These videos really are a blessing and a curse. On the one hand I'm making far superior espresso by constantly adjusting the ratios in/out, brew temp and time taken to pull a shot. On the other hand, I've doubled the amount I spend on coffee in a week and don't see my friends. Thanks, I guess.
@james Please know that I was only joking. Just saying what everyone else was thinking. However, I'm sure the majority of the people that liked this comment aren't joking.
Hah! For real though, that's why I don't make espresso at home. I'm the only one that drinks coffee so dialling in a 250gr bag wastes so much coffee :(
Love your vids. I can't get enough of the ones involving dialing in espresso. But I have to tell you that as a home "barista" it is difficult for me to understand what adjustments are needed to make the espresso dialed in to the level that you are doing it. I got the basics down but it's hard to tell for instance, if I need to dose 1/2 gram more or 1/2 gram less. If it's "ashen" what is the taste? Then what is the fix? If it's "astringent", what does that taste like and what would be the correction for that (am I tasting astringent or sour)? What about "hollow?" How do you know if the espresso is not "balanced?" This could go on but you get the point. This is the stuff that keeps me up at night.
interesting you should have a problem with astringent and sour, because it occurs to me now that it's not uncommon in english for the word astringent to be used to describe the general notion of "mouth puckering" ... which applies to both things. astringent, perhaps more of a sensation than a taste, is the feeling of the tannins tanning your tongue ... somewhere in the vicinity of dried-out and furry, and most familiar in harsh red wine or green tea steeped at a high temperature. the relevant chemicals tend to also be bitter, so there will be a degree of sensory confusion until you can clearly distinguish astringent and bitter. quinine (tonic water) is bitter but not astringent. imo james should be attempting to articulate more clearly what he means by hollow and unbalanced. for all i know these might be well defined tasting terms, but bear in mind that tasters sometimes acquire labels for taste phenomena they recognize but can't articulate so they end up using words that are meaningful to them but unhelpful to anyone else
Chris Bacca has done a few great videos talking about extraction tastes... Try searching for Chris Bacca dialing in espresso... A good exercise may be to dial your average roasted blend into 1:2 in 30ish secs then pull one at 1:1 or less and one at 1:4.... Top the 1:1 shot up with water to the same volume as the 1:4 so they are closer in strenght and taste the differences...
I'm no pro, but my go to solution is if i'm unhappy with where i'm currently at and don't know what to do I make a few BIG changes (one at a time) knowing I'll probably waste three shots of espresso, but it'll let me know where the limits are. For example go WAY too fine, and make a bitter awful cup, go way too coarse and make a sour awful cup. Then knowing what those taste like it's easier to find where i want to be and in what range. I single dose so it's pretty easy once I've got my limits on either end of too fine and too coarse.
Love this series! What would be really helpful (for me anyway) to see is for you to keep making adjustments after you're completely satisfied, and show us what happens when you get greedy. What does too seconds too long taste like? What does two degrees too high taste like? That way we'd get to see how wide the windows are, as well as just where they are
Recently I’ve been trying Italian style shots, 7g in 14-21g out yes a proper ristretto. What I noticed is that my brew temp should be lower and my grind size definitely smaller. However it gave me so much flavor because of the less coffee the water had to travel through in the puck and about the same amount of resistance. I find this to be quite lovely with lighter coffees such as a fruity Ethiopian hambela as well as maybe a very floral high altitude Colombian. My current setup is a profitec 700 pro as well as a Astoria slap grinder. Loving this series though.
@@abon3993 Considering how much tech is packed into it, and how compact it is, I actually find it surprising that its price is on par with your run-of-the-mill prosumer E61 dual boiler machine.
I don't make espresso, but I feel these videos really take the mystery out of perfecting espresso at home. Now if I could just find my way past the hurdle of spending $3000 on equipment. Great video James. Voiceovers with good audio are much appreciated.
James, I noticed a little sibilance and mouth sounds in your audio setup. Try a roll off on the high-highs in your audio editing and maybe move an inch or two further away from the mic if you can maintain your signal to noise ratios. Loved the video - here's to hoping you do a review of the sette eventually, but more so I'd love a trip down the road of diminishing returns and the look at grinders in that regard.
appreciate the tips - I don't do much close to mic work, so lots to learn. A review is coming on the Sette for sure, and a comparison with a few other grinders.
I'll just add that it always helps to drink lots of water when doing close up work with the mic, you sound quite different when you have just had water in the last few minutes versus 15-20 minutes ago. Loved the video!
@@TheJjoshie I have both, ended up with a Niche after the Sette failed although i have had it repaired. My own opinion is that they both grind well however the workflow and overall useabilty of the Niche is head and shoulders above the Sette.
@@jameshoffmann Give a De-esser a try as well, you could keep your airy highs, but reduce the sibilance. Just be careful and don't go overboard, or you'll end up with a lisp!
It was fun to watch the charts because they reinforced the things you've mentioned in so many other videos - speed and pressure from grind size, temperature depending on the roast, etc
Love the content James. Would like to see an in-depth video on coffee storage. Compounds lost in clear containers vs. opaque containers, etc. I currently keep my beans in a clear OXO container in a dark cabinet. Any recs on alternative storage mediums? Keep up the great work.
I use Sette 270 Wi myself and love the simplicity that there is no need to weight the grind. After I bought The Jack leveler, my shots have become more balanced, consistent and it has allowed me to tweak other variables such as temperature, brew ratio and pressure more easily as everything else stays somewhat constant.
I like that this dialling in features more than just the standard time/grind/dose. Tweaking the extraction with bedding technique based one grinder output was cool.
finally after 2 years, i can really apreciate this video... ( with the flair 58x) i can dial using all the info that comes from this video. i'm really thankful of this....
These give me a different insight to dialing in coffee after I used A LOT of coffee trying to dial in this limited bag of Ethiopia beans at work. It was especially difficult since I've never dialled in these beans before and was in the middle of a coffee rush. Had a chat with my boss the day after as well about wastage. Really just a painful day.
Addicted to James Hoffman videos at the moment.... Quick request - would love to see a comparison review between the Baratza Settle 270 and the Niche Zero.
James- when dosing into portafilter- one trick is to stop 1/4 to 1/2 way through, pause and take out portafilter- shake it level- then dose the rest- just learned it today- works pretty well
Great video - I love exploring and detective work that often go hand in hand with discovering what is inside the bean. I am enjoying a medium roast Brazilian Medium Roast Bean Americano that I pulled to drink as I watched this video. Thanks for sharing your knowlege, and thank you for the great organizing you have of your lessons in the play list.
Could you please keep doing these? I'm learning so much. I really wish you would give some electric grinder and espresso maker recommendations - just tiers of gear you think is good. Some of us are casual coffee people, and just don't know much. Your recommendations could help us narrow down our shortlist. Also, I want a Cafelat Robot!
I love Red Brick, what I love about it is that it is mostly always a good coffee but not always the same so you can be surprised each time you open your new bag, sometimes not a good surprise but 98% a good one, it was a great idea. Today patiently waiting on a delivery of Easter Blend from Proper Order, thanks be to God for online ordering and delivery in this difficult time.
Another great one! Always love that even though I dial in every day at work its so nice to look at espresso dial ins from other people and see what different fixes are used. Definitely would love a decent to play with!
Thank you, James. I discovered Hoffman, 2 weeks ago and now I have used up over 2kg coffee between me and my wife. Probably my covid test results will show up at coffee positive
Love the content, James. Would love to see how you'd get the best out of a nice lever & hand grinder setup. Something like the Cafelat Robot and Comandante C40 would be perfect :)
Love this series. It's definitely helped me to more carefully think through the steps when dialing in and ask exactly why I think changing "x" parameter will lead to "y" effect" and why changing "x" is or is not "better" than changing another parameter "z". It's freeing to consider alternative ways of achieving the ideal espresso output as opposed to the one or two axes that coffee shop trainers tend to give to new baristas (mainly grind and yield) as a way of simplifying the number of variables to manipulate.
yes, this video really filled in some blanks about what parameter change produced what effect. up to now i've been looking for a little extra information
thanks a lot james, i've loved all your videos since the first one i watched! i know everyone has told you already, but the overall camera, audio and editing quality is really great (even in this one video, where you had some issues, the effort shows!), and your content is amazing! you really got me into coffee making, and i've slowly progressed from making better mokas to awesome filter coffee, and wherever i go or travel to, i always try to taste as much coffee as i can! i find this "dialling in espresso" series very informative, even though i don't own a "real" espresso setup, but instead a flair (signature, not pro) and a helor 101. i'm really struggling to make good espresso though: for now i've only pulled quite sour shots, but i'll get there at some point! thanks a lot!
Hey James, I really enjoy your videos. One thing which I learned the hard way is that the bed prepping is very important. I learned to always check for side channeling or channeling in general before doing grind or dose adjustments. Maybe, in the future, you can dial in your machine and give examples of bad technique which more often than not cause channeling and ruin the taste of the espresso. Keep up the amazing content!
Thanks for the effort you put into making these videos, very informative ! Not that I'm a sadist, but I'd be interested in seeing you dial-in with a manual grinder.
Three fantastic espresso videos so far! As a coffee professional you know what to do when the flow is too quick, the acidity too high, bad puck distribution etc. But the VAST majority of home espresso users simply don't. Is there some type of flow chart that could be made (maybe it already exists) to aid home espresso people dial in their own shots? For example, a few problems featured at the top of a flow chart and several steps of suggested fixes cascade down. This is something I would personaly find useful. Loved the video and all you do!
Hi James, Love your videos. In the process of upping my espresso game. Wondering if there is anything to be learned with my old Saeco Sirena machine with a Caedo E6P, and some tools to permit repeatability on my puck prep and recipe? Hoping to learn more and make a more educated choice of new machine. I don't want to be chasing my tail forever trying to dial things in. Thanks. I have no idea about pressure or temp from the Saeco but I think I can program 'volume' with singles or doubles.
Temperature can make a huge difference. I brew Aeropress and it's a light roast, even at 90 degrees it's too acidic, imo. I go with 93-95C and it works like a charm.
Hi James, Love your dialing in series. i wonder if you could hit what to do or change if the machine doesn't have temp control. I use an expobar two group but would need a technician to change the temp
Just discovered this channel. Looking forward to watching more!... Love Square Mile. We have a fortnightly subscription with them for our Sage Barista Express but sometimes struggle to pull a good shot. Any tips, tricks or rule of thumbs for grinding and pulling a good shot with the presets without getting too technical?!...
James. Are you timing your shots from when the start button is pressed or when espresso first comes out? It seems you've edited out some of what you've done. 👍🏻
Peter Ratcliffe James has said before that he always times the shots from when the button is pressed. It's the most useful way of accurately determining how long the shot took, including preinfusion
James, there seems to be some debate on how to time the shot. Should the time be from the moment you press start and pre-infusion begins or the moment that the first drops appear?
Think of it this way - the moment you press start, water makes its way into the portafilter. By the time you see the first few drips, extraction is already taking place.
Cheers James, could you also do a Video about dialing in a dark roast Espresso / italian Espresso? Would be very usefull! Thx so much for your superb content 🤙
Can you please review some distribution tools for espresso? They’re supposed to make the extractions better, more consistent/repeatable. Costas has made one, and I’m sure there are a lot of others as well.
Thanks for the video! What was the preinfusion time, and could you add that to your tables in the future please. Perhaps preinfuse time and total time.
@@jameshoffmann Is it the same principle foe whatever machine you're using? For instance, I'm using Sage (Breville) barista pro?which has an embedded timer? Thanks!
I have that exact setup! What made you go for that 40gram output vs. 1to2 36g 37g. After a while you might need to shim that grinder. Would have liked to see you run a few more shots. Blooming profile or others.
I have the Profitec Pro 500 PID Espresso Machine and the Eureka Mignon Silenzio Espresso Grinder. I don't get a great shop with your lower temps. Can you do a deeper dive someday with the Profitec Pro 500 ? I would love it!!!!!
At the coffeeshop I work in, I'm not in charge of the coffee, but the baristas use a manual tamper with a lever, that means that with a lot of force they press the grinds so that it's very concentrated in the middle and not even at all. Makes my heart break to watch it
Awesome, I was looking for this dialing type of video for my sette 270. One thing I am surprised is that I don't see a sticker or tape on the coffee tablet camera. I would think that someone like James would be concerned about having a camera on their coffee machine :P, even if it's not connected to the Internet.
I have video ideas for you. 1) reviewing siphon coffee makers 2) taking tips from the 1950s/1960s and making coffee with that. 3) tips on how to make cheap coffee taste better at home.
Hi James, just discovered your channel and thoroughly enjoying your reviews/instructional videos. I have a Rancilio Silvia and I have a love hate relationship with the machine if you're familiar with it. I've read about how some users "temperature surf" to dial the perfect shot. I would feel that a nerdout video from yourself would be great here to validate whether it would be worth doing. Or a video on the silvia itself. Thanks
The bottomless portafilter and a clean steel backplate are also great indications of when a channel occurs during a shot. You really can't miss it! See 1:37 on the left-hand side of the machine :-D
New grinder (or new burrs) - my experience is that the burrs have been sharpened but still have some tiny coarseness. A metal worker can file something to make it more smooth, and the final stage in my language would be called sweetening. The first couple kilograms will do that. Other people's experiences?
I've just ordered a Sette 270Wi to replace a Gaggia MDF. I've also just bought an ECM Classika (2nd hand but newish) to replace a 2019 Gaggia Classic. Watching this I'm faintly stressed about all the variables and if I can actually taste the difference between a perfect and not-perfect shot (likely every one I've made up to now!).
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
These videos really are a blessing and a curse. On the one hand I'm making far superior espresso by constantly adjusting the ratios in/out, brew temp and time taken to pull a shot. On the other hand, I've doubled the amount I spend on coffee in a week and don't see my friends.
Thanks, I guess.
Perhaps your friends also like coffee?
coffee is your friends
invite them over to drink the mistakes...
🤣🤣
Invite them over. You'll spend even more, but at least you will see your friends.
Discovered James’ videos during quarantine: caffeine tolerance is at an all-time high
Just wait for caffeine withdrawals :)
So when are we dialing in the 1970s coffee for espresso?
@james Please know that I was only joking. Just saying what everyone else was thinking. However, I'm sure the majority of the people that liked this comment aren't joking.
🤣🤣🤣 that 70’s coffee still in everyone s mind
How to dial in espresso:
- make bad espresso
- make different bad espresso
- repeat 12 times
- realize that you dont have any more coffee
- cry
Hah! For real though, that's why I don't make espresso at home. I'm the only one that drinks coffee so dialling in a 250gr bag wastes so much coffee :(
Yeah that's why you basically have to find coffee beans that you like and stick with them for a while.
Gurito43 so true 😂
If you make cappuccinos you greatly increase the margin for making a good drink. That's my strategy :)
You don't tweak the numbers. You tweak the hair.
That random "Oh hai" gave me Joshua Weissman vibe
We need more of these for 2021!!!!
These episodes are gems. Rare and beautiful. Always thankful for this knowledge
I wish you hadn't stopped this series
I would love to see a dialing in on a La pavoni lever machine 😍
Love your vids. I can't get enough of the ones involving dialing in espresso. But I have to tell you that as a home "barista" it is difficult for me to understand what adjustments are needed to make the espresso dialed in to the level that you are doing it. I got the basics down but it's hard to tell for instance, if I need to dose 1/2 gram more or 1/2 gram less. If it's "ashen" what is the taste? Then what is the fix? If it's "astringent", what does that taste like and what would be the correction for that (am I tasting astringent or sour)? What about "hollow?" How do you know if the espresso is not "balanced?" This could go on but you get the point. This is the stuff that keeps me up at night.
interesting you should have a problem with astringent and sour, because it occurs to me now that it's not uncommon in english for the word astringent to be used to describe the general notion of "mouth puckering" ... which applies to both things. astringent, perhaps more of a sensation than a taste, is the feeling of the tannins tanning your tongue ... somewhere in the vicinity of dried-out and furry, and most familiar in harsh red wine or green tea steeped at a high temperature. the relevant chemicals tend to also be bitter, so there will be a degree of sensory confusion until you can clearly distinguish astringent and bitter. quinine (tonic water) is bitter but not astringent. imo james should be attempting to articulate more clearly what he means by hollow and unbalanced. for all i know these might be well defined tasting terms, but bear in mind that tasters sometimes acquire labels for taste phenomena they recognize but can't articulate so they end up using words that are meaningful to them but unhelpful to anyone else
Chris Bacca has done a few great videos talking about extraction tastes... Try searching for Chris Bacca dialing in espresso...
A good exercise may be to dial your average roasted blend into 1:2 in 30ish secs then pull one at 1:1 or less and one at 1:4.... Top the 1:1 shot up with water to the same volume as the 1:4 so they are closer in strenght and taste the differences...
I'm no pro, but my go to solution is if i'm unhappy with where i'm currently at and don't know what to do I make a few BIG changes (one at a time) knowing I'll probably waste three shots of espresso, but it'll let me know where the limits are. For example go WAY too fine, and make a bitter awful cup, go way too coarse and make a sour awful cup. Then knowing what those taste like it's easier to find where i want to be and in what range. I single dose so it's pretty easy once I've got my limits on either end of too fine and too coarse.
That was fun to watch. I appreciate you’ve broken this down in such an easily digestible way. Thank you for sharing.
-Joe
Love this series! What would be really helpful (for me anyway) to see is for you to keep making adjustments after you're completely satisfied, and show us what happens when you get greedy. What does too seconds too long taste like? What does two degrees too high taste like? That way we'd get to see how wide the windows are, as well as just where they are
More, please! These dialing in videos are both helpful and oddly fascinating.
James, I hope YOU have a great day! Thanks for the informative video!
Recently I’ve been trying Italian style shots, 7g in 14-21g out yes a proper ristretto. What I noticed is that my brew temp should be lower and my grind size definitely smaller. However it gave me so much flavor because of the less coffee the water had to travel through in the puck and about the same amount of resistance. I find this to be quite lovely with lighter coffees such as a fruity Ethiopian hambela as well as maybe a very floral high altitude Colombian. My current setup is a profitec 700 pro as well as a Astoria slap grinder. Loving this series though.
The tables with the stats and tasting notes as well as the action required were very helpful!
This was really enjoyable. The Decent gives some really good insight into the brewing process.
As it should, with a $2,500 price tag.
@@abon3993 Considering how much tech is packed into it, and how compact it is, I actually find it surprising that its price is on par with your run-of-the-mill prosumer E61 dual boiler machine.
@@abon3993 a linea mini is $5000 and it is so much better
Good Morning is one of my favorite songs and using it here seems perfect.
I don't make espresso, but I feel these videos really take the mystery out of perfecting espresso at home.
Now if I could just find my way past the hurdle of spending $3000 on equipment.
Great video James. Voiceovers with good audio are much appreciated.
You could do what I did…a decent breville espresso machine on sale for $500, $150 in accessories and upgrades, and $20 per week on coffee😅
Coming back to this a year after my first watch, still just as good! Would love to see more videos of you doing this!
James, I noticed a little sibilance and mouth sounds in your audio setup. Try a roll off on the high-highs in your audio editing and maybe move an inch or two further away from the mic if you can maintain your signal to noise ratios. Loved the video - here's to hoping you do a review of the sette eventually, but more so I'd love a trip down the road of diminishing returns and the look at grinders in that regard.
appreciate the tips - I don't do much close to mic work, so lots to learn. A review is coming on the Sette for sure, and a comparison with a few other grinders.
I'll just add that it always helps to drink lots of water when doing close up work with the mic, you sound quite different when you have just had water in the last few minutes versus 15-20 minutes ago. Loved the video!
@@jameshoffmann Would love to hear how it stacks up against the Niche. Trying to decide which to get for my first espresso grinder.
@@TheJjoshie I have both, ended up with a Niche after the Sette failed although i have had it repaired. My own opinion is that they both grind well however the workflow and overall useabilty of the Niche is head and shoulders above the Sette.
@@jameshoffmann Give a De-esser a try as well, you could keep your airy highs, but reduce the sibilance. Just be careful and don't go overboard, or you'll end up with a lisp!
It was fun to watch the charts because they reinforced the things you've mentioned in so many other videos - speed and pressure from grind size, temperature depending on the roast, etc
watching these again and it still just makes me wanna go into espresso
Love the content James. Would like to see an in-depth video on coffee storage. Compounds lost in clear containers vs. opaque containers, etc. I currently keep my beans in a clear OXO container in a dark cabinet. Any recs on alternative storage mediums? Keep up the great work.
I use Sette 270 Wi myself and love the simplicity that there is no need to weight the grind. After I bought The Jack leveler, my shots have become more balanced, consistent and it has allowed me to tweak other variables such as temperature, brew ratio and pressure more easily as everything else stays somewhat constant.
I like that this dialling in features more than just the standard time/grind/dose.
Tweaking the extraction with bedding technique based one grinder output was cool.
This was such a great video, almost as great as brewing 1970’s coffee using an aeropress and posting a video of that tomorrow for me. Thanks!
finally after 2 years, i can really apreciate this video... ( with the flair 58x) i can dial using all the info that comes from this video. i'm really thankful of this....
These give me a different insight to dialing in coffee after I used A LOT of coffee trying to dial in this limited bag of Ethiopia beans at work. It was especially difficult since I've never dialled in these beans before and was in the middle of a coffee rush. Had a chat with my boss the day after as well about wastage. Really just a painful day.
Addicted to James Hoffman videos at the moment.... Quick request - would love to see a comparison review between the Baratza Settle 270 and the Niche Zero.
James- when dosing into portafilter- one trick is to stop 1/4 to 1/2 way through, pause and take out portafilter- shake it level- then dose the rest- just learned it today- works pretty well
Great video - I love exploring and detective work that often go hand in hand with discovering what is inside the bean. I am enjoying a medium roast Brazilian Medium Roast Bean Americano that I pulled to drink as I watched this video. Thanks for sharing your knowlege, and thank you for the great organizing you have of your lessons in the play list.
Could you please keep doing these? I'm learning so much.
I really wish you would give some electric grinder and espresso maker recommendations - just tiers of gear you think is good. Some of us are casual coffee people, and just don't know much. Your recommendations could help us narrow down our shortlist.
Also, I want a Cafelat Robot!
I love Red Brick, what I love about it is that it is mostly always a good coffee but not always the same so you can be surprised each time you open your new bag, sometimes not a good surprise but 98% a good one, it was a great idea. Today patiently waiting on a delivery of Easter Blend from Proper Order, thanks be to God for online ordering and delivery in this difficult time.
continue this series please!
Another great one! Always love that even though I dial in every day at work its so nice to look at espresso dial ins from other people and see what different fixes are used. Definitely would love a decent to play with!
Thank you, James. I discovered Hoffman, 2 weeks ago and now I have used up over 2kg coffee between me and my wife. Probably my covid test results will show up at coffee positive
I ordered this Sette grinder. Watching this makes me hopeful that I made a good choice. Love all your reviews.
Love the content, James. Would love to see how you'd get the best out of a nice lever & hand grinder setup. Something like the Cafelat Robot and Comandante C40 would be perfect :)
Seconding this! these options are.more affordable so are more appealing to beginners
Loving the dial in tips. Suggestion for dialing in with a manual set up.... Cafelat Robot & Rok Grinder. 😁
Keep doing these dialing in videos . They’re brilliant all the time
Hey there ! thanks for the video. How do you know when to change the brewing temperature and when to go higher or lower ?
Thank you so much James!
We need more of these
Very helpful procedure. I would love to see how you dial in with manual espresso maker such as the flair and rok in the next/future episode
Nice and useful episode, thanks for sharing!!
James in corridor: The sound is not good here.
Me as a guitarist: I want to play there.
Love this series. It's definitely helped me to more carefully think through the steps when dialing in and ask exactly why I think changing "x" parameter will lead to "y" effect" and why changing "x" is or is not "better" than changing another parameter "z". It's freeing to consider alternative ways of achieving the ideal espresso output as opposed to the one or two axes that coffee shop trainers tend to give to new baristas (mainly grind and yield) as a way of simplifying the number of variables to manipulate.
yes, this video really filled in some blanks about what parameter change produced what effect. up to now i've been looking for a little extra information
So curious to see how you would dial in on something that gives you less control over some variables and how one might work with that. (La pavoni)
I mean it gives you more control if it is a lever machine just not enough feedback
Nice and relaxing video as always. The moment when the machine shows your reflection 😂👌
I'd watch more of these!
Not making my own drink but still thoroughly enjoying the video. Thank you!
thanks a lot james, i've loved all your videos since the first one i watched! i know everyone has told you already, but the overall camera, audio and editing quality is really great (even in this one video, where you had some issues, the effort shows!), and your content is amazing! you really got me into coffee making, and i've slowly progressed from making better mokas to awesome filter coffee, and wherever i go or travel to, i always try to taste as much coffee as i can!
i find this "dialling in espresso" series very informative, even though i don't own a "real" espresso setup, but instead a flair (signature, not pro) and a helor 101. i'm really struggling to make good espresso though: for now i've only pulled quite sour shots, but i'll get there at some point!
thanks a lot!
my favorite series!
Hey James, I really enjoy your videos. One thing which I learned the hard way is that the bed prepping is very important. I learned to always check for side channeling or channeling in general before doing grind or dose adjustments. Maybe, in the future, you can dial in your machine and give examples of bad technique which more often than not cause channeling and ruin the taste of the espresso. Keep up the amazing content!
Thanks for the effort you put into making these videos, very informative ! Not that I'm a sadist, but I'd be interested in seeing you dial-in with a manual grinder.
This is such a high wuality content. Thx and i hope you have a great day!✋
More of these videos please!
You are too skilled James!
need more of this
Three fantastic espresso videos so far! As a coffee professional you know what to do when the flow is too quick, the acidity too high, bad puck distribution etc. But the VAST majority of home espresso users simply don't.
Is there some type of flow chart that could be made (maybe it already exists) to aid home espresso people dial in their own shots? For example, a few problems featured at the top of a flow chart and several steps of suggested fixes cascade down. This is something I would personaly find useful. Loved the video and all you do!
I'm working on it!
I use Barista Hustle's Espresso Compass! baristahustle.com/blog/the-espresso-compass/ (But I'll use James' when it's ready of course ;)
Hi James, Love your videos. In the process of upping my espresso game. Wondering if there is anything to be learned with my old Saeco Sirena machine with a Caedo E6P, and some tools to permit repeatability on my puck prep and recipe? Hoping to learn more and make a more educated choice of new machine. I don't want to be chasing my tail forever trying to dial things in. Thanks. I have no idea about pressure or temp from the Saeco but I think I can program 'volume' with singles or doubles.
Temperature can make a huge difference. I brew Aeropress and it's a light roast, even at 90 degrees it's too acidic, imo. I go with 93-95C and it works like a charm.
This is an amazing series
These dialing in vids are great!
Hi James, Love your dialing in series. i wonder if you could hit what to do or change if the machine doesn't have temp control. I use an expobar two group but would need a technician to change the temp
At this point, all I want to do this weekend is sit down with James, pull espresso shots and enjoy his amazing coffee skills.
Just discovered this channel. Looking forward to watching more!... Love Square Mile. We have a fortnightly subscription with them for our Sage Barista Express but sometimes struggle to pull a good shot. Any tips, tricks or rule of thumbs for grinding and pulling a good shot with the presets without getting too technical?!...
Top marks once again on another great video!
James.
Are you timing your shots from when the start button is pressed or when espresso first comes out?
It seems you've edited out some of what you've done. 👍🏻
Peter Ratcliffe James has said before that he always times the shots from when the button is pressed. It's the most useful way of accurately determining how long the shot took, including preinfusion
From the moment the water touches the coffee
The DE1+ gets the award for "Ugliest Espresso Machine of All Time". You couldn't pay me to have that thing in my kitchen.
James, there seems to be some debate on how to time the shot. Should the time be from the moment you press start and pre-infusion begins or the moment that the first drops appear?
I think James always time the moment he presses start button, but sadly I forget in which video he said that :(
Yep, start counting when the pump engages. So basically from pressing the button
Think of it this way - the moment you press start, water makes its way into the portafilter. By the time you see the first few drips, extraction is already taking place.
Cheers James, could you also do a Video about dialing in a dark roast Espresso / italian Espresso? Would be very usefull!
Thx so much for your superb content 🤙
Hi James, would you count the brew time from when the liquid hits the cup or when you press the brew button? Thanks, I enjoy your channel a lot.
This is a good video to watch while drinking the worst cup of coffee I've made in a long time. 😭
Great format but I'm missing the next episodes... Please make more of them ♥️
Would be interesting if you could explain why you try a a certain change, for example why did you try higher dose instead of finer grind.
Dial in on the Rancilio silvia would be great, the temp and pressure controll is not easy on this one.
Can you please review some distribution tools for espresso? They’re supposed to make the extractions better, more consistent/repeatable. Costas has made one, and I’m sure there are a lot of others as well.
Love these videos!
Hi James, Love your videos and red brick. Would be great if you can consider doing a video using an ek43 grinder. Thanks
Thanks for the video! What was the preinfusion time, and could you add that to your tables in the future please. Perhaps preinfuse time and total time.
Great video, thanks for doing these! Is the time for espresso pull from when the machine turns on or from when it starts dripping?
When the machine turns on
Finally one of the biggest questions of all time answered! Scrolled through just hoping this would popup! James you’re the man!
@@jameshoffmann Is it the same principle foe whatever machine you're using? For instance, I'm using Sage (Breville) barista pro?which has an embedded timer? Thanks!
I have that exact setup! What made you go for that 40gram output vs. 1to2 36g 37g. After a while you might need to shim that grinder.
Would have liked to see you run a few more shots.
Blooming profile or others.
i love how your hair really match you shirt.. im an admirer
I have the Profitec Pro 500 PID Espresso Machine and the Eureka Mignon Silenzio Espresso Grinder. I don't get a great shop with your lower temps. Can you do a deeper dive someday with the Profitec Pro 500 ? I would love it!!!!!
At the coffeeshop I work in, I'm not in charge of the coffee, but the baristas use a manual tamper with a lever, that means that with a lot of force they press the grinds so that it's very concentrated in the middle and not even at all. Makes my heart break to watch it
Awesome, I was looking for this dialing type of video for my sette 270. One thing I am surprised is that I don't see a sticker or tape on the coffee tablet camera. I would think that someone like James would be concerned about having a camera on their coffee machine :P, even if it's not connected to the Internet.
These are great videos.
I have video ideas for you.
1) reviewing siphon coffee makers
2) taking tips from the 1950s/1960s and making coffee with that.
3) tips on how to make cheap coffee taste better at home.
Hi James, just discovered your channel and thoroughly enjoying your reviews/instructional videos.
I have a Rancilio Silvia and I have a love hate relationship with the machine if you're familiar with it.
I've read about how some users "temperature surf" to dial the perfect shot. I would feel that a nerdout video from yourself would be great here to validate whether it would be worth doing. Or a video on the silvia itself. Thanks
Hey James, do you edit all your videos yourself? All the video editing has been really impressive, and very pleasant to watch!
I have some help sometimes, but mostly it is me. And thanks - very much a learning experience for me!
wouldn't surprise me if you got a bit obsessive and perfected editing
The bottomless portafilter and a clean steel backplate are also great indications of when a channel occurs during a shot. You really can't miss it! See 1:37 on the left-hand side of the machine :-D
James, which type of air blend should I use for my Aeropress?
New grinder (or new burrs) - my experience is that the burrs have been sharpened but still have some tiny coarseness. A metal worker can file something to make it more smooth, and the final stage in my language would be called sweetening. The first couple kilograms will do that. Other people's experiences?
I've just ordered a Sette 270Wi to replace a Gaggia MDF. I've also just bought an ECM Classika (2nd hand but newish) to replace a 2019 Gaggia Classic. Watching this I'm faintly stressed about all the variables and if I can actually taste the difference between a perfect and not-perfect shot (likely every one I've made up to now!).
can you do one of these with the flair? for your viewers on a budget
Hi james! Loved your videos! can you review the Gemilai CRM3605?
When do you start timing the shot? When you hit the button when the pump starts, or when the first drop hits the cup?
THIS is soooooo helpful!