I hope you enjoyed this break down by looking at how each variable affects the final cup! Would super appreciate a like or comment, etc, if you enjoyed it! Thanks so much, friends, and see you in the comments!
Much easier than the other 50 videos I’ve watched on the subject. First night I got my first machine I ended up making 8 double espressos trying to dial in. I was leathered and the world glowed bright!
You should invite guests to pull shots and comment about their performance. A lot of times your advices sound so easy but when dialing it in on my Gaggia, things get a little more challenging. Great video as always!
Your videos are BY FAR the most helpful ones I've come across in regards to espresso preparation. I have an ECM Classica + Eureka Specialita and I would get subpar results with brand new coffe variants i would try. I thought i should buy a new grinder like the df64 or Niche to fix it. Then I went on a spree watching your vids about preparation, with all the details and my new beans espresso is the same quality to the specialty store I buy it from. Only because I now understand much better what I need to do when it comes out bitter or sour and most importantly WHY. I was always under the impression that while extraction time is important, it's not really the holy grail, since I used to randomly get great coffee extracting for 45 seconds or so. Now I understand more how that relates to the ratio, the type of beans etc.. I had some beans that required a much coarser grind and I would basically get espresso with almost no flavors, as compared to the store making the same one but with a ton of flavor. Only to realize that either my ratio was too high, losing on taste or my grind was too coarse in order to make it fit the 25-30second formula, again not allowing it to have proper contact time, losing on taste too. So I went coarse, kept the dose steady and played with extraction time where 1:2.2 seems to be the sweet spot for flavor. Invaluable lessons ! Please make a paid course on that stuff, explaining every variable in detail, with examples on different beans and how you adjust. I am buying today ! :D Thanks !
The single point you made about not going by weight, but by grind level in your portafilter has just made my coffee taste a whole lot better! Using this tip, I was able to add 22g of a (slightly) courser grind in my 20g portafilter. It brought the compressed grinds closer to the screen but still allowed room so it's not leaving the indent from the screw. Using my usual grind size for my beans made it come out way too slow, so I upped the size to the next number and it came out in the usual sexy stream into my cup. Honestly, my coffee just tastes so much better. So a massive thanks for teaching us it is ok to ignore certain 'rules' to get us to a better coffee. 🤘🏽
This exactly! So if I understand correctly its more important to fill the basket just enough that it has the right puck height and distance to the shower screen?
Just splashed out on my first ‘prosumer’ quality espresso machine and grinder and have been up all night the last few days watching RUclips videos on espresso making. Yours is by far one of the best, I think I will be rewatching multiple times to let the concepts and learning sink in. Thank you!!
The most important thing I learned from this video was to forget time, absolute game changer for me. I'm a real novice, but really enjoying this new hobby. I'd followed other guides to dial in my espresso and was hitting everything perfectly (or so I thought). Proper puck prep, the right pressure, coming through in 30 seconds and good crema, but sometimes I'd still get sour shots even with larger ratios. "Oh well, these beans are just too light for espresso" I naïvely thought. But after watching this I just ground just a bit finer and ignored time. I held a longer pre-infusion and ramped the pressure up a little to 10 bar and held the same ratio. Suddenly, I got a shot i loved the taste of! It may seem obvious to some, but for me it's so refreshing to see a video like this that teaches you what's the most important rule - that you enjoy the taste! Cheers Lance!
Right after watching this, I pulled my Razor out of the storage bin and discovered my dose was way below the edge. +1g of coffee, a little coarser grind, and I pulled a lovely shot. Lance, like everyone else, I am in awe of your skill at transmitting information.
The dose was a game changer for my sour espresso. Reduced it from 17g to 16g with the Baskets that came with my GCP. This combined with your temperature surfing advice gave me my personal best shot today. Thank you!
What an absolute delight this latest video is - yet again another banger, Lance you're a legend! Providing such detailed and helpful advice / reminders to everyone! Thankful for your content as always!
I have been thinking about this precise topic for the past a couple of weeks. On one side you are trying to standardize an espresso drink with a particular ratio on the other side you are trying to create a delicious shot. The huge variance in coffee makes this difficult but fun. Thank you so much, Lance
Thanks for the extended explanation. Had some troubles dialing in my medium/dark roast. But I’m going to let go the extraction time and focus more on grind en yield.. thanks
This is by far the best video I’ve seen about sailing coffee taste, it’s not for beginners but it does address the issue I face when the regular formula starts to break down. Well done
Thank you! I just recently hit a slump with my espressos not tasting as good as usual and I was stumped! This was the perfect ground up from basics refresher I needed to understand what I was doing wrong!
Lance, using the advice from this video I was able to make one of the most enjoyable lattes I’ve ever made this morning! The advice about dialing in dose and the explanation of the required head room made it clear I’ve been putting in about a gram too much coffee in my portafilter. Also, explaining tiger striping and how it can lead to bitter/astringent taste was not something I’d heard before. You gave me the confidence to grind a little coarser while the whole world was telling me to grind finer. Thanks!
When I first got into espresso, I had been hearing "18 gRaMs 30 SeCoNdS 1:2 is BeSt" blah blah but the first coffee I tried to make espresso with would overflow out of my 18 gram basket. It was an incredibly fluffy, not dense coffee and I'd lose so much when trying to prep the puck because it was just a mountain. It was also pushing up against my basket and the screw imprint was indeed there. I was getting these ultra muddy and sour shots that just weren't my jam. I took it down to like 16ish and stayed at my output (upping ratio technically). It was way better and I was like what are people talking about? Then I got another coffee and I needed more than 18 grams actually, among having to tweak other variables to get a good shot. That really helped me figure out that there's a lot more to be learned than I thought, and a lot of misinformation and generalization coming from some folks, and that extended to basically every variable. I guess the lesson is don't over simplify for convenience and to discount others, but also don't yuck someone else's yum.
Thank you Lance for another great lesson in Espresso brewing. Thanks also for cleaning house on these "9 bar in 30 sec one size fits all recipes"!! It is so refreshing to hear you talk about the observations so many of us make and don't dare to talk about. One (of many) great things about working with a lever is that you can actually feel the puck eroding and the pressure go down. With your valuable insights (thanks for scouring the literature for us) it is sooo much easier to experiment and get results that taste great, without being constricted by haphazard rules. I will continue to play, hate shots, love shots and be happy I found something that I love doing.
Lance I love the way you went super speed at the end to go over everything again 😂 I will rewatch another 10 times until it finally sinks into my brain! 😭 Love your content and how you describe everything to make complete sense ❤
Tip with dose - put your coffee into a basket, tamp, put a 50c coin into the basket as well, close a portafilter then look if the coin left an indent. You can be consistent with your dose no matter what the coffee and grind size you use.
Thank you for the tips, changed the head space on my puck and made a big difference. It's little things you've reminded us of that can make a difference.
i have a dedica with a bottomless portafilter, I say this to establish I have limited knowledge :). I am really happy with milk drinks i get from it, but without milk its still a tad sour. I have watched countless videos on dialing in etc, but this video here gave me a couple of new ideas to try to get it perfect, namely go coarser (i do have tiger striping) and get the correct dose for my basket first. thx for the helpful video
Thank you for this video Lance.. I have been making espresso drinks on my Breville Barista Express for around 12 years now. That is until it stopped working. So I replaced it with a Delonghi Dedica, which also meant that I had to get a new grinder. This suddenly opened up a new world of espresso drinking (previously I almost exclusively drank milk drinks, and only did Nespresso for espresso style drinks). I am now beginning to understand the nuances of taste, and how they relate to grind size, dose, time and so on. Thanks for videos like this! You rock!
Lance, another stellar video. Also, just want say thank you so much for chatting and taking a photo with me when you rocking the Onyx booth at SCA. Not only are a coffee legend, but you are wonderful human. One of the kindest people I have met in the coffee industry as well as life in general. Keep that sick work brother!!
Thanks man, you just helped me getting a better shot. I got some light roasted coffee as a gift but I was never able to dial light roast in, they were always very very sour and undrinkable as an espresso (as a latte they are okay-ish). I was focusing too much on my ratios, I can get a perfect Medium/Dark roast pull 25-30sec 1:2 ratio tastes perfect but the same strategy failed with this light roast. Out of curiosity I pulled a 1:2.5 ratio shot not worrying about time and it got immediately 100x better. Bit too watery and the crema is laughable compared to my other shots but at least it didn't have to go down the sink. I'll fiddle with it, there's hope I can pull a decent shot now :) Thanks again!
Really enjoyed this! Just finished my espresso trailer and am officially on the road with it :) woo! I like to nerd out when customers seem interested in what’s actually happening before the coffee hits their mouth and sometimes I drag things out. You got to the point very quickly with everything which helps me put the words together in my own head for future convos. Thank you!!
I just noticed the digital scale you’re using, so found one on Amazon that looks and acts just like yours. I’m not sure what brand you have, but Dude!!! DUUUUUUUUUDE! I love it! I love that I no longer have to press the go button on my machine and the go button on my timer simultaneously. DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDE! Seriously, dude. I love your videos.
I love your style in your videos! I've been binge watching you and James Hoffman videos. Great coffee knowledge! Thanks for your contribution to the coffee community!
I was trying to explain to somebody how grinding finer can cause less extraction because the water will tend to find channels in the puck. But they wasn’t having it but now you’ve made a video including that info which is great as there’s always more to learn.
Thanks Lance killin it! Would be sick to see this type of 'update summary of previous vids'/'dial via taste' for your Pour over method as I have watched your vids on that (even unfiltered) and still struggle to make your recipe work for many beans. If I am struggling I am sure many others need that little bit of help to also fully convert over to your method!
Immediately saving this video. Got a whole bag of Kona Peaberry to figure out my new machine. Hope you do a lever espresso masterclass like this one since they can play with pressure.
Thanks. That was really well explained. I liked the idea of letting some more espresso at the end of the shot into a second cup and then adding by taste. I have used a lot of coffee to find a less sour shot ratio. Never thought of this option
Yesterday I was explaining some of the basics for the newcomers and I'm so happy, that I was pretty much close to this video in terms of information, but still not that highly concentrated with the useful info in just 18 minutes. Thank you Lance for keeping the pace in educating all of us!🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
I’ve been hoping you would make this video! Perfect timing for me, I have had my machine for about a month and understand the “basics”. I’m ready for a more in-depth understanding on how to make my coffee better than it is now.
You have given me a lot to think about. Wonderful presentation and advice that can only come from experience!! I really like that part where you switch mid extraction so you have two samples for the price of one shot!! Bravo👏👏🫡
Nice video. Started off thinking that this will just be a refresher from all the previous videos, but it was a nice new perspective on it, with more focus on body.
You should offer one on one zoom meetings for people to pay to have you talk/walk through peoples home set ups and help us normal folk dial in. I'd pay a good chunk to know im getting the best out of my set up. A lifetime of great coffee is worth the cost compared to a lifetime of okay coffee.
Thanks for covering the filter size. Few of the internet coffee gurus even mention that. There are at least 3 different sizes yet they dictate a specific gram weight despite the fact filters don’t fit that amount. Seems like the higher end machines use wider filters.
@LanceHedrick I need one of these for pour over, now that we are getting to the warm season. Already watched your iced coffee video several times by the way.
Hey lance. Great video. Wanted to know if coffee volume in the basket matters in machines like the flair 58 where there is no shower screen and there is only a puck screen instead. Thanks!
Nope! Good question. Fill that bad boy up! Unless there is a ridge in the basket that could cause issues. Just make sure it all fits in well and tamp evenly.
I really enjoy reviewing this info thru your most excellent video. I've always thought that the "time" variable was a red herring (apparently you think so too). I've also always thought that dose was more of a "parameter" than a "variable" as I think it's dictated by the physics of the basket. This means that "grind size" and "ratio" are the two main variables to play around with. Uh, then I discovered "Flow Control" (which my machine came with) and those three (grind, ration, FlowControl) cover 90% of everything One needs in order to make great espresso - after first choosing a good bean and doing proper prep work (of course ;-) I really appreciate how well you explain everything and wish you many years of success, youtubing your mastery to us all. Thx Lance!
Pure Master class. Espresso for dummies… well maybe not dummies but for most of us amateurs that are sometimes struggling to find the perfect cup. Is there such a thing? Let’s hope not so we continue striving to achieve it. Thanks Lance!
Great video Lance. Of all your content I like this the best. I stopped timing my shots some time ago as I found it was causing confirmation bias and leading me in circles. For example if a shot poured in 20 or 35 seconds, I would expect certain negative characteristics and low and behold that's what I found in the cup. Now I ignore time and focus on taste and texture and get to a good result much faster.
Always informative. I use an Opus and a Flair 58 and (so far) I’ve had pretty good luck with shots and can usually pinpoint where I went wrong. I think for a while I was grinding a bit too fine, it wasn’t quite channeling but the shots were too long and sometimes difficult to maintain pressure (typically wasn’t a big issue with light roasts, most of the shots have been drinkable especially with some milk). Some of these tips are a little more difficult due to the nature of a lever machine (I.e. pulling the last 5 sec of a shot and adding it after if the shot seems under extracted) but this is still super useful. Took a while to learn that just because the shot is fast doesn’t mean it’s bad and doesn’t necessarily mean I need to go finer.
I've eliminated sourness by simply not putting the cup in place until a few drops fall. Removing just a few drops (like 1-5 of those initial drops) makes a big difference. The only downside I see is the bottom of the cup has some coffee on it. CT2 review please!
Bad technique. Just put a cup beneath the pipe, intercept inital coffee drops by a kitchen wipe paper (fold it 2 times for thickness), that you put above the cup, then just move paper away for the rest of the un-acid coffee to drop in the cup. ;)
Wow awesome video! All relevant information perfectly explained in one condensed video. I wish there had been something like this when I started with espresso. And yet, even for viewers who know every one of your videos, there is always at least one sentence that teaches you something new. Thank you for the great work!🙏
I loved this video; it was so helpful. Thank you! I would LOVE some more of this subject, like the nerdy video that you mentioned is coming, AND I ALSO would love to see more videos of you using these in action! It's something like your “How to Dial In Espresso” videos but even more educational. This medium-light roast is sour; here’s how I know it’s sour, not bitter, so here is ONE way I would increase the extraction to fix that, but here is another way I would do that, and finally, the last way but this way is a headache because _____. I think if you did that a bunch of times, it would be so valuable plus natural for you because you’re doing that for the most part ANYWAYS when you buy new coffees, test new machines, etc! And I wouldn’t worry about “what equipment and can these poor people afford this $6k machine?” I just want the methodology! Seeing is believing, and I believe in YOU! Lol. Lots of love, thanks, Lance!
Great stuff Lance! Picked up the Profitec GO for $1K and I can adjust pressure and temp all day long.. Big change for me coming from my Rancilio Sylvia. Love it.
this has definitely made me want to try my flair out again. Seems like the most important things are dose grind size and ratio, and I’ve put more into grind size to hit pressures and times than I have put into finding the optimal dose or ratio. Definitely need to give ratio a shot even though it’s physically limited, adjusting dose will adjust ratio and help with channeling. Great video breaking things down!!
Wow the timing on this video. I have been saving up nad hopefully next month I will be able to purchase the breville express Impress. or the breville barista pro. I really like learning difficult skills that take a lot of nuance to get right and I like the breville express machines since I can learn on them but my family can go the auto route without issue. I also really wanted to get the lelita mara x but its just too expensive for me right now. I love the fact that you are just dumping info and the thought process of how to react to each variable. When I teach people my skills i tend to do it in a similar manner. My hope is that the student may not understand fully everything they are hearing but it will be heard and they will recall it later when the need arises. It has happened to me when listening to a master explain things.
One thing I played with on a sour shot was to let the first couple of grams of the shot go into the tray. That's probably 'illegal' in espresso world, but it was darn instructive, because that first couple of grams had all the sourness in it and the shots became really well rounded.
Good advice. A few things I would mention about grams/volume is the coin test if you have not screw indent on your machine (put a coin in the bed and see if that makes contact and pushes into the puck) Also about pressure on standard 9 bar machines...to make sure they are still pushing 9 bar as its pretty common for them to run higher from factory or even every so often. For pre weighing how that affects volume, I single dose store my beans in these small 15g jars....larger beans will fill the jar and wont close unless i store 14g. Where small beans can go past 16g in the same jar Using those thick metal puck screens can help if you do not wish to dose 15g in a 15g basket I have found. So my 15g VST will take 14g and still pull good enough when I need to take 1g out of each dose to make up a extra shot (if the last single dose jar is only like 10g with whats left over)
i was having a hard time with this bag of a light roast specialty my wife bought. this video was really helpful in getting it to taste amazing. thank you.
Hi Lance, imho, this is the most comprehensive video you've done. You covered a lot of ground (no pun intended) and helped a novice like myself to try and keep trying in the hopes that in time I may reach the moment when I taste my shot and have a smile come to my face. No sourness or bitterness or weakness. I would finally make a well balanced shot and enjoy the sweet smell and taste of success. Like most everyone, I watch James Hoffman. I try to understand the brilliance that streams from his mouth. You say the same things he does but you do it in such a way that I get it, I enjoy listening to how you say it, and you motivate me to get back on the horse. I'm continuing to add to my accessories in the hope that I'm giving myself the best chance to pull a great shot. Well, a good shot. Can't pull a great shot on a good machine (at least I can't and probably never will) but I couldn't afford a great machine. Thanks for making this video. I would have enjoyed twice the time. Feel free to help us as much as you want to really understand espresso. Btw, a very very long time ago in a place far away from where I am, I had my very first shot of espresso in an Italian restaurant that was run by a certain category of guys. A friend was making a drop and invited me to go along. I didn't know it was a drop. The restaurant was closed. There were a few guys around and someone was making espresso. One was put in front of me. Hey, I drank regular coffee that was more light and sweet. Here was something that looked as black as black and had a twist of lemon in the saucer. My friend told me to put the lemon in and take a good size sip. I wasn't doing anything that would be considered insulting so I followed instructions. WOW! I was lucky that my very first taste of espresso happened to be about as good as it gets. It was thick and gorgeously balanced. I downed the rest of it and found some thickness on the bottom. I heard, hey kid, you wan another? Yes sir, that was great. So was the second one. He said, come back anytime. I tell you this story because I would love to recreate what I drank. I have not ever told another soul. I wouldn't be surprised if the beans were specially flown in from Sicily. Your video reminded me of this. It happened about 55 years ago. A great memory for me.
Hey Lance 👋 great, as usual! If possible could you deep dive a little more on the dose? I believe dose also affect flavor and help to balance/unbalance shots. I see that coffee shops play a lot with dose on their recipes but I couldn’t find much info online, the usually is: chose a dose that fits your basket and stick to it.
Such a good video. Essential viewing I'd say! The relationship between grind size, ratio And brew time reminds me of the photographic balance of aperture, shutter speed and iso. It's a balance of compromises in some way, to get closer to your desired result.
I know this is totally unrelated but I recently talked to one of the baristas at Aprils here in Denmark. He told me something very interesting that peaked my curiosity and went against everything I knew. It turns out that they pre-grind all their coffee, at least two hours up to a couple of days before brewing. Then they brew without blooming. I had a very hard time believing this, but it seems to work. They use it with all their coffee, including natural processed. And I hypothesize that especially in the naturally processed it contributes to a very round and easy experience I would like to see you investigate this. Maybe it’s good for all types of coffee Or maybe it just works especially well for those very weird naturally processed ones if you want them to be less in your face Hope this was interesting to you. Keep up the great work.
I hope you enjoyed this break down by looking at how each variable affects the final cup! Would super appreciate a like or comment, etc, if you enjoyed it! Thanks so much, friends, and see you in the comments!
Nice breakdown Lance.
Very much! Thank you Lance.. can’t wait for the second video 🎉
Man i hope i could have seen this when i started 😅
Very useful!
Much easier than the other 50 videos I’ve watched on the subject. First night I got my first machine I ended up making 8 double espressos trying to dial in. I was leathered and the world glowed bright!
You should invite guests to pull shots and comment about their performance. A lot of times your advices sound so easy but when dialing it in on my Gaggia, things get a little more challenging. Great video as always!
'Dialing in' can be difficult when a machine naturally produces variation.
Like this
That's what they call a masterclass. Thanks a lot for your time and the effort you put to make our lives with coffee much easier.
Thanks for your videos lance, thanks to you I’ve just finished my first day of work as a barista at one of my favorite specialty coffee roaster!
oh heck yeah! that is incredible! Love to read this, friend!
Your videos are BY FAR the most helpful ones I've come across in regards to espresso preparation. I have an ECM Classica + Eureka Specialita and I would get subpar results with brand new coffe variants i would try. I thought i should buy a new grinder like the df64 or Niche to fix it. Then I went on a spree watching your vids about preparation, with all the details and my new beans espresso is the same quality to the specialty store I buy it from. Only because I now understand much better what I need to do when it comes out bitter or sour and most importantly WHY. I was always under the impression that while extraction time is important, it's not really the holy grail, since I used to randomly get great coffee extracting for 45 seconds or so. Now I understand more how that relates to the ratio, the type of beans etc.. I had some beans that required a much coarser grind and I would basically get espresso with almost no flavors, as compared to the store making the same one but with a ton of flavor. Only to realize that either my ratio was too high, losing on taste or my grind was too coarse in order to make it fit the 25-30second formula, again not allowing it to have proper contact time, losing on taste too. So I went coarse, kept the dose steady and played with extraction time where 1:2.2 seems to be the sweet spot for flavor. Invaluable lessons ! Please make a paid course on that stuff, explaining every variable in detail, with examples on different beans and how you adjust. I am buying today ! :D Thanks !
The single point you made about not going by weight, but by grind level in your portafilter has just made my coffee taste a whole lot better!
Using this tip, I was able to add 22g of a (slightly) courser grind in my 20g portafilter. It brought the compressed grinds closer to the screen but still allowed room so it's not leaving the indent from the screw. Using my usual grind size for my beans made it come out way too slow, so I upped the size to the next number and it came out in the usual sexy stream into my cup.
Honestly, my coffee just tastes so much better. So a massive thanks for teaching us it is ok to ignore certain 'rules' to get us to a better coffee. 🤘🏽
This exactly! So if I understand correctly its more important to fill the basket just enough that it has the right puck height and distance to the shower screen?
Just splashed out on my first ‘prosumer’ quality espresso machine and grinder and have been up all night the last few days watching RUclips videos on espresso making. Yours is by far one of the best, I think I will be rewatching multiple times to let the concepts and learning sink in. Thank you!!
The most important thing I learned from this video was to forget time, absolute game changer for me. I'm a real novice, but really enjoying this new hobby. I'd followed other guides to dial in my espresso and was hitting everything perfectly (or so I thought). Proper puck prep, the right pressure, coming through in 30 seconds and good crema, but sometimes I'd still get sour shots even with larger ratios.
"Oh well, these beans are just too light for espresso" I naïvely thought. But after watching this I just ground just a bit finer and ignored time. I held a longer pre-infusion and ramped the pressure up a little to 10 bar and held the same ratio. Suddenly, I got a shot i loved the taste of!
It may seem obvious to some, but for me it's so refreshing to see a video like this that teaches you what's the most important rule - that you enjoy the taste!
Cheers Lance!
When Lance says “Well fret not”, I immediately fret not.
💯
No… we immediately fret! Cuz what if he blows our mind again 😅
I just got my first flair and was just watching your old how to dial in videos. This couldn’t have come at a more perfect time for me. Thank you!
Right after watching this, I pulled my Razor out of the storage bin and discovered my dose was way below the edge. +1g of coffee, a little coarser grind, and I pulled a lovely shot. Lance, like everyone else, I am in awe of your skill at transmitting information.
Perfect timing on the new video drop - dialing in a new bag right now!
oh heck yeah! Hopefully the guidance proves helpful!
God damn! You just summarized my entire year of learning about espresso in just 25 minutes plus I also got some new tips. Thank you, Lance! 🙇🏻
I felt exactly the same. All the tiny details we coffee nerds learned the hard way. Best dial in video ever.
The dose was a game changer for my sour espresso. Reduced it from 17g to 16g with the Baskets that came with my GCP. This combined with your temperature surfing advice gave me my personal best shot today. Thank you!
What an absolute delight this latest video is - yet again another banger, Lance you're a legend! Providing such detailed and helpful advice / reminders to everyone! Thankful for your content as always!
I have been thinking about this precise topic for the past a couple of weeks. On one side you are trying to standardize an espresso drink with a particular ratio on the other side you are trying to create a delicious shot. The huge variance in coffee makes this difficult but fun. Thank you so much, Lance
You really know how to pack a Master Class in 25 minutes… thanks a lot Lance !! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Thanks for the extended explanation. Had some troubles dialing in my medium/dark roast. But I’m going to let go the extraction time and focus more on grind en yield.. thanks
never been so early to a Lance video before, but based on the title, I NEEDED this one!
This is by far the best video I’ve seen about sailing coffee taste, it’s not for beginners but it does address the issue I face when the regular formula starts to break down. Well done
Thank you! I just recently hit a slump with my espressos not tasting as good as usual and I was stumped! This was the perfect ground up from basics refresher I needed to understand what I was doing wrong!
Lance, using the advice from this video I was able to make one of the most enjoyable lattes I’ve ever made this morning! The advice about dialing in dose and the explanation of the required head room made it clear I’ve been putting in about a gram too much coffee in my portafilter. Also, explaining tiger striping and how it can lead to bitter/astringent taste was not something I’d heard before. You gave me the confidence to grind a little coarser while the whole world was telling me to grind finer. Thanks!
This is your best video yet. Super clear and easily delivered information, and really well paced.
When I first got into espresso, I had been hearing "18 gRaMs 30 SeCoNdS 1:2 is BeSt" blah blah but the first coffee I tried to make espresso with would overflow out of my 18 gram basket. It was an incredibly fluffy, not dense coffee and I'd lose so much when trying to prep the puck because it was just a mountain. It was also pushing up against my basket and the screw imprint was indeed there. I was getting these ultra muddy and sour shots that just weren't my jam. I took it down to like 16ish and stayed at my output (upping ratio technically). It was way better and I was like what are people talking about? Then I got another coffee and I needed more than 18 grams actually, among having to tweak other variables to get a good shot.
That really helped me figure out that there's a lot more to be learned than I thought, and a lot of misinformation and generalization coming from some folks, and that extended to basically every variable.
I guess the lesson is don't over simplify for convenience and to discount others, but also don't yuck someone else's yum.
Thank you Lance for another great lesson in Espresso brewing. Thanks also for cleaning house on these "9 bar in 30 sec one size fits all recipes"!! It is so refreshing to hear you talk about the observations so many of us make and don't dare to talk about. One (of many) great things about working with a lever is that you can actually feel the puck eroding and the pressure go down. With your valuable insights (thanks for scouring the literature for us) it is sooo much easier to experiment and get results that taste great, without being constricted by haphazard rules. I will continue to play, hate shots, love shots and be happy I found something that I love doing.
Lance I love the way you went super speed at the end to go over everything again 😂
I will rewatch another 10 times until it finally sinks into my brain! 😭
Love your content and how you describe everything to make complete sense ❤
Tip with dose - put your coffee into a basket, tamp, put a 50c coin into the basket as well, close a portafilter then look if the coin left an indent. You can be consistent with your dose no matter what the coffee and grind size you use.
Ive watched a hundreds of espresso videos. But they all were not as this ones depth. Best video out there. Tysm lance
Thanks
appreciate you breaking this down again lance 🙌
Some new stuff. Easier to follow. Some cool new tips. Figured it was time for a three year refresher with all the good stuff.
Thank you for the tips, changed the head space on my puck and made a big difference. It's little things you've reminded us of that can make a difference.
Most probably the best introduction to espresso making on RUclips
i have a dedica with a bottomless portafilter, I say this to establish I have limited knowledge :). I am really happy with milk drinks i get from it, but without milk its still a tad sour. I have watched countless videos on dialing in etc, but this video here gave me a couple of new ideas to try to get it perfect, namely go coarser (i do have tiger striping) and get the correct dose for my basket first. thx for the helpful video
Thank you for this video Lance.. I have been making espresso drinks on my Breville Barista Express for around 12 years now. That is until it stopped working. So I replaced it with a Delonghi Dedica, which also meant that I had to get a new grinder. This suddenly opened up a new world of espresso drinking (previously I almost exclusively drank milk drinks, and only did Nespresso for espresso style drinks). I am now beginning to understand the nuances of taste, and how they relate to grind size, dose, time and so on. Thanks for videos like this! You rock!
Perfect timing. Just got my Bambino plus, encore esp, WDT tools, portafilter, scale, and tamp
Lance, another stellar video. Also, just want say thank you so much for chatting and taking a photo with me when you rocking the Onyx booth at SCA. Not only are a coffee legend, but you are wonderful human. One of the kindest people I have met in the coffee industry as well as life in general. Keep that sick work brother!!
Thanks!
Lance! You're my best teacher. Everything you teach works perfectly for me. Thanks for the inspiration.
Thanks man, you just helped me getting a better shot. I got some light roasted coffee as a gift but I was never able to dial light roast in, they were always very very sour and undrinkable as an espresso (as a latte they are okay-ish). I was focusing too much on my ratios, I can get a perfect Medium/Dark roast pull 25-30sec 1:2 ratio tastes perfect but the same strategy failed with this light roast. Out of curiosity I pulled a 1:2.5 ratio shot not worrying about time and it got immediately 100x better. Bit too watery and the crema is laughable compared to my other shots but at least it didn't have to go down the sink. I'll fiddle with it, there's hope I can pull a decent shot now :) Thanks again!
Really enjoyed this! Just finished my espresso trailer and am officially on the road with it :) woo! I like to nerd out when customers seem interested in what’s actually happening before the coffee hits their mouth and sometimes I drag things out. You got to the point very quickly with everything which helps me put the words together in my own head for future convos. Thank you!!
I just noticed the digital scale you’re using, so found one on Amazon that looks and acts just like yours. I’m not sure what brand you have, but Dude!!! DUUUUUUUUUDE!
I love it! I love that I no longer have to press the go button on my machine and the go button on my timer simultaneously.
DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDE!
Seriously, dude.
I love your videos.
Link pls? 🫨
I love your style in your videos! I've been binge watching you and James Hoffman videos. Great coffee knowledge! Thanks for your contribution to the coffee community!
I was trying to explain to somebody how grinding finer can cause less extraction because the water will tend to find channels in the puck. But they wasn’t having it but now you’ve made a video including that info which is great as there’s always more to learn.
Thanks Lance killin it!
Would be sick to see this type of 'update summary of previous vids'/'dial via taste' for your Pour over method as I have watched your vids on that (even unfiltered) and still struggle to make your recipe work for many beans. If I am struggling I am sure many others need that little bit of help to also fully convert over to your method!
my guy you're such a talented singer i swear your the type of person who can and will be good at anything and everything
Immediately saving this video. Got a whole bag of Kona Peaberry to figure out my new machine.
Hope you do a lever espresso masterclass like this one since they can play with pressure.
Thanks. That was really well explained. I liked the idea of letting some more espresso at the end of the shot into a second cup and then adding by taste. I have used a lot of coffee to find a less sour shot ratio. Never thought of this option
Tried 18 in 42 out today and it fixed my sour shots! I'd been running 18 in 36 out and having really sour.
Yesterday I was explaining some of the basics for the newcomers and I'm so happy, that I was pretty much close to this video in terms of information, but still not that highly concentrated with the useful info in just 18 minutes. Thank you Lance for keeping the pace in educating all of us!🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Love that tip on saving the extra 5 seconds of a shot to test if you want a longer pull!
I’ve been hoping you would make this video! Perfect timing for me, I have had my machine for about a month and understand the “basics”. I’m ready for a more in-depth understanding on how to make my coffee better than it is now.
This is the best advice I’ve ever gotten on this topic. Thank you!!
You have given me a lot to think about. Wonderful presentation and advice that can only come from experience!!
I really like that part where you switch mid extraction so you have two samples for the price of one shot!! Bravo👏👏🫡
Nice video. Started off thinking that this will just be a refresher from all the previous videos, but it was a nice new perspective on it, with more focus on body.
Wanted to put what I've garnered into a more concise and all in one format. Talking about the direct changes to the cup each variable has.
This is something I genuinely needed (and have felt very lost on), but couldn’t find a good resource for, thanks Lance
You should offer one on one zoom meetings for people to pay to have you talk/walk through peoples home set ups and help us normal folk dial in. I'd pay a good chunk to know im getting the best out of my set up. A lifetime of great coffee is worth the cost compared to a lifetime of okay coffee.
Thanks for covering the filter size. Few of the internet coffee gurus even mention that. There are at least 3 different sizes yet they dictate a specific gram weight despite the fact filters don’t fit that amount. Seems like the higher end machines use wider filters.
@LanceHedrick
I need one of these for pour over, now that we are getting to the warm season. Already watched your iced coffee video several times by the way.
I never get tired of your videos, I always learn something. Thanks
This is in top 3 of your videos. Thanks for all the knowledge.
Hey lance. Great video. Wanted to know if coffee volume in the basket matters in machines like the flair 58 where there is no shower screen and there is only a puck screen instead. Thanks!
Nope! Good question. Fill that bad boy up! Unless there is a ridge in the basket that could cause issues. Just make sure it all fits in well and tamp evenly.
I really enjoy reviewing this info thru your most excellent video. I've always thought that the "time" variable was a red herring (apparently you think so too). I've also always thought that dose was more of a "parameter" than a "variable" as I think it's dictated by the physics of the basket. This means that "grind size" and "ratio" are the two main variables to play around with. Uh, then I discovered "Flow Control" (which my machine came with) and those three (grind, ration, FlowControl) cover 90% of everything One needs in order to make great espresso - after first choosing a good bean and doing proper prep work (of course ;-)
I really appreciate how well you explain everything and wish you many years of success, youtubing your mastery to us all. Thx Lance!
Aw hell yeah, I've been waiting for you to make a full-on espresso guide! I hope there'll be a very long and very scientific follow-up!
Pure Master class. Espresso for dummies… well maybe not dummies but for most of us amateurs that are sometimes struggling to find the perfect cup. Is there such a thing? Let’s hope not so we continue striving to achieve it. Thanks Lance!
Great video Lance. Of all your content I like this the best. I stopped timing my shots some time ago as I found it was causing confirmation bias and leading me in circles. For example if a shot poured in 20 or 35 seconds, I would expect certain negative characteristics and low and behold that's what I found in the cup. Now I ignore time and focus on taste and texture and get to a good result much faster.
Always learning something new at Lance’s! I thought I was crazy for liking my 50 second shots that first raise an error code on the LC S
Always informative. I use an Opus and a Flair 58 and (so far) I’ve had pretty good luck with shots and can usually pinpoint where I went wrong. I think for a while I was grinding a bit too fine, it wasn’t quite channeling but the shots were too long and sometimes difficult to maintain pressure (typically wasn’t a big issue with light roasts, most of the shots have been drinkable especially with some milk). Some of these tips are a little more difficult due to the nature of a lever machine (I.e. pulling the last 5 sec of a shot and adding it after if the shot seems under extracted) but this is still super useful. Took a while to learn that just because the shot is fast doesn’t mean it’s bad and doesn’t necessarily mean I need to go finer.
I've eliminated sourness by simply not putting the cup in place until a few drops fall. Removing just a few drops (like 1-5 of those initial drops) makes a big difference. The only downside I see is the bottom of the cup has some coffee on it. CT2 review please!
Bad technique. Just put a cup beneath the pipe, intercept inital coffee drops by a kitchen wipe paper (fold it 2 times for thickness), that you put above the cup, then just move paper away for the rest of the un-acid coffee to drop in the cup. ;)
Wow awesome video! All relevant information perfectly explained in one condensed video. I wish there had been something like this when I started with espresso. And yet, even for viewers who know every one of your videos, there is always at least one sentence that teaches you something new. Thank you for the great work!🙏
I loved this video; it was so helpful. Thank you! I would LOVE some more of this subject, like the nerdy video that you mentioned is coming, AND I ALSO would love to see more videos of you using these in action! It's something like your “How to Dial In Espresso” videos but even more educational. This medium-light roast is sour; here’s how I know it’s sour, not bitter, so here is ONE way I would increase the extraction to fix that, but here is another way I would do that, and finally, the last way but this way is a headache because _____. I think if you did that a bunch of times, it would be so valuable plus natural for you because you’re doing that for the most part ANYWAYS when you buy new coffees, test new machines, etc! And I wouldn’t worry about “what equipment and can these poor people afford this $6k machine?” I just want the methodology! Seeing is believing, and I believe in YOU! Lol. Lots of love, thanks, Lance!
Great stuff Lance! Picked up the Profitec GO for $1K and I can adjust pressure and temp all day long.. Big change for me coming from my Rancilio Sylvia. Love it.
this has definitely made me want to try my flair out again. Seems like the most important things are dose grind size and ratio, and I’ve put more into grind size to hit pressures and times than I have put into finding the optimal dose or ratio. Definitely need to give ratio a shot even though it’s physically limited, adjusting dose will adjust ratio and help with channeling. Great video breaking things down!!
Wow the timing on this video. I have been saving up nad hopefully next month I will be able to purchase the breville express Impress. or the breville barista pro. I really like learning difficult skills that take a lot of nuance to get right and I like the breville express machines since I can learn on them but my family can go the auto route without issue. I also really wanted to get the lelita mara x but its just too expensive for me right now.
I love the fact that you are just dumping info and the thought process of how to react to each variable. When I teach people my skills i tend to do it in a similar manner. My hope is that the student may not understand fully everything they are hearing but it will be heard and they will recall it later when the need arises. It has happened to me when listening to a master explain things.
Bookmarked! Great video! Many aspects of brewing are not discussed in other videos.
Not that the super nerdy, data inundated videos aren’t good, but love these simpler term tutorial videos. Great content as usual! 👍🏼☕️
One thing I played with on a sour shot was to let the first couple of grams of the shot go into the tray. That's probably 'illegal' in espresso world, but it was darn instructive, because that first couple of grams had all the sourness in it and the shots became really well rounded.
What an excellent video, I learned a lot! Looking forward to that second video in this series that you mentioned in the beginning.
Thanks for keeping the awesome content coming, Lance!
Clear and concise as always Lance! Love the tips about getting the coffee just below the screen level! 🤯
Just getting into espresso. This helps a ton! Also love a good Allen Stone reference!
Good advice. A few things I would mention about grams/volume is the coin test if you have not screw indent on your machine (put a coin in the bed and see if that makes contact and pushes into the puck)
Also about pressure on standard 9 bar machines...to make sure they are still pushing 9 bar as its pretty common for them to run higher from factory or even every so often.
For pre weighing how that affects volume, I single dose store my beans in these small 15g jars....larger beans will fill the jar and wont close unless i store 14g. Where small beans can go past 16g in the same jar
Using those thick metal puck screens can help if you do not wish to dose 15g in a 15g basket I have found. So my 15g VST will take 14g and still pull good enough when I need to take 1g out of each dose to make up a extra shot (if the last single dose jar is only like 10g with whats left over)
The real coffee gem is back with another great video!
saw this pop up while I was working and was devastated that I had to wait to watch it
hey Lance... congratulations: one of your best "theoretical" reels about that espresso stuff;-)! very interesting
This video in my humble opinion is A MASTERPIECE. Thank you😍
i was having a hard time with this bag of a light roast specialty my wife bought. this video was really helpful in getting it to taste amazing. thank you.
It’s to the point now where I like Lance videos before I watch them
Just here for the singing,
Keep up the excellence Lance 🙏🏼
Great video, easy to understand once you are "into" espresso. Thank you Lance 😊
Hi Lance, imho, this is the most comprehensive video you've done. You covered a lot of ground (no pun intended) and helped a novice like myself to try and keep trying in the hopes that in time I may reach the moment when I taste my shot and have a smile come to my face. No sourness or bitterness or weakness. I would finally make a well balanced shot and enjoy the sweet smell and taste of success. Like most everyone, I watch James Hoffman. I try to understand the brilliance that streams from his mouth. You say the same things he does but you do it in such a way that I get it, I enjoy listening to how you say it, and you motivate me to get back on the horse. I'm continuing to add to my accessories in the hope that I'm giving myself the best chance to pull a great shot. Well, a good shot. Can't pull a great shot on a good machine (at least I can't and probably never will) but I couldn't afford a great machine. Thanks for making this video. I would have enjoyed twice the time. Feel free to help us as much as you want to really understand espresso.
Btw, a very very long time ago in a place far away from where I am, I had my very first shot of espresso in an Italian restaurant that was run by a certain category of guys. A friend was making a drop and invited me to go along. I didn't know it was a drop. The restaurant was closed. There were a few guys around and someone was making espresso. One was put in front of me. Hey, I drank regular coffee that was more light and sweet. Here was something that looked as black as black and had a twist of lemon in the saucer. My friend told me to put the lemon in and take a good size sip. I wasn't doing anything that would be considered insulting so I followed instructions. WOW! I was lucky that my very first taste of espresso happened to be about as good as it gets. It was thick and gorgeously balanced. I downed the rest of it and found some thickness on the bottom. I heard, hey kid, you wan another? Yes sir, that was great. So was the second one. He said, come back anytime. I tell you this story because I would love to recreate what I drank. I have not ever told another soul. I wouldn't be surprised if the beans were specially flown in from Sicily. Your video reminded me of this. It happened about 55 years ago. A great memory for me.
A great update on the original "green kitchen" videos, with your breville, salami shot and "sour, sweet, bitter". 🙂
This is really really helpful. Would love to know how the method changes for decaf beans (particularly temp). Thanks for making
Hey Lance 👋 great, as usual! If possible could you deep dive a little more on the dose? I believe dose also affect flavor and help to balance/unbalance shots. I see that coffee shops play a lot with dose on their recipes but I couldn’t find much info online, the usually is: chose a dose that fits your basket and stick to it.
Always love these type of videos, thank you Lance for guiding us in coffee labyrinth!
Such a good video. Essential viewing I'd say! The relationship between grind size, ratio And brew time reminds me of the photographic balance of aperture, shutter speed and iso. It's a balance of compromises in some way, to get closer to your desired result.
I daresay, you're beautiful and brilliant.
@@LanceHedrick it's the flowing locks isn't it?
@@LanceHedrickSo glad I found Hance, love the dopamine! I’m an old lady in my 70’s and like to laugh.
I know this is totally unrelated but I recently talked to one of the baristas at Aprils here in Denmark.
He told me something very interesting that peaked my curiosity and went against everything I knew.
It turns out that they pre-grind all their coffee, at least two hours up to a couple of days before brewing.
Then they brew without blooming.
I had a very hard time believing this, but it seems to work.
They use it with all their coffee, including natural processed.
And I hypothesize that especially in the naturally processed it contributes to a very round and easy experience
I would like to see you investigate this.
Maybe it’s good for all types of coffee
Or maybe it just works especially well for those very weird naturally processed ones if you want them to be less in your face
Hope this was interesting to you. Keep up the great work.
THANK YOU so much for this video! I hope people now understand that there is no one-size-fits-all recipe for coffee.
Thanks again for another incredibly informative video and popping the “grind finer” balloon 🎈
Incredible this information is out there for free. Another great Educational video Lance!
I'm recommending this video to every espresso-curious customer when I don't have time to chat (or have). 🔥