I never comment on videos on YT.. and I needed to express how even this simple short video changed my espresso and finally got me to break my assumption that my grind was the priority in affecting the taste. For weeks I have been trying to get this specific coffee dialed in and can’t quite achieve my preference and all I did was push a bit more water through it to cancel that lingering sour and I simply can’t believe the difference. Lance is truly legit!
This is awesome! I'm so happy a simple fix allowed you to make a special you are proud of period thanks for taking the time to comment even though that is out of the norm for you
Do I understand correctly that lowering the dose without changing brew time is the same as increasing yield (because it lowers the ratio the other possible way)? So in this particular case you could have use a little less ground coffe as well to get rid of the sourness?
@@ecsekiandras yes, but changing dose will change factors more than just a simple ratio change. Youll get a faster flow rate for example. Its a decent idea though. Hoff reccomends this if youre in the right area and want to dial in a bit without wasting a ton of coffee. But make sure you weigh to adjust ratio accordingly.
That was perfection in a nutshell. Short, sweet, informative, a little NSYNC dirty pop beat boxing. All one could ask for from a video! Great job Lance
Hahaha! Dirty pop. Ppppoooooppppp. Sick and tired of hearing all the people talk about, what's the deal with this pop life and when is it gonna fade ou
Hey Lance, thanks for the video. I've been making espresso at home on and off for 4ish years now. One thing that I didn't think about is just stopping the shot early or letting it run for a few seconds longer in relation to extraction. I mean, I did, but what most everyone teaches is to adjust the grind setting to nail the 1:2 ratio in 30 seconds. As someone who is pretty detail oriented, i always stuck to that. Recently I started dialing in by having the 1:2 ratio in mind but adjusting by taste. Hearing you say to give it a few more seconds rather than adjusting the grind setting was an "aha" moment for me. Thank you for all the educational videos you provide.
Dude I usually never comment on videos. But this is by far one of the best, simple, straight to the point videos about espresso I’ve ever seen! 🤙🏽 thank you!
Nice and detailed explanation from 1:20 - 1:49 & 4:34 - 5:03. I'm 13 days in with my coffee journey and I wish there were more videos that emphasize the viscosity when it comes to the extraction. Life saver, thank you, Hendrick.
Helped me out a ton! I was doing 20/40 no matter the bean and always just accepted them tasting a little off. First try with this was the best shot I’ve had in awhile!
Been a while since I was here right away. Honestly great tips. Exactly how I dial in. Go based on time/weight/ratio first and then go based on taste to tweak to your liking.
This is the best espresso dial in tutorials I have seen! Quick and easy! Before this, I was making changes to my grinder like crazy and I couldn't achieve a great tasting cup from a light-medium roast Yirgacheffe. However, after I have followed your guidelines, I could make an amazingly tasty cup. And even better, I can replicate it easily!
Lance... What the duck have I been doing for the past year... I always do my espresso at 18g 1:2 ratio whatever the beans are. Always sour, bitter and I just accepted that maybe that's what it really tastes. Now for the first time in my life, I tried to run it longer based on your suggestion, I never imagined espresso can be sweet on its own. Thank you... I don't usually comment on videos but your suggestion to run my espresso longer completely changed my coffee game! Your channel deserves more love! Thank you !!! 🙇🏻
I’m a little late but yes completely!! I also ran it for 1:2 ratio and when lance said try 1:2.5 or 3, it’s completely changed my view on espresso. Now I pull my 18g shot at 50g and it’s been game changer! I freakin love Lance
Idk why I hadn't heard any other ratios other than 1:2. Been trying to figure out my Gaggia with the OPV mod for like 3 months, watching a ton of videos, and I just pulled the best shot with a 1:3 ratio in 36 seconds. Thanks Lance!
Lance, this was gold! Thank you so much! I was following my roasters' recommended 20 g in, 40 out in 23 seconds and the acidity on those shots was killing me!! I had my first thoroughly enjoyable espresso today following this guide. Much much sweeter, it allowed for other notes to shine through without such a punch in the face with the acidity.
Curious, did you solve this mainly by grinding finer and holding the 40g constant out, or by increasing your time and volume/grams out? When I was getting acidic shots recently on a new coffee I wasn't sure if I should go coarser (thinking it would reduce the intensity of that flavor) or finer (shifting further along the sour-sweet-bitter spectrum).
@@elitebicycleracers definitely going finer. What we need is to up the extraction by grinding finer and increasing the contact time. Going coarser would speed up the shot which is what we don’t want. The first thing I did was drop the dose from 20 to 18g, allowing me to grind much finer, and then dial in the grind to get me to that 30/32 second 45 gram output. That results in a sweeter less acidic shot
wonderful! The roaster's guide could likely be delicious with their equipment and with their water, but it doesnt usually translate well to home users. Thats why equipping yourself with knowledge on dialling in is supreme! haha
I really appreciate the short format video my dude! You have always had excellent content, but sometimes I don't always have time for a 30 minute video but I want the down and dirty of how to get things rolling. I do like the long format when I have the time though.
lance. thanks for this refresher. been watching your vids from day 1 and they're always quality! quick question here! do you start your timer when you hit the start button (during pre-infusion phase)? or do you start it when you see the espresso flowing out?
@@LanceHedrick I'm using a Breville Barista Plus. Using manual mode I find that I start getting drops out to bottom of my bottomless portafilter after around 10 seconds, and then let my 18g bean dose run to 36g of output on a medium/dark bean over 28 seconds from the time the first drop exits the portafilter. Does that sound about right to you? I'm super new to this, would appreciate any advice!
Not sure where to ask...any chance for a "no cut", "no directly talking to the camera" milk drink workflow video? I think it would be quite informative to see how all the things you have taught us so far practically work in "real life". Not saying you shouldn't do a voice over to describe what you are doing, or a follow-up video discussing what you had done...but just seeing everything involved from the moment your machine turns on to heat up to even including your practical clean-up routine after your cup is poured would be exceedingly helpful!!! Thanks again for all your help!
Dood! love love your videos! Honestly, I learn something each time I watch a vid. I pulled a shot for my friend he likes the sweet tart kinda taste, whereas I like the more creamy robust flavor profile for my espresso. I know beans vary, lighter roasted has a tendency to be under extracted etc... I am using the Gaggia Classic Pro, IMS filter basket, and IMS screen, as well as the single hole espresso nozzle, along with a Gaggia MDF grinder I refurbed myself. I like at 3:45 you show the difference between how an espresso pull( stream) should look versus when the grind is too fine. I am finding I have to make adjustments each time I switch beans. I belong to a monthly bean subscription so bi weekly Im finding I adjust a little. Thanks again for making such good content!
making espresso is the never ending quest for perfection. Sadly, never ending is a proper word. There is no end in sight. You will always be chasing that dragon for ever and ever and ever. But, that's the fun of it. Chasing that godshot shot every day. And you have nailed it on the head. Switching between beans day after day is very difficult and can be wasteful. But over time, you will figure out a way to lessen the waste between dials.
Lance you are rocking with this content yesterday I finally made my first tulip by the latte art tutorial, now I would try this tips with the urbanic grinder .. that you already recommend 👌
Late to this party but hopefully somebody can elucidate. I dial in espresso differently from what is discussed here, and I've been getting what I feel like are very nice results. But it seems as though my perception is very different to what I'm hearing on the net (including jimseven's comments for example). My basket is smaller than yours, 18g, and I tend to just start with a commensurable grind setting, possibly recycled from my old coffee and/or perhaps slightly tweaked coarser for darker roasts, or finer for lighter roasts (but solubility is only loosely related in this way to the best of my knowledge, so it depends on my mood). The main ballpark always seems to be 18g dose to 40-48g yield in 28-40 sec. Once some attempt achieves this, I first ask myself whether what I'm tasting is hollow, sour, bitter or astringent. I then adjust temperature based on past experience* and grind size to taste. Grind size: I keep going finer until either of two things happen: the taste is very pronounced, rich and there is flavour separation OR I'm introducing bitterness into the cup. Temperature: my machine luckily has a .5 degree C temperature option on the PID, so I keep going hotter until I get the sweetness out that I like, and temperature surf with e.g. cooler portafilter etc. if I like to move back in between those .5 degrees to reintroduce acidity to the overal flavour profile and balance this out with the sweetness present from the optimum temperature setting. I may let it run longer if the sweetness that I look for cannot be achieved with the above scheme. I may let it run shorter if I get taste notes that are not to my liking (usually this means fermenty since I like to drink light / filter roasts). FWIW I use the whole 9 yards of zen garden puck prep (espcup,wdt,paperfilter,porcupress,mesh screen) and a flat temperature and pressure profile. Jimseven seems to insist that he can only taste a temperature difference of at least a couple degrees but this seems completely contradictory with what I'm tasting and what I'm brewing. Is my dial process wrong ? If I dial in using the words of Tim Wendleboe "if you like what you're tasting then the coffee is dialed in" then it should be fine, but what the aficionados claim on the web seems very strange to me at times.
Wait what? You cooperate with Doubleshot to get you beans? I’m from Czech and love your channel! Thanks for all the great content. I never thought you’d get any connection to Czech :)
Thanks Lance my coffees are getting better and better, as home-barista. Very interesting subject on shifting sourness and bitterness if you can elaborate more on that using simple coffee combo machines that would be great. I'll get your Breville when I get more proficient
Sure! The variables of extraction include time, temperature, grindsize, ratio, pressure. You will need to manipulate these in order to effect extraction. In order to increase extraction, you could make the grindsize smaller, or you could run more water through which would both increase your contact time, which does increase extraction, and it also increases your ratio. You just need to think about if you need to increase or decrease extraction and use those variables to your advantage
Super interesting to see that in real life you use the Breville Equipment. I would have expected that you would use a more premium grinder, at least, if not a more premium setup overall.
I do! I use a lot of different equipment. I just choose not to use a lot of it in my videos since they're going out to a wider audience. There is no point and constantly using the most expensive equipment when most people that are watching these videos cannot afford them
Can you do an interview/discussion with Stephane Ribes? He is a DE user who has posted a lot of home espresso experiments and came up with a lot of interesting results re. prep/equipment for espresso. I think your communication style would be great to highlight what he has found
Awesome. I was surprised to hear you say 30-35s…I’m so used to hearing 1:2 ratio in 25-28 seconds. I have also noticed all the Onyx espresso guides like 18g in 50-55g out.
Hi Lance, thanks for sharing this quick dialing-in video. Lot of questions come to my mind. FIRST, how do we define the proper dose for our basket? For my Simonelli Musica, what is the preferable dose? SECOND, in your first try with 20gr dose, it run very slow. Why did you choose to grind coarser, not decrease the dose? I believe both ways can result in faster shot.
Wow such a great video, I always have problems dialing in my espresso but now with this information I think i'm ready for those sweet spot espressos! Also it would be incredibly awesome if you could make a diagram showing what variables i should change like the dose, yield, grind size, extraction time, temperature, and what that does to the extraction. Thanks a lot, greetings from México! :)
For 20G of beans how much grans should we get for a double shot? 50 grams is the standard? How do we lessens or push extraction? I have the Breville barista pro. New at it.
Do you time from when the liquid first hits the cup, the way the scale does, or when the machine starts (including pre infusion)? I understand that either work but what’s the standard?
Hey Lance, nice video. I noticed that you include the pre-infusion time in your overall shot time, whereas I know that many people (including myself and our Lord and saviour James Hoffman) start timing from when the first drop hits the glass, and a good coffee scale will have this function built in. Can I ask about why you choose the method you do? Not saying you are wrong by any means, just interested in other people's ways and reasonings.
I don't think Hoffmann excludes the time before the drops on cup, everyone i know starts counting from the time the pump starts. Aim is usually around ~25 seconds plus pre-infusion time.
I include the timing because that is when the water is hitting the Puck and when extraction begins to occur. That is part of the extraction process. So it is part of the time that I include in my total shot time period then I also take note in the time of preinfusion. This all comes together to help me inform more clearly a picture on what the extraction was like. If I were to only count the time once it hits the cup, then I am missing a lot of the extraction potential. What you have to realize, is there is more to espresso than just a preinfused 9 bar shot. It seems that is mostly what James does on his channel, which I laud him for. But I tend to delve into much more deep espresso theory with different styles of shots that necessitate different flow rates. So, some of these will take a longer time to extract. And with these longer extractions, I need to notate all of the different times and all of the different techniques I am using. For instance, if I were to do a blooming espresso, I would absolutely count the 1st 30 seconds even though no drops are exiting the puck
Hello. I'm using Delonghi ec685. I use 16g of coffee and get variable shots of about 35-45. In general, although the flow is good, the coffee becomes sour and the puck stays dry, hardly pouring. How can I solve this?
How much does age of the coffee beans effect the flavor? I am getting better at my extractions, but I think the age of my beans may have something to do with it. I have a couple bags of Lavazza Super Crema so I don't want to just toss them, but the flavors really are not there.
Any advice is I'm able to hit the time (~30sec) and hitting the 2.5:1 ratio for medium/light roasted beans... But very little to no crema? Beans are about 2 weeks old since roast.
If it tastes good, don't worry about crema. Crema comes out with either freshness or darker roasted coffees or both. High pressure also epitomizes crema. I wouldn't sweat it if tasting good. I intentionally pull shots in a way to minimize crema hahaha
The most helpful video's on TH-cam on this subject by far! I do have a question though... the baskets all come in different sizes, the one I use most often is 17.9g, however, if I grind this amount my basket is always below the line no matter what bean I use. It then does not extract well as the the coffee just churns in the puck. I need to grind around 21 to 24g depending on the bean I am using to fill the puck to the correct level. Is this value on the puck just an indicator or in theory should I be close to this value?
I see in this video you change the ratio to 1:2.5 in order to increase extraction to get rid of the sour taste. What if instead I wanted to change the coffee dose to increase extraction? Would I increase or decrease the amount of coffee in the portafilter?
@@LanceHedrick so here`s my story, using a Breville DB, I am currently running a 7 sec PI (total 11 sec before espresso drops) on 18.5g dose for total run time of 27 sec. yielding 41g out (2.2:1 ratio, medium - dark roast) And I am relatively pleased with the results. I fully understand dose, grind size, run time, and yield, hell I even understand water debit now thanks to you. I know what PI is and its benefits, but unlike the rest I have no idea about determining PI time and how it factors into the whole magic 20-30sec window. Some time from start, some time from the drop, but add PI into that and it is a dark and scary world out there. I feel Im just going about adjusting PI blindly and getting annoyed. Adjusting to taste is fine and in the end what counts, but I will never be truly satisfied with my espresso until I understand the whys and wherefores here too.
i always recommend NOT messing with PI. Set it and forget it. If you want, you can dial in the PI to stop once the bottom of the basket is saturated. the goal of PI is to saturate fully the puck, priming it for diffusion and soaking it with water to degas and expand to lessen channels
I noticed my shots start nice and thick and by the 20-second mark they turn somewhat “watery” and run faster. Why is that? Brew pressure causing channeling in the puck? How to fix that? TIA.
When do i start my timer for the round about 25secs on my Bambino Plus? When hitting the button to start the extraction or when I hear the pump starting to pump water? There is round about a 3-5s offset between pushing the button and the sound of the pump.
Great as always, for you to have an enjoyable shot, how does the body of the shot rank? Before this, I would definitely have made the grind courser and hold the time parameter!!! If I’ve got that the right way around 😂😂
hello lance, I am having a problem setting up my sage barista express machine. I often came across online that the following ratio is the best, which is 1:2, 18 grams of cofee, 36 ML in 20-30 seconds. I can't really do this. I'm watching your videos now, and now I'm even more confused, because you also indicate different ratios. my espresso now is really overextracted. I don't know what to do, I've already wasted a kilo of coffee. Grind size is now at 6, and my shot comes out dripping. Do you have any tips for this beginner?😣
When using a bottomless PF, do you preinfuse until you see coverage of the bottom of the basket, or just the standard 7-8 seconds? On the same machine it takes 15-20 seconds to preinfuse with the dose and grind size I typically use
That's how I personally do it and it serves me well. It means grinding slightly finer in grind as well. Generally that's mean roughly 50 seconds total with PI and extraction going from 20-30 to 30-20 seconds
No. Raising temperature is something I prefer not messing with. Firstly, most machines can't be changed so easily, so it wouldn't be helpful for the majority. But, regardless of that, I always set machines thusly: 195F for dark coffees 200F for medium 205F for light Based off optics of roast degree, I set to that
Hi Lance, I did the mod on my hot water following Andys video. Unfortunatly, even though it went well and there's no leak. As soon has I turn the hot water know like not even a cm. the hot water light turns on. I have no buffer like Andy is showing and there very little or no water coming out. Any ideas?
That sudden beatbox was amazing
Haha! Thank you! Perhaps I'll do some more in a future video. I showed maybe 5% of what I can do. Lol
I never comment on videos on YT.. and I needed to express how even this simple short video changed my espresso and finally got me to break my assumption that my grind was the priority in affecting the taste. For weeks I have been trying to get this specific coffee dialed in and can’t quite achieve my preference and all I did was push a bit more water through it to cancel that lingering sour and I simply can’t believe the difference. Lance is truly legit!
This is awesome! I'm so happy a simple fix allowed you to make a special you are proud of period thanks for taking the time to comment even though that is out of the norm for you
Do I understand correctly that lowering the dose without changing brew time is the same as increasing yield (because it lowers the ratio the other possible way)? So in this particular case you could have use a little less ground coffe as well to get rid of the sourness?
@@ecsekiandras yes, but changing dose will change factors more than just a simple ratio change. Youll get a faster flow rate for example.
Its a decent idea though. Hoff reccomends this if youre in the right area and want to dial in a bit without wasting a ton of coffee.
But make sure you weigh to adjust ratio accordingly.
dude i’m like WHY WAS I SO STUBBORN ON MAINTAINING THE RATIO
Same, thank you
You made this so damn understandable-and pretty damn short for a tutorial. Thanks so much, Lance!
Fantastic to hear! Thank you so much for leaving this comment.
That was perfection in a nutshell. Short, sweet, informative, a little NSYNC dirty pop beat boxing. All one could ask for from a video! Great job Lance
Hahaha! Dirty pop. Ppppoooooppppp. Sick and tired of hearing all the people talk about, what's the deal with this pop life and when is it gonna fade ou
Hey Lance, thanks for the video. I've been making espresso at home on and off for 4ish years now. One thing that I didn't think about is just stopping the shot early or letting it run for a few seconds longer in relation to extraction. I mean, I did, but what most everyone teaches is to adjust the grind setting to nail the 1:2 ratio in 30 seconds. As someone who is pretty detail oriented, i always stuck to that. Recently I started dialing in by having the 1:2 ratio in mind but adjusting by taste. Hearing you say to give it a few more seconds rather than adjusting the grind setting was an "aha" moment for me. Thank you for all the educational videos you provide.
You're a fantastic teacher, thanks for the uploads!
thank you so incredibly much! I really appreciate that!
no useless blabla and very understandable. straight to the point and informative.
problem - solution
awesome dude
Dude I usually never comment on videos. But this is by far one of the best, simple, straight to the point videos about espresso I’ve ever seen! 🤙🏽 thank you!
Oh my man!! You have reached a level - only a true expert can - of explaining the difficult things in an easy and super digestible way !!! THANK YOU
wow thank you so much! that seriously means a lot, my friend.
There is so much to know and learn. But not too much to be intimidating. Just enough to keep things interesting. I love this hobby.
for sure. lots of new things i am still learning daily. It is fun!
Nice and detailed explanation from 1:20 - 1:49 & 4:34 - 5:03. I'm 13 days in with my coffee journey and I wish there were more videos that emphasize the viscosity when it comes to the extraction. Life saver, thank you, Hendrick.
Thank you, Anthony! Means a lot! I am so glad you enjoyed the video!
Helped me out a ton! I was doing 20/40 no matter the bean and always just accepted them tasting a little off. First try with this was the best shot I’ve had in awhile!
OK, picked up something new today and for that I thank you. Your spontaneous beat box was not half bad.
haha! I can do better than that. I am thinking of doing short, fun beat box tutorials on my tiktok that I never use haha!
Bro that beat boxing 😂😂😂
My son heard it in the background and started dancing lmao. Good stuff 👍🏼
hahaha! that is incredible. Thanks for watching!
I'm a simple man. I see a Lance Hedrick video, I like it.
Hahaha thank you! Means a lot, friend
This is the best tutorial I've seen on dialing in a shot.
Wow big praise! Thank you so much.
Been a while since I was here right away.
Honestly great tips. Exactly how I dial in. Go based on time/weight/ratio first and then go based on taste to tweak to your liking.
Absolutely! About time you came back
This is the best espresso dial in tutorials I have seen! Quick and easy! Before this, I was making changes to my grinder like crazy and I couldn't achieve a great tasting cup from a light-medium roast Yirgacheffe. However, after I have followed your guidelines, I could make an amazingly tasty cup. And even better, I can replicate it easily!
The beat boxin! My WORD, yet ANOTHER reason to watch Lord Hendrick’s exquisite channel! Thank you for this
Haha! Thank you so much! Stoked you enjoyed the video
The beatboxing was amazing! Great video Lance as always.
! Thank you so much
Lance... What the duck have I been doing for the past year... I always do my espresso at 18g 1:2 ratio whatever the beans are. Always sour, bitter and I just accepted that maybe that's what it really tastes. Now for the first time in my life, I tried to run it longer based on your suggestion, I never imagined espresso can be sweet on its own. Thank you... I don't usually comment on videos but your suggestion to run my espresso longer completely changed my coffee game! Your channel deserves more love! Thank you !!! 🙇🏻
I’m a little late but yes completely!! I also ran it for 1:2 ratio and when lance said try 1:2.5 or 3, it’s completely changed my view on espresso. Now I pull my 18g shot at 50g and it’s been game changer! I freakin love Lance
5:48 That espresso beatbox was SICK!!
that coffee beatbox at 6:00 killed it!!! 😇
Lovely video and to the point! Gave me a good idea as to what i need to do without wasting coffee. And BTW..loved the beatboxing ❤
Idk why I hadn't heard any other ratios other than 1:2. Been trying to figure out my Gaggia with the OPV mod for like 3 months, watching a ton of videos, and I just pulled the best shot with a 1:3 ratio in 36 seconds. Thanks Lance!
fantastic! I always say, break the rules
Best explanation of how to dial in espresso to date! Loved it. Easy to follow and apply!
Love the new intro and thanks for the shorter video.
Thank you! I'm trying my hardest and it really means a lot that you are supportive
You seem like a happy dude. Thanks for sharing that!
I love these quick guides, straight and to the point
Absolutely. So very glad you are enjoying them!
@@LanceHedrick not as much as the unexpected beatboxing part though, you rock 😂
Lance, this was gold! Thank you so much! I was following my roasters' recommended 20 g in, 40 out in 23 seconds and the acidity on those shots was killing me!! I had my first thoroughly enjoyable espresso today following this guide. Much much sweeter, it allowed for other notes to shine through without such a punch in the face with the acidity.
Curious, did you solve this mainly by grinding finer and holding the 40g constant out, or by increasing your time and volume/grams out? When I was getting acidic shots recently on a new coffee I wasn't sure if I should go coarser (thinking it would reduce the intensity of that flavor) or finer (shifting further along the sour-sweet-bitter spectrum).
@@elitebicycleracers definitely going finer. What we need is to up the extraction by grinding finer and increasing the contact time. Going coarser would speed up the shot which is what we don’t want. The first thing I did was drop the dose from 20 to 18g, allowing me to grind much finer, and then dial in the grind to get me to that 30/32 second 45 gram output. That results in a sweeter less acidic shot
wonderful! The roaster's guide could likely be delicious with their equipment and with their water, but it doesnt usually translate well to home users. Thats why equipping yourself with knowledge on dialling in is supreme! haha
I really appreciate the short format video my dude! You have always had excellent content, but sometimes I don't always have time for a 30 minute video but I want the down and dirty of how to get things rolling. I do like the long format when I have the time though.
Absolutely! Thank you so much for watching and supporting!
The beatbox caught me off guard lol awesome work bro love your vids 👌 watching all the way in little New Zealand
Wow - you packed so much knowledge in such an easy to understand & follow (short) video.
Well done!
Great video thanks and love those Kruve espresso glasses!
Thank you so much! I really appreciate the support
You're fantastic, you make coffee understandably fun.
The human beatbox is back at 05:58 😎
Hahaha you know it!
lance. thanks for this refresher. been watching your vids from day 1 and they're always quality! quick question here! do you start your timer when you hit the start button (during pre-infusion phase)? or do you start it when you see the espresso flowing out?
Yeah, would be interesting to hear it from you.. Since they are always wars on forums about this topic :)
Not sure who is war-ing. Consensus is you start timing from button push (or when water hits the puck) because you are timing preinfusion included.
I absolutely start time when I hit the button. Definitely take note of preinfusion time if going manually.
@@LanceHedrick I'm using a Breville Barista Plus. Using manual mode I find that I start getting drops out to bottom of my bottomless portafilter after around 10 seconds, and then let my 18g bean dose run to 36g of output on a medium/dark bean over 28 seconds from the time the first drop exits the portafilter. Does that sound about right to you? I'm super new to this, would appreciate any advice!
@@mitchellmiller2438 change a little bit your grind size to finer
Ugh this VID makes me want my setup NOW! 😩
Dannnm you are good!!
Thanks man as always it is a joy to watch your videos.
Thanks so much! Means a lot. Appreciate the support
Love the short yet informative
Absolutely! Trying to be all things to all people here
Lance, as usual, spot on! But methinks that the last shot was perfect because of the rhythmic tapping with the stirrer - injecting your vibe ! lol
Hahaha! Thank you and so glad you enjoyed the video!
“you want to come out like warm honey”
good way to describe the viscous appearance of a great espresso
Absolutely. It makes it sound soooooo good. Haha
Not sure where to ask...any chance for a "no cut", "no directly talking to the camera" milk drink workflow video? I think it would be quite informative to see how all the things you have taught us so far practically work in "real life". Not saying you shouldn't do a voice over to describe what you are doing, or a follow-up video discussing what you had done...but just seeing everything involved from the moment your machine turns on to heat up to even including your practical clean-up routine after your cup is poured would be exceedingly helpful!!! Thanks again for all your help!
Great idea! I'll try to think of a way to do that effectively
Awesome stuff as always man 🥂
Dood! love love your videos! Honestly, I learn something each time I watch a vid. I pulled a shot for my friend he likes the sweet tart kinda taste, whereas I like the more creamy robust flavor profile for my espresso. I know beans vary, lighter roasted has a tendency to be under extracted etc... I am using the Gaggia Classic Pro, IMS filter basket, and IMS screen, as well as the single hole espresso nozzle, along with a Gaggia MDF grinder I refurbed myself. I like at 3:45 you show the difference between how an espresso pull( stream) should look versus when the grind is too fine. I am finding I have to make adjustments each time I switch beans. I belong to a monthly bean subscription so bi weekly Im finding I adjust a little. Thanks again for making such good content!
making espresso is the never ending quest for perfection. Sadly, never ending is a proper word. There is no end in sight. You will always be chasing that dragon for ever and ever and ever. But, that's the fun of it. Chasing that godshot shot every day. And you have nailed it on the head. Switching between beans day after day is very difficult and can be wasteful. But over time, you will figure out a way to lessen the waste between dials.
"So the only real variable I'm changing is time. And weight." 😂 4:57
Hahaha! So many variables and they're all related. Ugh so embarrassing lol
Can you also do a vid on how to build great traps. Many thanks
Beatboxing Lance returns! :D
Made just a small cameo lol
Lance you are rocking with this content yesterday I finally made my first tulip by the latte art tutorial, now I would try this tips with the urbanic grinder .. that you already recommend 👌
Incredible! That is such great news. Stoked for you! Feels good. Yeah?
Thanks Lance 🙏
Late to this party but hopefully somebody can elucidate.
I dial in espresso differently from what is discussed here, and I've been getting what I feel like are very nice results. But it seems as though my perception is very different to what I'm hearing on the net (including jimseven's comments for example).
My basket is smaller than yours, 18g, and I tend to just start with a commensurable grind setting, possibly recycled from my old coffee and/or perhaps slightly tweaked coarser for darker roasts, or finer for lighter roasts (but solubility is only loosely related in this way to the best of my knowledge, so it depends on my mood). The main ballpark always seems to be 18g dose to 40-48g yield in 28-40 sec.
Once some attempt achieves this, I first ask myself whether what I'm tasting is hollow, sour, bitter or astringent. I then adjust temperature based on past experience* and grind size to taste.
Grind size: I keep going finer until either of two things happen: the taste is very pronounced, rich and there is flavour separation OR I'm introducing bitterness into the cup.
Temperature: my machine luckily has a .5 degree C temperature option on the PID, so I keep going hotter until I get the sweetness out that I like, and temperature surf with e.g. cooler portafilter etc. if I like to move back in between those .5 degrees to reintroduce acidity to the overal flavour profile and balance this out with the sweetness present from the optimum temperature setting. I may let it run longer if the sweetness that I look for cannot be achieved with the above scheme. I may let it run shorter if I get taste notes that are not to my liking (usually this means fermenty since I like to drink light / filter roasts).
FWIW I use the whole 9 yards of zen garden puck prep (espcup,wdt,paperfilter,porcupress,mesh screen) and a flat temperature and pressure profile.
Jimseven seems to insist that he can only taste a temperature difference of at least a couple degrees but this seems completely contradictory with what I'm tasting and what I'm brewing.
Is my dial process wrong ? If I dial in using the words of Tim Wendleboe "if you like what you're tasting then the coffee is dialed in" then it should be fine, but what the aficionados claim on the web seems very strange to me at times.
Wait what? You cooperate with Doubleshot to get you beans? I’m from Czech and love your channel! Thanks for all the great content. I never thought you’d get any connection to Czech :)
Haha! I got some while in Milan. Been enjoying them!
@@LanceHedrick totally yummy indeed! Keep on rockin'... or coffeein'? :)
Haha! Coffee on, my caffeinated friend
Thanks Lance my coffees are getting better and better, as home-barista. Very interesting subject on shifting sourness and bitterness if you can elaborate more on that using simple coffee combo machines that would be great. I'll get your Breville when I get more proficient
Sure! The variables of extraction include time, temperature, grindsize, ratio, pressure. You will need to manipulate these in order to effect extraction. In order to increase extraction, you could make the grindsize smaller, or you could run more water through which would both increase your contact time, which does increase extraction, and it also increases your ratio. You just need to think about if you need to increase or decrease extraction and use those variables to your advantage
Nice! the beat box barista made an appearance
Just a little baby one. Might do a more dedicated one soon haha
yes
Super interesting to see that in real life you use the Breville Equipment. I would have expected that you would use a more premium grinder, at least, if not a more premium setup overall.
I do! I use a lot of different equipment. I just choose not to use a lot of it in my videos since they're going out to a wider audience. There is no point and constantly using the most expensive equipment when most people that are watching these videos cannot afford them
Czech coffee! 😍
Yes! Double shot is great
So good, thanks!
Thank you so much for watching! The support means a lot
Can you do an interview/discussion with Stephane Ribes? He is a DE user who has posted a lot of home espresso experiments and came up with a lot of interesting results re. prep/equipment for espresso. I think your communication style would be great to highlight what he has found
I need to! I know of him for sure. If you know him well, perhaps put us in contact?
Awesome. I was surprised to hear you say 30-35s…I’m so used to hearing 1:2 ratio in 25-28 seconds. I have also noticed all the Onyx espresso guides like 18g in 50-55g out.
This has a programmed preinfusion. So, you need to consider that in the longevity of the shot.
@@LanceHedrick ohhhh yes that makes total sense then. Still an awesome video, I learned so much in so little 😆
Hi Lance, thanks for sharing this quick dialing-in video. Lot of questions come to my mind.
FIRST, how do we define the proper dose for our basket? For my Simonelli Musica, what is the preferable dose?
SECOND, in your first try with 20gr dose, it run very slow. Why did you choose to grind coarser, not decrease the dose? I believe both ways can result in faster shot.
Lance did a capella in college fs
This is sadly true. Lol
My ADHD approves of your spontaneous beatboxing lol thanks
My ADHD is what dictated that, and it thanks you for the kind words haha
Wow such a great video, I always have problems dialing in my espresso but now with this information I think i'm ready for those sweet spot espressos!
Also it would be incredibly awesome if you could make a diagram showing what variables i should change like the dose, yield, grind size, extraction time, temperature, and what that does to the extraction.
Thanks a lot, greetings from México! :)
A diagram is an interesting idea, certainly. Will absolutely consider this
ok i just subscribed to your channel yeyyyy~~
Do you ever use a bottomless portafilter to watch for channeling or how the extraction is coming out?
Great video Lance. Quick question for you though … do you start timing at first drip or when you turn on the machine?
For 20G of beans how much grans should we get for a double shot? 50 grams is the standard? How do we lessens or push extraction? I have the Breville barista pro. New at it.
Do you time from when the liquid first hits the cup, the way the scale does, or when the machine starts (including pre infusion)? I understand that either work but what’s the standard?
beatbox tutorial next?
Haha! Just say boots and cats and be really plosive with the noises
Hey Lance, nice video. I noticed that you include the pre-infusion time in your overall shot time, whereas I know that many people (including myself and our Lord and saviour James Hoffman) start timing from when the first drop hits the glass, and a good coffee scale will have this function built in. Can I ask about why you choose the method you do? Not saying you are wrong by any means, just interested in other people's ways and reasonings.
I don't think Hoffmann excludes the time before the drops on cup, everyone i know starts counting from the time the pump starts. Aim is usually around ~25 seconds plus pre-infusion time.
@@eusevis he does exclude it and specifically addresses it in a video, can't remember which one though sorry.
I include the timing because that is when the water is hitting the Puck and when extraction begins to occur. That is part of the extraction process. So it is part of the time that I include in my total shot time period then I also take note in the time of preinfusion. This all comes together to help me inform more clearly a picture on what the extraction was like. If I were to only count the time once it hits the cup, then I am missing a lot of the extraction potential. What you have to realize, is there is more to espresso than just a preinfused 9 bar shot. It seems that is mostly what James does on his channel, which I laud him for. But I tend to delve into much more deep espresso theory with different styles of shots that necessitate different flow rates. So, some of these will take a longer time to extract. And with these longer extractions, I need to notate all of the different times and all of the different techniques I am using. For instance, if I were to do a blooming espresso, I would absolutely count the 1st 30 seconds even though no drops are exiting the puck
@@LanceHedrick Cool man, nice explanation. Thanks for taking the time to reply.
What number did you align the burrs at internally in the Breville grinder?
As fine as they go haha
Hello. I'm using Delonghi ec685. I use 16g of coffee and get variable shots of about 35-45. In general, although the flow is good, the coffee becomes sour and the puck stays dry, hardly pouring. How can I solve this?
How much does age of the coffee beans effect the flavor? I am getting better at my extractions, but I think the age of my beans may have something to do with it. I have a couple bags of Lavazza Super Crema so I don't want to just toss them, but the flavors really are not there.
Any advice is I'm able to hit the time (~30sec) and hitting the 2.5:1 ratio for medium/light roasted beans... But very little to no crema? Beans are about 2 weeks old since roast.
If it tastes good, don't worry about crema. Crema comes out with either freshness or darker roasted coffees or both. High pressure also epitomizes crema.
I wouldn't sweat it if tasting good. I intentionally pull shots in a way to minimize crema hahaha
Hey Lance, I love your videos and all, but could you help me out with dial-in espresso in a pressurized basket?
Also maybe with a single - shot basket?
Pressurized is hard. You don't really have nuance to play with. I'd recommend switching to non pressurized if interested in dialing in
Single shots are really difficult because of bed depth. Tend to be highly problematic. Which is why you never find them at third wave shops
When do you start timing? Once u hit the button or once it starts flowing?
I love you.
The most helpful video's on TH-cam on this subject by far! I do have a question though... the baskets all come in different sizes, the one I use most often is 17.9g, however, if I grind this amount my basket is always below the line no matter what bean I use. It then does not extract well as the the coffee just churns in the puck. I need to grind around 21 to 24g depending on the bean I am using to fill the puck to the correct level. Is this value on the puck just an indicator or in theory should I be close to this value?
So, 30-35 seconds with pre-infusion. But if one had a 9 bar machine then aim for 25-30?
Yeah! Without that PI, I'd do closer to that time for sure
I never thought that we are allowed to extend the extraction 😂
I see in this video you change the ratio to 1:2.5 in order to increase extraction to get rid of the sour taste. What if instead I wanted to change the coffee dose to increase extraction? Would I increase or decrease the amount of coffee in the portafilter?
Can this be done with the Bambino Plus, Lance? I guess I can hold the brew button if I want to extend the extraction?
How do you do your purge on the breville grinder? Full disassembly and brushing?
If you want to fully clean? Yes. If you are switching beans, I just toss soem in there and throw them out.
can you do a video on pre-infusion and how to dial that time and/or how/if it affects your brew time
PI definitely affects brew time a lot. It helps even the extraction. And will cause the percolating phase to be faster
@@LanceHedrick so here`s my story, using a Breville DB, I am currently running a 7 sec PI (total 11 sec before espresso drops) on 18.5g dose for total run time of 27 sec. yielding 41g out (2.2:1 ratio, medium - dark roast) And I am relatively pleased with the results. I fully understand dose, grind size, run time, and yield, hell I even understand water debit now thanks to you. I know what PI is and its benefits, but unlike the rest I have no idea about determining PI time and how it factors into the whole magic 20-30sec window. Some time from start, some time from the drop, but add PI into that and it is a dark and scary world out there. I feel Im just going about adjusting PI blindly and getting annoyed. Adjusting to taste is fine and in the end what counts, but I will never be truly satisfied with my espresso until I understand the whys and wherefores here too.
i always recommend NOT messing with PI. Set it and forget it. If you want, you can dial in the PI to stop once the bottom of the basket is saturated. the goal of PI is to saturate fully the puck, priming it for diffusion and soaking it with water to degas and expand to lessen channels
Which coffee Lance! Spill the beans (pun semi intended). I want to replicate this, have the same machine.
I'm not going to lie, I am not sure what coffee this was. I am pretty sure it was a Guatemala gasha.
What is the inner burr on the grinder set at?
I noticed my shots start nice and thick and by the 20-second mark they turn somewhat “watery” and run faster. Why is that? Brew pressure causing channeling in the puck? How to fix that? TIA.
This is difficult to be able to diagnose over messaging. It's likely that you just have too coarse of a grind. But it's difficult to say
When do i start my timer for the round about 25secs on my Bambino Plus? When hitting the button to start the extraction or when I hear the pump starting to pump water? There is round about a 3-5s offset between pushing the button and the sound of the pump.
Great as always, for you to have an enjoyable shot, how does the body of the shot rank? Before this, I would definitely have made the grind courser and hold the time parameter!!! If I’ve got that the right way around 😂😂
Lol body for me is low only because I'm used to really light coffees. I go for sweetness above all with espresso. Sweetness and balance
hello lance,
I am having a problem setting up my sage barista express machine. I often came across online that the following ratio is the best, which is 1:2, 18 grams of cofee, 36 ML in 20-30 seconds. I can't really do this. I'm watching your videos now, and now I'm even more confused, because you also indicate different ratios. my espresso now is really overextracted. I don't know what to do, I've already wasted a kilo of coffee. Grind size is now at 6, and my shot comes out dripping. Do you have any tips for this beginner?😣
When using a bottomless PF, do you preinfuse until you see coverage of the bottom of the basket, or just the standard 7-8 seconds? On the same machine it takes 15-20 seconds to preinfuse with the dose and grind size I typically use
That's how I personally do it and it serves me well. It means grinding slightly finer in grind as well. Generally that's mean roughly 50 seconds total with PI and extraction going from 20-30 to 30-20 seconds
Lots of ways to do it but I like waiting until you know the whole puck is saturated, for sure
I wonder how many people unsubscribed because of the quick beatbox session lol
Probably a lot haha
did you change the internal burr setting in the grinder? the default the grinder is set to internaly is 6. thank you
Lance,
I was surprised you didn't raise the temperature if the taste was sour. Isn't that the usual change?
No. Raising temperature is something I prefer not messing with. Firstly, most machines can't be changed so easily, so it wouldn't be helpful for the majority.
But, regardless of that, I always set machines thusly:
195F for dark coffees
200F for medium
205F for light
Based off optics of roast degree, I set to that
Grind settings?
Hi Lance, may I know the brand of your decent tamper stand? The white stand. Thanks
Hi Lance, I did the mod on my hot water following Andys video. Unfortunatly, even though it went well and there's no leak. As soon has I turn the hot water know like not even a cm. the hot water light turns on. I have no buffer like Andy is showing and there very little or no water coming out. Any ideas?
Hi Lance, love your videos. How are you finding the sage grinder used in the video?
I mean, it is certainly a subpar grinder. But, many tend to have them so I try to make them taste good haha