Please help me dial in my espresso.
Please help me dial in my espresso.
I'm relatively new to the espresso game and my espresso always tastes a bit sour... please help! I'm using a Breville Barista Express. From what I understand, the sourness is generally because of under extraction. The water seems to be at around 190-200 degrees, so I don't think that's the issue. I've tried to dial in the grind size so that pulling a shot takes around 25-30 seconds. At that grind size, the pressure gauge is at the very top of the range. I believe if I go finer with the grind, then it'll take longer to brew and push the pressure up higher. I'm not sure exactly what to do to address this. Could it be that I'm tamping too hard? I push relatively firm, aiming for about 30 lbs of pressure. Thanks for the help!
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I highly recommend a scale (with 0.1g precision) to weigh how much coffee goes in vs how much liquid comes out. Without it you're just going to be eyeballing and that will quickly become frustrating (I've been there). No need to spend a lot of money, a cheap €20 one will get you a long way.
Once you get a scale, you can follow this simple recipe:
- grind 18g of coffee (weigh the grounds, do not weigh the beans unless you have a very good grinder with low/no retention)
- Extract your espresso for 30 seconds
- Weigh the liquid in the cup, it should be around 36g (1:2 ratio). If it's under 36g you're grinding too fine, if it's over then you're grinding too coarse.
- Repeat until you consistently get it right.
After it's dialed in, you can start making micro-adjustments to your liking.
Thanks. I actually have a .01g scale, but I was only weighing what went in. I didn't realize I can also weigh the output to help tune in. Thanks for the instructions. Seems pretty clear.