be careful not to force in too much coffee just to get a puck (See warnings).

C. Extraction & Concentration Matrix

Two independent axes determine your shot quality:

Shot Grind Yield Puck Prep
Sour + Watery Finer Reduce yield —
Sour + Good body Finer Hold —
Sour + Muddy Finer Increase yield Check distribution
Balanced + Watery Hold Reduce yield —
Balanced + Good ✅ Done ✅ Done —
Balanced + Muddy Hold Increase yield Check tamp/distribution
Bitter + Watery Coarser Reduce yield —
Bitter + Good body Coarser Hold —
Bitter + Muddy Coarser Increase yield —

Dose is set in Step 1 — yield is your lever here. Revisit dose only if yield adjustments can't resolve concentration issues.

If your shot is simultaneously sour and bitter, or body never improves regardless of yield changes — suspect channeling. No recipe adjustment fixes uneven flow. Focus on tamp evenness and puck distribution before continuing.

Note that this is rough guidance. Many people prefer to not change Grind once you get it dialed in the the correct ballpark range (25-30s). They only modify yield (which is also a new ratio). If we increase the yield, we are favoring adding a bit more bitter to balance out the sour. If we decrease the yield we are favoring the sour/acidic to back off the bitter.

So we typically only change 1 value at a time. We get the shot in the ballpark range with grinding finer/courser, then we refine the taste changing the yield/ratio. You may need to play with both to see your preferred method.