Dialing in espresso on a Breville Barista Express

The Breville Barista Express is one of the most popular home espresso machines. It has a built-in grinder, a 54mm portafilter, and a pressure gauge. It also has a learning curve. Your first shots will probably taste sour, bitter, or flat. That is normal.

Dialing in is the process of changing your grind until the shot tastes balanced. This guide gives you a simple loop you can repeat with any bean. You do not need fancy gear to follow it.

Know your machine first

Before you grind anything, learn the parts you will touch every day.

• The grinder. A conical burr grinder sits in the hopper on top. A dial on the side sets the grind size. On most Barista Express models the dial runs from 1 (finest) to 16 (coarsest).
• The internal burr adjustment. Under the hopper, the upper burr has its own adjustment. Many people leave it at the default until they run out of range on the main dial.
• The baskets. The machine ships with single-wall baskets and pressurized (dual-wall) baskets. Pressurized baskets are forgiving, but they hide the effect of your grind. Single-wall baskets show you what your grind is really doing. See Filter baskets explained for the full picture.
• The pressure gauge. The needle shows pressure during a shot. A needle in the middle zone is a rough sign of a healthy extraction. It is a guide, not a score.

In The Beginner Guide to Breville Barista Express, Hoon covers the grinder, dosing, and tamping. Start there if the machine is new to you.

Set a recipe to aim for

Dialing in works best when you have a target. Pick a recipe and hold it steady while you change the grind.

A common starting point is a 1:2 ratio. That means the liquid in the cup weighs about twice as much as the dry coffee. If you dose 18 g of coffee, you aim for about 36 g of espresso. Aim for about 25 to 30 seconds from the moment the pump starts.

These are starting points, not rules. Some beans taste better a little shorter. Others open up when you run them longer. Use the recipe to stay consistent, then adjust to taste.

You also need a way to measure. A scale that reads to 0.1 g and a timer are the two most useful tools you can own. If you can, put the scale under the cup and weigh the output. Shot volume in a cup is hard to judge by eye.

The dial-in loop

Follow these steps for every new bag of coffee.

1. 1Weigh your dose. Use the same dose every shot. Start with the dose your basket is built for. Many 54mm baskets sit around 18 g.
2. 2Grind into the portafilter or into a cup, then break up clumps with a needle tool or a thin paperclip-style stirrer.
3. 3Level the bed and tamp with firm, even pressure. Keep the tamper level. Do not chase a number on a scale.
4. 4Lock in the portafilter and start the shot right away. Start your timer when the pump starts.
5. 5Stop the shot when the output hits your target weight. Note the time.
6. 6Taste the shot. Is it sour, bitter, or balanced?
7. 7Change the grind by one step. Then pull another shot.

Change only one thing at a time. If you change the dose, the grind, and the tamp together, you cannot learn what helped.

Read the clock and the cup

Time and taste work together. Use both.

Taste always wins. If a 24-second shot tastes great, you are done. If a 28-second shot tastes harsh, keep adjusting.

For a deeper diagnosis, see Fixing bitter or sour espresso.

How big should each change be?

On the Barista Express, one step on the main dial is a noticeable change. Move one step at a time. If the shot barely changes, move another step. If you see a big jump, such as a gusher turning into a trickle, go back half a step using the internal burr adjustment or a slightly different dose.

If you run out of range on the dial, you may need to adjust the internal burr setting. Do this slowly and follow the instructions for your model. Make small moves, and write them down.

In Dialing In Espresso, Dose, Grind Size, Time, Steam Milk | Breville Barista Express, Hoon walks through dose, grind size, and time on this machine. He also covers steaming milk in the same video.

Different beans, different settings

Every bean behaves differently. Roast level, age, and origin all change how it grinds and how it tastes. A dark roast is often brittle and extracts quickly. A light roast is dense and usually needs a finer grind. A bean that is a few weeks old tastes different from a fresh one.

Treat each new bag as a fresh start. You will often land close to your last setting, but not on it.

Even cheap grocery-store coffee can taste good when you dial it in. In How to Dial-In Cheapest Store-Bought Coffee | Breville Barista Pro / Express, Hoon talks about dialing in supermarket coffee on the Barista Pro and Express.

Keep a simple log

A tiny notebook saves hours. After each shot, write down:

• the bean and roast date
• your dose in and weight out
• your grind setting
• your time
• one word for the taste

When you open the same bean again, you can start close to where you finished. You also spot patterns, such as needing a finer grind as the bag ages.

You can also use the Dial-in calculator to check your ratio and see which way to adjust.

Common mistakes

• Changing too many things. Change one thing per shot.
• Skipping the scale. Without a scale, you cannot repeat a good shot.
• Chasing the gauge. Use the needle as a hint, not a goal.
• Using stale beans. Old coffee loses flavor and gas. It can make dialing in feel impossible.
• Giving up after three shots. Most beans need five to ten shots the first time. That is normal.

Next steps

Once you can pull a balanced shot, build on it.

• Learn about puck prep to make your shots more consistent.
• Understand your baskets so you can choose the right one.
• Read Fixing bitter or sour espresso when a shot goes wrong.
• Learn milk steaming and latte art for milk drinks.
• Check the Breville Barista Express gear page for related gear and videos.
• Browse every Breville video in the library.