Dialing In a New Bag of Espresso

Every new bag is a small reset. Density, roast, and freshness all shift, so yesterday's setting rarely carries over. Here's a routine that gets you there in a few shots — and leaves a record so the next bag is faster still.

Start from a known recipe

Pick a sane baseline and write it down before you pull anything:

• Dose: 18g
• Yield: 36g (a 1 : 2 ratio)
• Time: aim for 25–30s
• Temperature: 93°C

This isn't the "right" recipe — it's a starting point you'll adjust from.

Read the shot, then change one thing

Pull the first shot and taste. Then move a single variable:

1. Sour, sharp, or watery? The shot is under-extracted. Grind finer.
2. Bitter, dry, or hollow? Over-extracted. Grind coarser.
3. Time way off? If it gushes (under ~20s), grind finer; if it drips (over ~35s), grind coarser.

Grind is your primary lever. Hold dose and ratio steady while you find the setting where time lands in range and the sourness fades.

Then refine to taste

Once it's in the ballpark, smaller moves polish it:

• Nudge the ratio shorter for more body, longer for more clarity.
• Adjust temperature a degree or two — hotter for light roasts, cooler for dark.

Log each attempt next to the last with a quick rating. Three or four entries in, you'll see the winner clearly — and when you tap Repeat, you'll get it again the very first try.