Dialling-in 101, Really
Dailling-in is the moment in which we adjust different variables to pull a perfect shot.
Now, this probably raised more questions than answers, so lets break this into smaller steps. (each step is a picture)
BEFORE dailling-in:
1. Know you coffee. Organise a cupping with your coffee-nerd friends and try to find what's potentially available in the coffee you want to use. Look for specific notes, aromas, aftertaste, etc.
You don't need to be a professional to tell the basic stuff, trust us.
Dailling-in:
2. Your espresso grinder should be cleaned once a day, so settings from last night won't be perfect. Fill grinder with beans and grind till coffee comes at a constant rate.
Try to keep grinder as full as possible - this will push beans down with a constant pressure throughout all your shots.
Fill portafilter with around 17g to 19g of coffee and tamp.
3. Now is time to pull some shoooooots!
4. We cannot stress this enough: THROW FIRST SHOT AWAY! Water used for this shot won't come entirely fresh from barril but also from piping system. Don't feel bad, this shot will give you good idea of how fast your shot is running.
5. Now depending on what you are looking for pull next shots.
Fast: between 22s-25s - syrupy texture (e.g. good for nutty, chocolatey Brazilian coffees).
Long: 29s-32s - good to expose acidity and sweetness (e.g. typical Kenyan or Ethiopian).
Try to keep ratio of weight of coffee in portafilter to weight of espresso in cup 1:2. (e.g. 18g of coffee from grinder, 36g of espresso in cup)
If you are still not getting to that point, try changing your grind size.
6. Time to call your coffee-nerd friends! Get a second opinion, after a couple of shots you might get confused. Your friends might be able to help you with those notes and aromas that you find but cannot name.
7. Go back and repeat. Don't be afraid to pulling another shot!
We hope you understood the basics from dialling-in from this quick guide, and you can now come up to your friends and ask them how come they don't know what dialling-in is and be all condescending about it! - Just kidding.
Leave any comment, or more specific question about this topic below, and we'll get back you!
AND DON'T FORGET TO LOOK FOR US IN THE NEW YORK COFFEE FESTIVAL
