My method for dialing in espresso.
What are the variables when making espresso? Most of them we can control, and make them the same, every time we make a shot of espresso. The more you can replicate from shot to shot, the easier this will be.
No matter what coffee you're using, you should decide on a baseline temperature (if possible). This temperature is generally betweeo 92 - 96 celcius or 197-205 fahrenheit. 93C is where the Breville Bambino is stated to use.
Purists will argue this as temps can fluctuate, and you can get into a thing called temperature surfing. If your espresso machine has a PID or Proportional-Integral-Derivative... wtf?. Just know these are meant to keep temperatures consistent. Not all machines have these.
This is a fun one as it is directly influenced by the human element. Alas there are solutions such a Puq Press or a calibrated tamper such as the Normcore V4 Coffee Tamper. This takes all the guess work and eliminates the tamping varible from your work flow.
This way if your espresso shot isnt what you'd like, you don't even have to worry about the tamp, it will always be the same. It is more likely, another variable...
Start with the same amount of coffee each time you're dialing in new beans. Your portafilter basket size will give you guidelines as to how much coffee you should be dosing. It may say something like 18 - 22g. It's generally accepted that a shot of espresso starts with 18g of coffee (this is not a set-in-stone rule), and it should take somewhere around 30 seconds to get 36g of coffee out. This is where a scale with a timer will help you greatly.
If it's too fast, grind finer. If its too slow, grind coarser. Use the smallest changes as possible when adjusting your grind. Some grinders are capable of very fine increments, others not so much. Just keep all your variables the same before changing your grind settings.
You can do all of these things, and you can still not be satisfied with the taste of your espresso. You can nail that 1:2 ratio, 18 in, 36 out, beautiful, instagram worthy flow, excellent crema, and it can still not hit the mark.
This is where you start your adjusting. You have everything dialed, but its still not quite right. You can let the water run a little longer, maybe to 40 or 45 grams, or even cut it short to 25, 30g. It all comes down to what you prefer.
Just keep at it. Once you get a base line, most coffee you buy will be pretty close to your default dial-in settings unless you go way off base and get something special like an anaerobic or something lighter or darker than your norm. At the end of the day, you can always make your espresso into a milk drink so there's no waste. Cortados are wonderful for this as you can still enjoy the coffee with the comfort of adding milk. Or if your shot is way off, make a latte. It's never wasted if you're enjoying the process and can find a way to enjoy the end result.
As the saying goes, Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. Making great espresso can take a lot of time, but that time is never wasted.
