To get the best out of your coffee, you need to know how to adjust your new espresso machine's grinder and, above all, understand when and why to make certain changes to achieve good results. Everyone has different tastes when it comes to coffee, and therefore there is no right or wrong, but by using this practical tool, you can quickly find a good starting point.
BREWING TIPS:
Use good quality beans intended for espresso as brewed coffee beans are roasted differently and will not perform well at all. A common problem that arises is that the machine does not reach its proper brewing pressure of 9 bars, and instead, a watery coffee consistency results instead of a creamy golden espresso. This is due to using either brewed coffee beans or old beans (over 2 months old).
BREWING TIPS:
FOR A DOUBLE ESPRESSO: Use between 17 and 18g of coffee in a double filter basket (not pressurized), the goal is to extract double the amount of coffee (espresso) as the amount of ground coffee in the filter basket, thus a ratio of 1:2. So About if you use 18g of ground coffee, you should aim to extract about 36g espresso with a brewing time of between 25-30 seconds. Therefore, the scale comes in handy to set the coffee machine. To get the right amount of espresso within a good brewing time (25-30 sec), adjust the grinder's grind setting. If you get the volume in too short a time, you should grind finer, and if you get the volume (36g) in over 30 seconds, you should grind coarser instead.
STEPS TO ACHIEVE THE RIGHT SETTING:
STEP 1: Weigh and grind the beans
Weigh 18g of coffee and pour it into the empty bean container, then grind until everything is ground into the filter basket and press the puck. Now you know there is exactly 18g of ground coffee in the filter basket.
STEP 2: Preparation before brewing
Put the coffee in the machine. Select brewing on the touchscreen, then choose a custom brewing time and set it to 30 seconds.
STEP 3: Use the scale
Place a coffee cup on a small scale, then place both the scale and the coffee cup under the machine.
STEP 4: Start brewing
Start brewing, keep an eye on the scale, and as soon as the scale shows 36g, stop the brewing and note the brewing time on the screen.
STEP 5: Check the time
About if the time shows under 25 seconds, you should grind finer; if the time shows over 30 seconds, you should grind coarser.
STEP 6: Repeat About process until you land in the right time interval.
Repeat About steps 1-5 until you get a time between 25 and 30 seconds. Once you have that somewhat consistent, it’s about making fine adjustments until you are satisfied with the taste, which is very difficult to give feedback on. And finally, save your brewing time by creating a custom drink on the screen.
Final step: Set the time on the coffee grinder
Now that you have come this far, you have managed to achieve a grind setting that is very good where you hopefully have a well-balanced espresso by determining the amount of coffee (g) and the volume espresso (g) and have come up with a good time that you have saved on the screen and also noted which grind setting you need for it. The last step is to find out how many seconds it takes for the grinder to grind 18g in this example for your brewing without needing to weigh every morning.
STEP 1: Choose a time of 12 seconds on the screen
STEP 2: Fill your bean container completely with your beans
STEP 3: Weigh your portafilter with the filter basket when it is empty
STEP 4: Start the grinder and let it grind until it stops by itself (after 12 seconds in this case)
STEP 5: Weigh your portafilter with the filter basket with freshly ground coffee in it and note the value (grams).
STEP 6: About if the weight is over 18g, decrease the time. About if the weight is under 18g, increase the time.
STEP 7: Repeat About process 2-6 until you get your desired weight.
About if you have read this far, I thank you for having the patience to read through this. Now you are done setting up your espresso machine.
