"Dialling in" is the process of adjusting your espresso variables until you're pulling shots that taste right. If you've ever made espresso at home and wondered why it tastes sour, bitter, or nothing like the café version — this is the guide that fixes it.
The Three Variables
Every espresso shot is defined by three numbers:
- Dose — how much ground coffee goes into the portafilter basket (in grams)
- Yield — how much liquid espresso comes out (in grams)
- Time — how long the shot takes to extract
These three things interact. Change one, and the others shift. The relationship between dose and yield is called the ratio — and the ratio is the most useful number to understand.
Start With a Recipe
Before adjusting anything, you need a baseline. Here's a good starting recipe for most specialty espresso blends:
- Dose: 18g in
- Yield: 36g out (a 1:2 ratio)
- Time: 25–30 seconds
18 grams in, 36 grams out, in around 27 seconds. This is the standard double espresso recipe used in most specialty cafés. It's a good place to start regardless of which coffee you're using.
You'll need a scale to measure yield. If you're not already weighing your output, start there — it's the single most useful change you can make.
The Adjustment: Grind Size
Grind size is the primary tool for dialling in. Everything else — dose, temperature, water pressure — is either fixed by your machine or changed infrequently. Grind size is what you adjust daily, sometimes between shots, as you work toward the right extraction.
Finer grind = slower extraction = more flavour pulled from the coffee
Coarser grind = faster extraction = less flavour pulled from the coffee
When you change to a new bag of coffee, the grind will need adjusting. Even the same coffee roasted on different weeks can extract differently.
How to Taste and Adjust
Pull a shot at your baseline recipe. Taste it. Then ask:
Does it taste sour, sharp, or thin? This is under-extraction — the water has moved through too fast and hasn't pulled enough sweetness and body from the coffee. Grind finer to slow the shot down and extract more.
Does it taste bitter, harsh, or drying? This is over-extraction — the water has moved through too slowly and pulled too much. Grind coarser to speed the shot up and extract less.
Does it taste balanced — sweet, rounded, with some acidity but no sharpness? You're dialled in. Don't touch anything.
Adjust grind size in small increments. Most grinders have numbered settings — change by one or two steps and pull another shot. Taste again. Repeat until you're happy.
Common Beginner Mistakes
Changing too many things at once. If you adjust the dose, the grind, and the temperature in the same session, you won't know which change made the difference. Change one variable, taste, then decide whether to change another.
Not using a scale. Eyeballing yield by cup volume is imprecise. A 36ml espresso and a 36g espresso look roughly the same in the cup, but the density of crema means the volumes don't match. Weigh the output.
Blaming the coffee. A sour or bitter shot is almost always a technique issue, not a coffee quality issue. Before switching coffees, go through the adjustment process first.
Expecting consistency from a cheap grinder. A grinder that can't produce a consistent particle size will produce inconsistent shots regardless of what you do with the other variables. If you've tried every adjustment and can't get the shot right, the grinder is often the culprit.
Grinding too far ahead. Grind just before you brew. Espresso-ground coffee goes stale within minutes of grinding — the massive increase in surface area accelerates oxidation rapidly. Grind to order.
Temperature and Pressure
Most home espresso machines extract at 9 bars of pressure and a brew temperature of 93–95°C. If yours has a PID temperature controller, try 93°C as a starting point for most blends — lighter roasts can benefit from slightly higher temperatures (94–96°C), darker roasts slightly lower (91–93°C). But temperature is a fine-tuning variable, not the first thing to reach for.
When You're Dialled In
Once you've found a grind setting that produces a good shot from a given coffee, write it down. Note the grind setting, the dose, the yield, and the time. Next time you open the same bag, start there.
When you move to a new bag — even the same coffee from the same roastery — you'll likely need to adjust by a step or two. Different harvests, different roast days, different storage conditions all change how a coffee extracts. The recipe is a starting point, not a fixed rule.
Our espresso blends are roasted with a target recipe in mind. The product pages include suggested parameters — a useful starting point for each coffee. If you want a coffee that's forgiving to dial in as a beginner, Sabertooth is a good choice: its blend composition produces a wide, consistent extraction window.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know when my shot is ready to stop?
Weigh the output — stop at your target yield (36g for a standard double). If you're not weighing, watch for the colour change: espresso starts dark and concentrated, then lightens as the shot progresses. Stop before it becomes watery and pale — that's where the bitterness lives.
My shot is running very fast — what do I do?
Grind finer. A shot that reaches 36g in under 15 seconds is running too fast and will be under-extracted. Finer grounds slow the flow rate by reducing the space between particles.
My shot is running very slow or barely dripping — what do I do?
Grind coarser. Over-fine grinding creates too much resistance for the water to push through. You may also have tamped too hard — a firm, level tamp is all you need, you don't need to push with full bodyweight.
How hard should I tamp?
Firm and level. A consistent tamp of around 15–20kg of pressure is the standard recommendation, but consistency matters more than exact force. Tamp level — an uneven tamp creates channelling, where water finds the path of least resistance and bypasses part of the puck.
Do I need a knock box?
It's not essential, but it makes the process cleaner. A knock box lets you knock the used puck directly into it rather than into the bin — keeps your bench tidy and extends the life of your portafilter by giving it something cushioned to knock against.