When you receive a new bag of espresso, there’s often a recommended recipe that comes along with it. Usually, this recipe will include a starting weight, a finishing weight, a temperature, and a time. What do these numbers and amounts mean, and how do they help your espresso taste the way it should? If the timing of your shot isn’t matching the timing recommendation, how do you make adjustments to get it to the point where it’s matching? This entire process of taking the recommended recipe, making adjustments, and getting your espresso tasting the best it can be is called “dialing in” your espresso. It can be as simple as putting less coffee into your portafilter basket, or as complicated as adjusting temperature, pre-infusion, or grind size. Follow along below as we take you through the process of dialing in your espresso!
What is the purpose of dialing in your espresso?
You’re not sampling the espresso beans before you make your purchase. Instead, you’re relying on the information provided to you on the packaging to tell you if it’s something you will like. The packaging tells you the roast level, the origin on some occasions, and most importantly, the flavor notes. But, there’s nothing worse than pulling your shots, excited to taste the flavor notes specified on the bag, only to find that it tastes bitter or sour instead. Dialing in your espresso means that you’ll be able to taste those shots you just pulled, determine what needs to be changed to make it taste better, and pull new shots that will taste as they’re described with the flavor notes on the bag! We know there are many processes out there that feel excessive or unnecessary, but dialing in espresso is the key factor to getting great lattes and great coffee at home.
Is something wrong if I have to dial the same espresso differently?
Not at all! Espresso dials are not just affected by the variables we can change manually, but also by uncontrollable variables. When the coffee was roasted will determine how de-gassed your coffee is, which can then contribute to a different dial. The colder temperature in the morning warming up in the afternoon by ten degrees can also make a difference. Just brewed 100 shots back-to-back? Now your grinder temperature is also higher, which can affect the dial, too.
For us at Klatch Coffee, we have our year-round staple blends. With how seasonal coffee beans are, however, that doesn’t always mean the same exact components go into the blend year-round. Instead, we will switch components based on what’s available at that time of year, and we’ll roast and adjust the blend ratios to ensure the coffee still carries the same flavor profile! Although it’s the same blend and same flavor profile, sometimes you may need to adjust your dial to accommodate the new beans as well. There are so many factors to consider, it’s absolutely normal to have a different dial for the same coffee, even within the same usage day.
Why does the dial recommended by the roaster not always work out perfectly?
As mentioned, there are countless variables that can affect an espresso’s dial. What equipment is being used, what the temperature of the room is, and more can make a difference. When we dial in our espressos to create our recommended recipes, we’re doing so within our training lab, where we’re using commercial espresso machines, and our temperature is maintained at around 75°F (around 24°C). Rather than considering our recommendation a hard guideline, we like to think of it as a great starting point. It’s where you should start from, so you can make adjustments based on our recipe! Additionally, coffee is subjective, and flavor notes also depend vastly on an individual’s palate. What tastes like blueberries to one person may taste more like mulberries to another. Ultimately, dialing in is meant to help you get your espresso tasting the best it should to you.
How often should I be dialing in my espresso?
We dial in our espresso in our own store locations at least every two hours. This is because we go through coffee so quickly and at such a high volume! If you’re just enjoying your espresso at home for yourself, we recommend dialing in at least one a day, before you make your morning latte. If you have guests over that may want a coffee now and a coffee in a few hours, we’d recommend dialing in right before you make each of their drinks! If you noticed that the temperature in the house was 50°F (or 10°C) in the morning, but that it’s now 80°F (around 27°C) in the afternoon, you’ll also want to dial in before you make yourself another drink.
So, how exactly do I dial in my espresso?
+-----------------------+-----------------+---------------+
| Taste/Issue | Likely Cause | Adjustment |
+-----------------------+-----------------+---------------+
| Sour or thin shot | Underextraction | Finer grind |
+-----------------------+-----------------+---------------+
| Shot pulling too fast | Underextraction | Finer grind |
+-----------------------+-----------------+---------------+
| Bitter or harsh shot | Overextraction | Coarser grind |
+-----------------------+-----------------+---------------+
| Shot pulling too slow | Overextraction | Coarser grind |
+-----------------------+-----------------+---------------+There are a few main adjustable variables that affect the way your espresso tastes: coffee type, coffee grind, coffee amount, and temperature. You cannot adjust the coffee type unless you’re determined to purchase a different bag of espresso beans, so this isn’t necessarily a changeable variable, rather, a point of reference. It’s also important to note that you should only change one variable at a time. If you believe the problem lies in the grind size, for example, just focus on changing the grind and don’t jump around to changing the temperature or the amount of coffee at the same time.
Coffee Type
Coffees from different regions have different characteristics. Ethiopian coffees, for example, are often roasted lighter, so tend to brew better at higher temperatures. If you’re using a single origin Ethiopian as your espresso, you may want to start at a higher temperature like 201°F (or 94°C). Certain coffees may brew better at lower temperatures, so you may want to start around 195°F (or 90°C) for those.
Coffee Grind
The grind size of your coffee determines how quickly water can go through your beans. The coarser your beans are ground, the faster the water can flow through, and the finer your beans are, the longer it will take the water to flow through. If you find that your beans are tasting extremely sour, they’re likely underextracted. If it’s underextracted, you’ll want to grind your beans finer so that it takes longer for the water to pass through, hence creating a longer extraction time. Vice versa, if it’s tasting bitter, your beans are likely overextracted and need to be coarsened so that the extraction time is shorter as the water passes through quicker.
It’s important to note when you’re adjusting grind size that you may need to dump out a portafilter’s worth of grinds before your grinder has fully adjusted. Try adjusting one line or one number at a time so you know if you’re moving in the right direction!
Coffee Dose and Yield
If you believe your grind size is just right, but your coffee is taking way too long to come out of your portafilter spout, you may want to consider the amount of coffee you’re using! We typically recommend a 1:2 ratio—if you have a 20g dose of grounds going in your portafilter basket, try starting with a 40g yield of espresso. You can make adjustments from there, and sometimes you’ll find the espresso tasting best at a yield of 36g or 38g instead of the full 40g!
If you’re adjusting the dose and how many grams of ground coffee you’re putting into your portafilter, start small with your adjustments. Try adjusting 0.5 grams at a time so you’re getting subtler differences that can easily be adjusted.
Temperature
This may not be adjustable with your home equipment, and that’s okay. Adjusting espresso temperature really allows you to fine-tune extraction, but you can still dial in some great espresso without making any changes to the espresso machine’s temperature. Increase the temperature for lighter roasts to boost extraction, and decrease temperature for darker roasts to avoid bitterness.
Even if you’re able to adjust the temperature on your espresso machine, we recommend doing this as your last option, as grind, yield, and time should get your espresso dialed in well already. If your espresso tastes sour or thin, go higher in temperature. If your shots are bitter or harsh, go lower in temperature. Don’t adjust more than one or two degrees at a time!
Overall
- Start with the roaster’s recipe
- Pull a shot and measure time/yield
- Taste the shot
- Adjust grind size first
- Fine-tune yield second
- Adjust temperature last
How do I keep track of my dials?
We recommend keeping a small notebook by your espresso machine to note down your dials! This gives you a helpful reference point when opening a new bag of coffee and makes it easier to recreate great shots.
What espresso do you recommend for a home enthusiast?
As mentioned, coffee is incredibly subjective! Any espresso can be enjoyed at a home—it’s just a matter of what you personally enjoy. If you enjoy a fruitier, lighter espresso, try our WBC. If you enjoy something slightly fruity, but darker and chocolatier, the Belle may be suited to your taste. If you like something purely chocolatey and subtly sweet, our Organic Espresso is the one for you.
If you want to learn more and you're local to us in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, consider taking our Home Espresso Class to learn how to dial in, in person!
Now that you know how to dial in espresso at home, are you ready to start serving up some delicious lattes?