Dialling in espresso - Quick guide
Dialling in espresso is the core task in order to achieve a repeatable quality in your espressos.
The term "dialling in" refers to getting the espressos right - finding the correct recipe for the espresso.
Many factors influence the quality of espressos and you will not be able to pull perfect shots - every time. But we can do everything to better our chances.
Some of those factors are:
- Water quality
- water temperature
- time of extraction
- amount of water
- roast level of coffee
- consistency of grind
- grind size
- tamping pressure
- cleanliness of equipment
We are working on a comprehensive guide for espresso including dialling it in - this will include methods on how to improve every of this factors. For this quick guide we will concentrate on the factors we can directly influence.
Before you start, check the water temperature of your espresso machine and if you can change it. Ideally the water should be between 90 and 95ºC. If the temperature is too hot it will burn the coffee if it is too low the espresso will be under-extracted and taste sour and weak. Our main espresso machine runs at 93ºC.
For this crucial process we follow an easy rule …. Only change 1 thing at a time
We focus on the grind size first. Everything else stays the same.
Let's quickly get a few things out of the way:
Your grinder should be adjustable to a fine grind size- this means it is capable of grinding your delicious coffee beans fine enough for espresso. - the ground coffee should feel slightly gritty when you rub it between your fingers. Ideally you use a so-called on demand grinder where you activate the grinder by pressing the button with your portafilter. But you can use any grinder, no matter if a electrical or a hand-grinder.
Unfortunately your grinder will store some ground coffee - if you are changing the grind size, please purge the grinder - depending on make and model this means you should grind somewhere in between a few grams and 2 shots after you changed the grind size in order to only get grounds in the correct size.
When we coffee guys talk about espresso shots we use our own terminology. First of all we pull shots. Then we talk about dose and yield. This is easy - the dose is the amount of ground coffee we put into the portafilter. The yield is the amount of brewed espresso ending up in the cup.
On top of that we measure the time it takes to pull a shot.
You will need a kitchen scale that is capable of measuring tenth of grams. And ideally one with a stop watch - or – a stop watch.
Make sure you know how to pull a shot on your machine in a way that you can stop the shot whenever you want.
With all of this in mind - the perception of what the exact recipe of a good espresso is differs wildly.
We use a dose of 18gr - a yield of 40 gr and a time of somewhere between 25 and 32 sec.
This is a rough guideline. The flavour trumps it all. So if you are pulling delicious shots with 16 gr. In and 42 gr. Out in 35 sec. Perhaps that’s your recipe.
The dialling in process is simple.
ROUND 1
Grind 18gr of coffee
Tamper properly
Pull the shot for 40gr.
Check time
If your grind size is way off the shot will run too fast or too slow - adjust accordingly. If it was too fast, you will need a finer grind size - if it was too slow go a little coarser.
The crema on top of the espresso can also be used as an indicator if the shot is over or under-extracted … watch out for these signs:
When the shot looks like this - dark with a thin crema and a dark halo towards the edge of the cup or with white spotting, your espresso is over-extracted - it will taste dull and muted - with bitter being a prominent flavour.
under-extracted espresso has a thin and pale crema and tastes watery, sour or even salty with little to no after taste.
When the coffee tastes full, sweet and round you have the extraction just right and the crema will look full and thick.
Now Round 2
Do exactly the same - but with an adjusted grind size. And check again ….
Once you are within the time bracket of around 25 and 32sec or close enough … please try the espresso again.
When the taste is getting closer to what you want to achieve, you can fix the grind size and work on the dose or the yield as well … use a little more coffee - extract it with a little more water ….
You’ll have to reiterate this several times if you are not happy with the results.
This is getting easier the more you do it.
Enjoy your coffees.
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