How to Dial In Espresso | Adjusting Your Grinder for Perfect Shots

How to Dial In Espresso | Adjusting Your Grinder for Perfect Shots

How to Dial In Espresso

Adjusting Your Grinder for Perfect Shots (Finer vs Coarser Explained)

Dialling in espresso is one of the most important skills behind the bar — and one of the most misunderstood.

If your coffee tastes sour, bitter, or inconsistent, the answer is almost always found at the grinder, not the espresso machine. In this guide, we break down how to dial in espresso, what finer and coarser really mean, and how small adjustments lead to better shots.

What Does “Dialling In” Mean?

Dialling in means adjusting your grinder so your espresso extracts at the right speed, producing a balanced, sweet shot.

You’re aiming to control:

  • Extraction time

  • Yield (liquid out)

  • Flavour balance

A typical starting point:

  • Dose: 18g in

  • Yield: 36g out

  • Time: 25–30 seconds

From there, you adjust the grind size.

Grinder Adjustments: Finer vs Coarser

Grinding Finer

Grinding finer means the coffee particles are smaller and tighter together.

What happens when you go finer:

  • Water flows more slowly

  • Extraction time increases

  • More flavour is extracted

Use finer when:

  • Shots run too fast

  • Espresso tastes sour or thin

  • You reach your yield in under ~25 seconds

Grinding Coarser

Grinding coarser means the coffee particles are larger and more spaced out.

What happens when you go coarser:

  • Water flows faster

  • Extraction time decreases

  • Less flavour is extracted

Use coarser when:

  • Shots run too slowly

  • Espresso tastes bitter, harsh, or dry

  • You hit your yield after 30+ seconds

How to Dial In Step by Step

  1. Set your dose (keep this constant)

  2. Pull a shot and time it

  3. Taste the espresso

  4. Adjust the grinder:

    • Too fast → go finer

    • Too slow → go coarser

  5. Pull another shot and repeat

⚠️ Make small adjustments only — big changes make it harder to learn what’s happening.

Taste Is the Final Judge

Time and yield guide you, but taste confirms everything:

  • Sour / sharp: under-extracted → grind finer

  • Bitter / dry: over-extracted → grind coarser

  • Sweet / balanced: you’re dialled in

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Changing multiple variables at once

  • Adjusting the grinder without purging old coffee

  • Using grind size to fix stale coffee

  • Forgetting temperature, dose, and tamp consistency

Dialling In Is a Daily Job

Coffee changes every day due to:

  • Humidity

  • Bean age

  • Grinder cleanliness

That’s why dialling in isn’t a one-off task — it’s a daily routine.

Watch the Full Video

🎥 How to Dial In Espresso | Adjusting Your Grinder for Perfect Shots

If you’d like, I can also:

  • Turn this into a 1-page barista cheat sheet

  • Write a training SOP for new starters

  • Add a grinder-specific version (E65 GBW, Mythos, etc.)

Just say the word ☕

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