I'm going to use your settings to get my espresso tomorrow, the beans I'm using, not light roast, if anyone already has a perfect setting, please help, thanks.
Keep in mind that my settings work for me ,on this machine, with this coffee I’m using at the age it is current- the settings on my machine won’t give the same results on another- it’s best to dial in your machine based on what you see in front of you
36g out is a double shot (it will be slightly more than 36ml with the crema). 60ml is quite a high extraction ratio- it’s likely to be bitter. Stop the shot at 36g and see how long the brew took. Adjust until this takes 25-35s. This will almost certainly improve the taste.
Wow this is exactly what I was looking for, as I was having trouble with how much coffee was being extracted after using different/darker roast and older beans. Thanks so much for the thorough yet fool-proof guide!
Really helpfull and consice video without silly distactions. I'm looking into buying one of these, so I'm interested in how to tweak it. Thanks for the effort!
Lovely adjustment leason. Thank u Dave. I just order this Machine online today, So this training came just in time 🥳. I will post u later, see if i have same good results.
Firstly, double check your coffee beans- for the purpose of setting the machine up, go with something like the regular Lavazza beans from the supermarket- make sure they are a new bag (ie not opened weeks ago). That should give you a fairly middle of the road benchmark for dialling in. That grind setting you have, along with the burr setting of 3 does seem as though it should be very fine. What does the ground coffee feel like? It should be slightly gritty- finer than sand, but coarser than icing sugar. This website gives a good description: library.sweetmarias.com/espresso-the-grind/ Having got your coffee beans, if the grind feels about right, just continue making adjustments, taking the burr down another notch. If it feels too fine, go back up a notch on the burr- sometimes super fine settings result in a counterintuitive higher flow. If you do end up reducing the burr further, keep an ear out for any unusual noises , and stop the machine immediately if you hear any metal grinding sounds- if the burrs impact each other (which shouldn’t happen, but could at really low settings) that can cause permanent damage to the grinder.
@@davewellscoffee Thanks so much for your reply, I wasted a whole £10 bag of Strangers Coffee... so I'll jump on the Lavazza! I did notice the beans were roasted on Nov 2023... they haven't been opened but I wonder if that is one of the reasons. I took Burr down to 3 (now moved it back up to 5) and all the way down to 1 with no luck on the machine, so will try again!
Hi Dave, enjoying your channel, really good tips and I've subbed. Can I cheekily suggest that you grab a silicone gun and apply some decorators caulk behind the light baffle on your wall unit. It'll stop the light leek from the LED. As a joiner, it drives me nuts 🤣
I’ve fixed it (although I had already filmed another video before doing it). OMG, how did I not notice this before?! It’s like you pointed out the clock ticking, I couldn’t stop seeing it until it was fixed!
With a 6 grind size the coffee starts to pour in about 8 seconds but I'm getting 60 g in around 30 s. Is this an issue with the machine setting? Another question is, when you make a 36 g espresso, is it considered a single shot? How do you make a double shot then? Thanks a lot for your videos!
Stop your shot when you get to 36g and use that to make your adjustments. Off you’re using the Barista Touch, you can’t change pre-infusion (ie the low pressure period at the start of the shot), so don’t worry about the 8s - it’s more of just an indicator, but is very much secondary to the brew ratio. 36g would be a double shot. A single would be 9-10g of coffee in the single basket, giving 18-20g out. It’s much harder to get consistent results with the single basket, so I tend to just use the double and collect it in 2 separate cups each side of the spout.
It does help, yes. I didn’t do that in this example, and after having finished the video, I did end up increasing the grind size one more notch, so what you are suggesting IS definitely true, although when making changes as large as this, it probably only really matters for the last adjustment, when you think you’re in the ballpark.
Yes, I had to reduce mine by 2 notches. You basically want to make sure that you have some room to adjust the dial on the side of the machine up or down several steps when the machine is dialled in, that way you can always adjust for different coffee etc.
In theory yes, but in reality, I have found that the basket takes about 10g. If I’m making singles I usually just use the double basket and collect from one side of the spout, giving half the shot (admittedly this isn’t very often). It’s a bit wasteful, but I find I waste more coffee trying to get a good result with the single basket. If that’s how you have your coffee every time it’s probably worth persevering with the single basket.
Hello Dave, frankly speaking I am still struggling to prepare a proper espresso, even if I followed everything you showed in this video. Exactly 18 gr (13-15 grinding level) grind, just right brewing time, but the coffee at the end is still very sour. What else you might suggest? Thank you. Miklós
Hi Miklós, first of all, it sounds like you’ve got your settings pretty good, so don’t go making any crazy changes. Sour coffee can be a symptom of several things. Generally, under extracted coffee will be sour. An easy way to experiment is to extend your brew time by a few seconds to get a longer extraction, leaving evening else the same. This will dilute the more acidic sour tastes in the early part of the pour and add more of the bitter tastes that develop later in the pour. Also, a lighter roast will have a much more acidic/sour taste, often associated with fruity notes, so will benefit from a longer brew, but you could try using a darker roasted coffee, which will have a more bitter taste, often associated with more chocolatey notes.
Where does the 37g come from? According to Breville, double shot should be about 60 mls, which weighs more than 37g. I’m just trying to understand the formula a little better. Thank you for the video.
Due to the creme on the top of the espresso shot it's really hard to get the exact volume so it's much easier to use weight for the yield. He is simply doing a 1:2 yield ratio which is whatever your dose size is (his is 18.5g) times it by 2 to get your preferred outcome size.
3 things: (1) a short(er) extraction - go for an extraction ratio of just under 2:1. (2) go for a lighter roasted coffee. Dark roasts are more bitter. (3) make sure your coffee isn’t too old. Keep coffee in an airtight container (vacuum sealed ideally), and if you grind it, use it immediately. Try to get coffee with a ‘roasted on’ date, and use with 3 weeks of that for optimum flavour.
Hi Dave, I bought a second hand Barrista Touch and irrespective of the grind size (I went all the way down to 1) the machine extracts at 4seconds every time and in 30seconds I get 80g worth of extraction. I get 37g every time at 10seconds, any idea what the issue is? Should I send the coffeee machine back to the seller?
As a follow up I have adjusted my grinder internal adjustment from 5 to 1. The result of this is that I am able to extract at a 9 grinding setting, using 18.5g of coffee, 37g of extraction at 30seconds. My only issue is that the extraction starts at 6 seconds. If I try to reduce the grind size the machine still extracts at 6 seconds but the extraction reduces to 18g at 30seconds. How can I reduce this early extraction?
Honestly don’t worry about the early extraction if the extraction ratio is good in 30s. Also, be careful not to go too fine if you have changed the internal burr all the way down to 1; if you reduce it too much, you can get the burrs to grind against each other, which can damage the grinder. Watch out for any unusual noises when grinding.
You’re well balanced at explaining this process thank you. I have to subscribe so I’m not wasting any more time watching under explained or over explained……lol see what I did there. Seriously though thanks.
One of the most concise and clearest vid regarding these home machines. Lot of us are looking to dial in for these machines and this video is just perfect. Thank U !
Hi Dave. I got the Machine yesterday and i already had some v good shots. Thank u for all guide. I try now to make adjustments with single shot filtre. I will send u pictures NexT time
Glad you’ve got some good shots. The single basket seems to hold very slightly more than half that of the double, which translates to about half the grind time used for the double basket plus 1 second.
Aha. I honestly want to make the single a bite stronger than normal. For double i grind 15 sec, for single i want to try with 10 sec. To have like aprox 12 gr of coffee. Hope it works. I guess i will see in the morning
See what you can fit in- 12g is quite a bit for the size of the basket. If you want it strong, you could always go for more of a ristretto with the double basket using a 1:1 - 1:1.5 extraction ratio, although this obviously uses more coffee
Hi Dave. I Could not make a creamy espresso with the small filtre. Anyway i put back the double filtre and grind a bite courser the bens and reduce the grinding time with 2 seconds. The espresso now Was very creamy and lighter than a normal double one. Exactly What i Was looking for. I forgot to make picture 😁. NexT time
Add 15 to your grind size and try again. (So size 21). Keep making adjustments by halving the difference between actual shot time and 30 until you’re between 25-35s, then just do one step at a time until it’s perfect.
I am using Lavazza 5/10 with my new machine. At a grind size of 7 I get 18g, but it slightly overflows the double basket when I tamp. It takes about 7 seconds to first drip, and I get 46g of liquid in 25 seconds. Where should I adjust?
Make it 2 steps finer and see how that goes. You can try tapping the portafilter to settle the ground coffee before tamping- that and the slightly finer grind size should help with out overflowing
Very informative and usefull video..I’ve recently bought the same one and your instructions really helped me..May I know what composition of robusta and arabica coffee beans you suggest?
Got a barista touch recently. Straight out of the box the grind has to be down to 3 or 4 (out of 30) and apparantly ❤❤ some people even need to reduce down the internal burr to get an even finer grind which i dont understand because at 2 on my new machine chokes the flow way too much. Anyway, with fresh beans, and 18g in and 36g out bang on 30s Im getting extremely sour shots. If i go down a notch from 3 to 2 the pull time goes from 30s to 50s for 38g out and that tastes off. Any ideas appreciated.
The reason people may change the internal burr is, if you reduce the burr, you could then increase the grind size from your current 3-4, to somewhere mid-range, which would give you more room for further adjustments if required. Also, each machine IS different, so some people may find it impossible to get a fine enough grind out of the box. Regarding your sour shots, what sort of coffee are you using? Sounds like the extraction ratio and time are pretty good- is it a light roast? Light roasts will be much more acidic, and will often benefit from a longer extraction. You could try more of a 2.5 or 3:1 extraction ratio. You could also see how you get on with a medium dark-dark roast coffee.
My real issue with this machine is that even when I do everything the same (same coffee beans, same amount and grind size), I at times get different output. Maybe my coffee puck prep differs from shot to shot but I try to do it the same. I'll try with a WDT and puck screen to see if those help.
Consistency in every aspect of the process is key. A WDT definitely helps with the flow through the puck. Also, if you’re pulling multiple shots, you’ll notice a difference between the first shot and subsequent shots if you haven’t warmed up the portafilter and group head.
The grind time and coarseness settings are carried across to all recipes, including custom recipes. For the brew time, it will default to a 30s double shot for all built in recipes, but when you have sorted your espresso, it’s worth saving a brew custom recipe with the settings you have used. This can be the basis for any drink. You can apply the same shot timing to any of the preset recipes by pressing the button which cycles between ‘double’, ‘single’ and ‘custom’, then adjusting the time to what you want- you have to do this every time though, which is why it’s worth saving your own recipe. Milk settings are different and adjustable for any of the preset or custom recipes, and it will remember the last settings used. Personally I use one custom recipe for every drink (except long black/ Americano, as that adds in water). I then steam milk manually to suit whatever it is I’m making.
You should NOT have to weight each shot with the Touch. If the weight is wrong you should time the grind and save the brew settings. The preprogrammed times are quite accurate and only thing you may need to do is adjust grind size
No- and I think most people won’t measure it every time, although there would me no harm if you wanted to. I only measure the first time I use a new bag of coffee to make sure it’s dialled in well enough.
I'm going to use your settings to get my espresso tomorrow, the beans I'm using, not light roast, if anyone already has a perfect setting, please help, thanks.
Keep in mind that my settings work for me ,on this machine, with this coffee I’m using at the age it is current- the settings on my machine won’t give the same results on another- it’s best to dial in your machine based on what you see in front of you
Hi 18 g in 36 ml out is a single shot ? In a double basket ? I’m getting 60 ml out with awful tasting coffee ? Any advice . Thanks
36g out is a double shot (it will be slightly more than 36ml with the crema).
60ml is quite a high extraction ratio- it’s likely to be bitter.
Stop the shot at 36g and see how long the brew took. Adjust until this takes 25-35s. This will almost certainly improve the taste.
@@davewellscoffee thanks will have a go tomorrow.
Thank you so much for this video is exactly what I was looking for! I have the same machine but wasn’t getting the results that I intended.
Wow this is exactly what I was looking for, as I was having trouble with how much coffee was being extracted after using different/darker roast and older beans.
Thanks so much for the thorough yet fool-proof guide!
Really helpfull and consice video without silly distactions. I'm looking into buying one of these, so I'm interested in how to tweak it. Thanks for the effort!
excellent. i still wish the youch impress gave you adjustment by the mm like touch does by the second. great work will tey a new step tomorrow, thanks
Lovely adjustment leason. Thank u Dave. I just order this Machine online today, So this training came just in time 🥳. I will post u later, see if i have same good results.
I still couldn’t get this to work, always seems fast even at 1 settings and changing Burr to 3?
Can you advise?
Firstly, double check your coffee beans- for the purpose of setting the machine up, go with something like the regular Lavazza beans from the supermarket- make sure they are a new bag (ie not opened weeks ago). That should give you a fairly middle of the road benchmark for dialling in.
That grind setting you have, along with the burr setting of 3 does seem as though it should be very fine. What does the ground coffee feel like? It should be slightly gritty- finer than sand, but coarser than icing sugar. This website gives a good description:
library.sweetmarias.com/espresso-the-grind/
Having got your coffee beans, if the grind feels about right, just continue making adjustments, taking the burr down another notch. If it feels too fine, go back up a notch on the burr- sometimes super fine settings result in a counterintuitive higher flow.
If you do end up reducing the burr further, keep an ear out for any unusual noises , and stop the machine immediately if you hear any metal grinding sounds- if the burrs impact each other (which shouldn’t happen, but could at really low settings) that can cause permanent damage to the grinder.
@@davewellscoffee Thanks so much for your reply, I wasted a whole £10 bag of Strangers Coffee... so I'll jump on the Lavazza!
I did notice the beans were roasted on Nov 2023... they haven't been opened but I wonder if that is one of the reasons.
I took Burr down to 3 (now moved it back up to 5) and all the way down to 1 with no luck on the machine, so will try again!
Hi Dave, enjoying your channel, really good tips and I've subbed. Can I cheekily suggest that you grab a silicone gun and apply some decorators caulk behind the light baffle on your wall unit. It'll stop the light leek from the LED. As a joiner, it drives me nuts 🤣
Haha! I’ll get on it 🤣
I’ve fixed it (although I had already filmed another video before doing it). OMG, how did I not notice this before?! It’s like you pointed out the clock ticking, I couldn’t stop seeing it until it was fixed!
With a 6 grind size the coffee starts to pour in about 8 seconds but I'm getting 60 g in around 30 s. Is this an issue with the machine setting?
Another question is, when you make a 36 g espresso, is it considered a single shot? How do you make a double shot then?
Thanks a lot for your videos!
Stop your shot when you get to 36g and use that to make your adjustments. Off you’re using the Barista Touch, you can’t change pre-infusion (ie the low pressure period at the start of the shot), so don’t worry about the 8s - it’s more of just an indicator, but is very much secondary to the brew ratio.
36g would be a double shot. A single would be 9-10g of coffee in the single basket, giving 18-20g out. It’s much harder to get consistent results with the single basket, so I tend to just use the double and collect it in 2 separate cups each side of the spout.
When you change the grind size, do you need to run the grinder a bit so that it flushes out all the coffee that was ground with the previous setting?
It does help, yes. I didn’t do that in this example, and after having finished the video, I did end up increasing the grind size one more notch, so what you are suggesting IS definitely true, although when making changes as large as this, it probably only really matters for the last adjustment, when you think you’re in the ballpark.
Hello Dave, did you change the internal burr size?
Yes, I had to reduce mine by 2 notches. You basically want to make sure that you have some room to adjust the dial on the side of the machine up or down several steps when the machine is dialled in, that way you can always adjust for different coffee etc.
So your internal grinder is in size 3 or something like that plus the adjustments that you showed?
@@alexacalcano5887 it comes set at 6 to start with. I had to adjust mine down to 4 to allow room to adjust either way from my normal range
This is extremely useful, maybe I missed it but is a single shot coffee weight just half (of 18.5 grams)?
In theory yes, but in reality, I have found that the basket takes about 10g. If I’m making singles I usually just use the double basket and collect from one side of the spout, giving half the shot (admittedly this isn’t very often). It’s a bit wasteful, but I find I waste more coffee trying to get a good result with the single basket.
If that’s how you have your coffee every time it’s probably worth persevering with the single basket.
Hello Dave, frankly speaking I am still struggling to prepare a proper espresso, even if I followed everything you showed in this video. Exactly 18 gr (13-15 grinding level) grind, just right brewing time, but the coffee at the end is still very sour. What else you might suggest? Thank you. Miklós
Hi Miklós, first of all, it sounds like you’ve got your settings pretty good, so don’t go making any crazy changes.
Sour coffee can be a symptom of several things. Generally, under extracted coffee will be sour. An easy way to experiment is to extend your brew time by a few seconds to get a longer extraction, leaving evening else the same. This will dilute the more acidic sour tastes in the early part of the pour and add more of the bitter tastes that develop later in the pour.
Also, a lighter roast will have a much more acidic/sour taste, often associated with fruity notes, so will benefit from a longer brew, but you could try using a darker roasted coffee, which will have a more bitter taste, often associated with more chocolatey notes.
Where does the 37g come from? According to Breville, double shot should be about 60 mls, which weighs more than 37g. I’m just trying to understand the formula a little better. Thank you for the video.
Due to the creme on the top of the espresso shot it's really hard to get the exact volume so it's much easier to use weight for the yield. He is simply doing a 1:2 yield ratio which is whatever your dose size is (his is 18.5g) times it by 2 to get your preferred outcome size.
Thanks Kevin, exactly this 👍
I LOVE this video! It will save a ton of time, coffee and frustration! So many adjustments, but it's good to know how it's done.
Decade coffee is a challenge to me. It tends to be bitter. What can I do to take that away
3 things: (1) a short(er) extraction - go for an extraction ratio of just under 2:1. (2) go for a lighter roasted coffee. Dark roasts are more bitter. (3) make sure your coffee isn’t too old. Keep coffee in an airtight container (vacuum sealed ideally), and if you grind it, use it immediately. Try to get coffee with a ‘roasted on’ date, and use with 3 weeks of that for optimum flavour.
Hi Dave, I bought a second hand Barrista Touch and irrespective of the grind size (I went all the way down to 1) the machine extracts at 4seconds every time and in 30seconds I get 80g worth of extraction. I get 37g every time at 10seconds, any idea what the issue is? Should I send the coffeee machine back to the seller?
As a follow up I have adjusted my grinder internal adjustment from 5 to 1. The result of this is that I am able to extract at a 9 grinding setting, using 18.5g of coffee, 37g of extraction at 30seconds. My only issue is that the extraction starts at 6 seconds. If I try to reduce the grind size the machine still extracts at 6 seconds but the extraction reduces to 18g at 30seconds. How can I reduce this early extraction?
Honestly don’t worry about the early extraction if the extraction ratio is good in 30s.
Also, be careful not to go too fine if you have changed the internal burr all the way down to 1; if you reduce it too much, you can get the burrs to grind against each other, which can damage the grinder.
Watch out for any unusual noises when grinding.
You’re well balanced at explaining this process thank you. I have to subscribe so I’m not wasting any more time watching under explained or over explained……lol see what I did there. Seriously though thanks.
One of the most concise and clearest vid regarding these home machines. Lot of us are looking to dial in for these machines and this video is just perfect. Thank U !
Hi Dave. I got the Machine yesterday and i already had some v good shots. Thank u for all guide. I try now to make adjustments with single shot filtre. I will send u pictures NexT time
Glad you’ve got some good shots. The single basket seems to hold very slightly more than half that of the double, which translates to about half the grind time used for the double basket plus 1 second.
Aha. I honestly want to make the single a bite stronger than normal. For double i grind 15 sec, for single i want to try with 10 sec. To have like aprox 12 gr of coffee. Hope it works. I guess i will see in the morning
See what you can fit in- 12g is quite a bit for the size of the basket. If you want it strong, you could always go for more of a ristretto with the double basket using a 1:1 - 1:1.5 extraction ratio, although this obviously uses more coffee
Hi Dave. I Could not make a creamy espresso with the small filtre. Anyway i put back the double filtre and grind a bite courser the bens and reduce the grinding time with 2 seconds. The espresso now Was very creamy and lighter than a normal double one. Exactly What i Was looking for. I forgot to make picture 😁. NexT time
Im aiming for 32g out. Well I got to 6 grind size and only got 20g after 60 seconds. What do I do now ?? Help !
Add 15 to your grind size and try again. (So size 21). Keep making adjustments by halving the difference between actual shot time and 30 until you’re between 25-35s, then just do one step at a time until it’s perfect.
I am using Lavazza 5/10 with my new machine. At a grind size of 7 I get 18g, but it slightly overflows the double basket when I tamp. It takes about 7 seconds to first drip, and I get 46g of liquid in 25 seconds. Where should I adjust?
Make it 2 steps finer and see how that goes. You can try tapping the portafilter to settle the ground coffee before tamping- that and the slightly finer grind size should help with out overflowing
Very informative and usefull video..I’ve recently bought the same one and your instructions really helped me..May I know what composition of robusta and arabica coffee beans you suggest?
I generally use 100% arabica. It’s entirely down to personal taste
Got a barista touch recently. Straight out of the box the grind has to be down to 3 or 4 (out of 30) and apparantly ❤❤ some people even need to reduce down the internal burr to get an even finer grind which i dont understand because at 2 on my new machine chokes the flow way too much. Anyway, with fresh beans, and 18g in and 36g out bang on 30s Im getting extremely sour shots. If i go down a notch from 3 to 2 the pull time goes from 30s to 50s for 38g out and that tastes off. Any ideas appreciated.
The reason people may change the internal burr is, if you reduce the burr, you could then increase the grind size from your current 3-4, to somewhere mid-range, which would give you more room for further adjustments if required. Also, each machine IS different, so some people may find it impossible to get a fine enough grind out of the box.
Regarding your sour shots, what sort of coffee are you using? Sounds like the extraction ratio and time are pretty good- is it a light roast? Light roasts will be much more acidic, and will often benefit from a longer extraction.
You could try more of a 2.5 or 3:1 extraction ratio. You could also see how you get on with a medium dark-dark roast coffee.
My real issue with this machine is that even when I do everything the same (same coffee beans, same amount and grind size), I at times get different output. Maybe my coffee puck prep differs from shot to shot but I try to do it the same.
I'll try with a WDT and puck screen to see if those help.
Consistency in every aspect of the process is key. A WDT definitely helps with the flow through the puck. Also, if you’re pulling multiple shots, you’ll notice a difference between the first shot and subsequent shots if you haven’t warmed up the portafilter and group head.
So when you have the espresso sorted, how do you apply them settings to all other drinks?
The grind time and coarseness settings are carried across to all recipes, including custom recipes.
For the brew time, it will default to a 30s double shot for all built in recipes, but when you have sorted your espresso, it’s worth saving a brew custom recipe with the settings you have used. This can be the basis for any drink. You can apply the same shot timing to any of the preset recipes by pressing the button which cycles between ‘double’, ‘single’ and ‘custom’, then adjusting the time to what you want- you have to do this every time though, which is why it’s worth saving your own recipe.
Milk settings are different and adjustable for any of the preset or custom recipes, and it will remember the last settings used.
Personally I use one custom recipe for every drink (except long black/ Americano, as that adds in water). I then steam milk manually to suit whatever it is I’m making.
Super helpful
Do you weigh 18.5 every time or just grind to nearest number of seconds that gives nr to 18.5?
You should NOT have to weight each shot with the Touch. If the weight is wrong you should time the grind and save the brew settings. The preprogrammed times are quite accurate and only thing you may need to do is adjust grind size
No- and I think most people won’t measure it every time, although there would me no harm if you wanted to. I only measure the first time I use a new bag of coffee to make sure it’s dialled in well enough.