When you get new espresso beans, you need to find the right settings on your espresso machine and grinder to get the best flavor. This tool helps you track your settings from shot to shot, allowing you to perfect your espresso recipe.
How do I dial in espresso?
Before you dial in your espresso, know that it can be a frustrating process if try to do too much at once.
Espresso is VERY sensitive to small adjustments and changes. Take a deep breath, and make one adjustment at a time between shots until you get to a tasty shot of espresso.
Figure out how much ground espresso should go in your portafilter basket. Every basket has a recommended dosage amount. You want to be pretty close to the recommended dosage - for my 15g basket, I like using a 14.5g dose.
Figure out the grind setting that will get you to a shot of espresso at a 1:2 ratio in about 30 seconds. This means for 14.5g of coffee going into the portafilter, you would get getting 29g of espresso out in your cup in about 30 seconds from the moment your espresso machine pump turns on. If the beans you have a different "preferred" recipe, try to approximate that recipe's ratio and timing.
Make your espresso! Log all of the variables into the DialInEspresso.com tool. Let the tool's guided recommendations help you iterate on your recipe until you have the perfect shot of espresso.
A few tips that will help you ensure espresso success:
If your espresso tastes sour, reduce your grind size
Do not underestimate the distribution of your ground coffee in the portafilter. Does your shot taste bitter and sour at the same time? Your distribution is likely to blame. Use a WDT tool to more evenly distirbute your espresso. If your machine offers a pre-infusion step, set it up so water pre-infuses to the espresso for as many seconds as it takes for the first drops of espresso to come out of the portafilter (for me on a modified Rancilio Silvia, this takes 8 seconds of pre-infusion).
Do I need to register?
Nope. Your espresso shots are tracked in your browser only - as long as you use the same device to access DialInEspresso.com, you should see your shot history (until you clear your browser's session history or use a private browsing window).
How much does it cost?
It's free! If you find this tool helpful, you can always buy me an espresso, I would appreciate it!