How to Dial In Espresso at Home (A Simple Starting Recipe)

Start with 18 grams of ground coffee and aim for about 36 grams of espresso in the cup, in 25 to 30 seconds. Taste it, then change the grind only. Go finer if the shot is fast and sour, coarser if it's slow and bitter. That's dialling in, and most people get there in three or four shots.

What you need

Scales. Cheap kitchen scales that read to 0.1 of a gram are fine. Without them you're guessing, and guessing is why most home espresso is inconsistent.

Fresh beans with a roast date. Beans change as they age, so a recipe that worked on a three month old bag won't tell you much. Most espresso tastes best from about a week to four weeks after roasting.

A grinder you can adjust. Dialling in is mostly grind changes. If you're using pre ground coffee, you can still get the ratio and timing right, but the grind is fixed.

The right basket. Most double baskets in home machines hold around 18 grams. If your machine came with dual wall (pressurised) baskets, swap to the single wall ones for dialling in. Pressurised baskets are built to be forgiving, so the timing won't tell you much.

How to dial in, step by step

1. Weigh 18 grams of ground coffee into your basket. Level it out and tamp flat.

2. Put your cup on the scales under the portafilter and zero it.

3. Start a timer as you start the shot, and stop the shot at 36 grams.

4. Check the time and taste it. Then make one change:

Under 25 seconds and sour: grind finer.
Over 30 seconds and bitter: grind coarser.
In time but still sour: let it run longer, to around 40 grams.
In time but harsh or heavy: stop it a little earlier, around 32 grams.

5. Repeat until it tastes sweet and balanced. Write down what worked so you're not starting from scratch next time.

For reference, the recipe we use for our blends sits between 18 and 23 grams in, 36 to 46 grams out, in 25 to 30 seconds. Start at the lower end and adjust from there.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to dial in every new bag?

Yes, but it's usually a small adjustment. Different beans and roast levels behave differently, and even the same blend shifts as it ages. Beans tend to need a slightly finer grind the older they get.

Should I use a different recipe for milk coffee?

The same shot works fine. Some people prefer a slightly shorter, stronger shot under milk so the coffee comes through more. Try both and see what you like.

Why does my home espresso taste different to the cafe?

Usually it's the beans or the recipe, not the machine. We break it down in why your home espresso tastes nothing like the cafe.

I have a Breville. Does this still apply?

Yes. The numbers are the same. If you're choosing beans for one, here's our guide to coffee beans for Breville machines.

If you're learning to dial in, it helps to start with beans that are forgiving. Liberty, our house blend, is a medium roast that tastes good across a wide range of grind settings, and every bag has its roast date printed on it.