Thank you so much for this! I watched about 5 different videos and fiddled around for ages with my grinder. Wasted so many beans. This helped - I'm close to a good shot now!
Whilst I would agree that some of this is good advice the key part of this that this chap is missing is that you need to weight the output, otherwise you are just guessing. start on a 2 to 1 ratio - weigh out 18grams , grind then extract your coffee but put your cup on a scale and aim for 36grams over 25-35 seconds as a starting point. THEN you will know if you have a good extraction. You also need to put your Barista express in manual mode, so you control the start / stop - Press the programme button and then you can press the double cup button to stop/start the flow. One last thing, this machine ony gets really good espresso when you let it heat up for AT LEAST 15 minutes, I leave mine for approx 20-25 minutes. The difference in taste is night and day. Edit - also you dont need to touch the amount knob, just hold the portafilter in until your beans are gone, it will grind until you let go.
Thank you James. I just purchased this machine a few days ago and was getting so frustrated that I couldn’t get a good tasting shot for latte. I’d been watching another video but the person doing it got so overly complicated with I started getting down. You explained it much better and are far more down to Earth. I’ll try your methods tomorrow and look forward to it. I’m very intimidated to change Burr settings but if necessary will do that. Luckily I have a local roaster just 8 miles away who has Organic beans and bought a few bags. They’re expensive- average price $19 US but I figure I get what I pay for. Thanks again!
I've watched a bunch of "dialing in" videos before this one, and wish that I had found this one first. It was the most instructive, well presented and useful video of all. Well done.
No that’s not correct because it’s pounds per square inch which is completely different since the surface of your hand contacting the surface of the scale is more than a square inch
For anyone wondering... during my quest to find the perfect machine for my budget, I saw that the majority of negative reviews came from people who didn't even bother to learn how to use this darn thing. This video did indeed help me make my decision and helped me set it up. For its price range, it is hard to beat. Is it 'endgame'? No, but it does deliver tasty shots that stay as consistent as your methods. Even with stock tools. I'm fairly confident that once I find the bag of beans that suits my taste buds and make a couple of upgrades (bottomless filter/calibrated tamper) I'll be set until I have enough for a better machine. I work in a lot of different homes and have seen this machine on many counter tops but do not see a scale, timer, I see pre ground beans, and before making the purchase I'd ask what their opinion was and sure enough it was; it sux. It will if you don't use it right lol.
Thanks for explaining so well and leading into the discussion of the inner burr. This has given me confidence to give that a go as I am on a setting of 3 with a dose of 17.9 and i get a very spurty and sometimes drippy result. When I go up the grind size, the result is not much better. Going to give this a go. :)
I personally think that ignoring yield with newbies can inhibit their understanding of what’s going on. The most important thing when making a coffee you just bought taste good, once you get the grind size in the ballpark such that you’re not drinking swill, is that ratio. It seems like what you’re describing here is that initial ballpark adjustment, which is important to do. And I’m all for simplifying at first because I understand it’s difficult to get hit with an onslaught of information. I also know not everyone wants to do an enthusiast deep dive. But IME, folks who aren’t aware that yield is a variable during this process will hit a learning ceiling. They will go on to change grind size as THE variable and also overvalue shot times (as an unintentional proxy for yield). Why does that matter? Because, meanwhile, the window of grind adjustment might be too small for the coffee they’re using for a good extraction at an acceptable strength. This happens a lot with the popular third wave coffees in some markets that are brighter and really benefit from higher yields. You can think you’re doing it all “right” and get something pretty harsh. That can be a frustrating experience. What I’d recommend is that they start out with a *single ratio* and keep it constant (say, 1:2). Start with the basket’s recommended dose, adjust grind until they get twice that out in a reasonable shot time with that decent looking pour. Then, play with either dose or yield, keeping the other one religiously constant (!), and taste. (Either dose or yield needs to be kept constant because if they’re changing the dose and their yield is changing with every cup, they’re trying to hit a moving target. Keeping yield constant is what I personally do with my lever because it puts out the same amount of water every time, but to my knowledge it is much more common with a pump machine to keep the dose constant like you do here.) Then and only then, when it tastes good, they can further mess with grind size if they’d like to tinker. Grind size should really only be tweaked to further develop an already good tasting shot. This is even more true, IMU, with home set ups because grind adjustments are not as precise and reliable with relatively cheaper equipment, like the Express. Also, I believe that the reason you’re getting better results after adjusting the burr grinder settings inside is that you’ve essentially centered on a better window of grind settings for that dose. That allows the grind setting knob on the machine to do what it’s designed to do: be a small-gradation adjustment of an already acceptable range. I could be wrong, but I would think of that more as a set and forget or troubleshooting function than something to do often or especially as a second step in dialing in a coffee. My intuition during the normal day to day instead would be to slightly adjust the dose or yield (one!) if the ideal was in between two grind settings that way.
Can I get some advice relating to your insightful comment? I am trying to dial in my Breville Barista Pro. After 2 weeks of increasing frustration I bought a kitchen scale and my dose was surprisingly low compared to my estimate (~13 instead of 16-18g like I was expecting). I'm now using a dose of approximately 15.5-16.0g for the 54mm portafilter (double shot, single wall). I have changed the grind to be much finer (internal 'burr' grind setting down from 6 to 4, external grind down from 15 to 4). What is now VERY surprising is that the default double shot button is yielding around 50-60g of espresso (approx. 1:3.5 !) in around 28-31 seconds (including pre-infusion). For my next step, should I use the manual shot timer button to aim for a set ratio (I was considering 1:3 since it's close to what I have now, or maybe 1:2.5 since it's closer to a traditional ratio)? That would put my shot time back to around 20seconds, meaning I would probably also need to dose higher and/or grind finer. Thanks for any advice :)
Feels like I just got brought in to the inner circle of this machine…the secret door to the inner burr that is never spoken of in the manual! Nice! Thanks James. BTW- my factory setting was “6”
Just got mine today and made two shots. Really fast extraction. Your video made me realize I was adjusting the grind size the wrong way. haha Going to try again in the morning. Thanks for this video! I had no idea about the internal burr adjustment too.
Any suggestions for a Breville Barista Max espresso machine? I cannot find the correct grind setting (1-30). I wasted a lot of coffee and it is very frustrating...
NEW SUB HERE! Love your channel! I can't seem to figure out how to get my Breville Barista to actually get into the Espresso Range! Yes, I purchase coffee beans from the grocery store and it's from a local Coffeeshop that roasts their own coffee here in Austin but now I have heard not to use 1 month+ old coffee beans ...so NOW I'm wondering how long the coffee bean bag had been sitting at the store. It's an organic brand and the 2 lb bag deal is the STEAL DEAL so I been buying this bag for over 10 years! (Ruta Maya Coffee in Austin, Texas... if you want to know) so that's what I buy and I would say that bag lasts me the whole month so I'm still not sure if it's the bag of beans I buy or just me needing to find that perfect grind setting. and sad to say I've never removed the grinder the way you did NOR have I ever seen anyone say to do this! What the heck? So there's another Grinder setting INSIDE the hopper and not just on the outside???
The amount of coffee you should grind into your basket depends on what roast level your coffee beans are. The lighter the roast, the denser (heavier) the coffee grounds are, the less volume it will fill the basket, and vice versa. 20g of dark roast coffee takes up more space (higher volume) than 20g of light roast coffee. So 18g is a good middle ground for the stock basket. As far as tamping pressure goes, the extraction and flow rate at 30 lbs or beyond has very little to no changes at all, so even if you tamp at 50 lb, it really does not matter. A way to look at it is that you want to tamp until the coffee grounds can no longer be compacted. That means you can tamp as hard as you possibly can, and you should be fine.
Thanks for creating this informative video! I'm curious if you could provide some insights on the "program" button/feature, if you have any. Thank you!
Also James can you create a video on how to clean and maintenance the Breville Brista Express. How to use the descale tablets. And I would like to see your custom Coffee mug, and Espresso cups, and Coffee bean Canister. Again James I and my family here we thank you so very much.
I am having trouble with the amount of espresso. I have the same scale and the hopper is totally empty when I start. But filling it up with 18g totally overflows my double, non pressurized portafilter. 16g fits well, but I want to make sure I am doing it right. What is my problem?
Hi James, I bought a Barista Express second hand, but great condition. I cleaned the burrs (not the inner yet, as I'm lacking the tool to unscrew the hex nut.) but my shots are still running through on both inner and outer grinder on 1.... Fresh beans, proper tamp, changed the water temp to higher. 21 grams, so maxing out the basket. It's only an extra 5 seconds I'm seeking, but I'm lost what else I could do....
8:43 oh wow, I think using PLA for food containers isn't the best choice.. I think PLA isn't healthy and some fibers could get into your coffee.. just my two cents from the bottom of my heart. Thanks for the video!
Thanks so much for making this video, James. As someone looking into my first machine (shortlist between either the Express or the Touch) its been really helpful to understand what i’m getting myself into.
I'm in the love-the-sound-of-your-voice camp! I also just bought a Breville Barista Express Impress, and this detailed tutorial is exactly what I needed! I've already blown through a bag of beans trying to get dialed-in and am not sure it's right even now. Sounds like I need to adjust the INNER burr.
Just bought the machine yesterday and it's supposed to arrive tomorrow... your video is very informative but it's starting to seem like waaaay too much work 😩 weighing out coffee beans EVERY time I want coffee??? I'm starting to have second thoughts about all of this..
Hey james! great review! quick question: how much grams do i need for a normal size capuccino cup? 18 grams is a double shot right so is it good for it?
Your video is very helpful. I have an older machine (2014) that does not allow for any adjustments to the burr grinder so can only change the grinder setting on the side.
hey great video. I got so confused after watching all others video and when i saw yours i followed your instructions and voila i am having my coffee now after only 2 tries!! I still need to try the grind size ofcourse but i am happy anyway with my coffee. Thanks!!
It's crazy how different beans can be. I just bought one and am using a Colombian coffee from my local grocery store. I go about 18g of coffee beans and set the internal burr to 4 and grind to 8. I barely got any coffee to come out. I had to set my grind to 14 to get a great brew. Anything less was barely coming out.
@@taylorwalter5225 I sometimes go to a couple of my local coffee shops that sell freshly roasted beans but ended up buying a coffee roaster so now I roast my own.
@@hmcsee unlikely. Tamping anything over 20-30lbs does nothing additional and can make channeling more likely with clumpy or imperfectly consistent grinds.
Super helpful & ready to start adjusting... I do have one question. Do you find the extraction "time" as suggested in the manual to be how long it actually takes? For instance it says correct extraction should start after 4-7sec & then it should take 25-35sec for it to be full extracted.. is that an accurate time table or should I really just focus on what the extracted shot looks like & not so much how long it took to extract.
Thanks for being so clear & mentioning the grind amount. Couldn’t find a video that mentions this, also, thanks showing us your trials & errors. Appreciate it! ☕️
I'm having no success making a shot I've turned my inner grind to four and I've tried the outer grind at 17,16,15,14,12,10,7 when I've been below 12 it's come out choking it with tiny drips not making any expresso. I've been in the 17 and 16 it's come out with a 19 gram dose producing 47 to 60 gram shots and taking 30 to 35 seconds . I'm using coffee from a roaster that was done on September 24th and it's October 25th I've gone through three bags of coffee no success is there any way that you could help me? my pressure only ever goes just below the middle in the express oh range except when I've gone down to the 12 ground on the outside it doesn't get into the Gray. Is there a problem with the machine if the pressure is not getting higher than that? I've watched like eight different videos from people to try to understand what can be happening. I'm using the double shot basket single walled I'm not using the pressurized one because I thought these beans are fresh enough?
Have been struggling to get a finer grind even when at 1 on the outside, had no idea there was an inner grind setting. Watched heaps of videos and this is the first time it’s mentioned…thankyou so much James
To reduce mess from overflowing coffee grounds - set to single cup filter size - grind - tamp lightly - grind again and tamp appropriately. Virtually no mess!
So what if your espresso is horribly bitter at 1:2 ratio and it's that way anywhere from 20 to 30 seconds? I can't seem to get a drinkable shot from my new Gaggia classic pro.
Suggestion. Create time marks for your description per topic. For ex, I am still searching youtube to learn how to add freaking water for this machine. I can assume how its done, but its not my machine. Anyone have a suggestion? thx!
Thank you for this James I just got my machine a couple of days ago. Almost cried, I just couldn’t get it right - it was either sour or bitter and I didn’t know how or what ‘dial in’ meant, adjust grind settings,etc. It was just all too complicated for me. FYI, I used a Nespresso machine/pods before this, so imagine my frustration! 😂 Now that I’m a bit more ‘educated’ I’ll be playing around with it a bit more and sacrifice a bag of beans in the process 😅 More importantly, you kept it plain and simple - very helpful for a newbie like me.
I followed your video, step-by-step, and the issue I’m finding is that when using a non-pressurized and moving closer, and closer to fine on the grind sized and burr I’m losing all pressure and my shots are only pulling at the beginning was seven seconds and now two 10 1/2 seconds but again no pressure at all. Why would you suggest this and how was yours increasing pressure?
I might be little late to the party here, but thanks a lot for this. I wish this video was further up so that I didn't watch all those other, confusing videos first. I had no idea you could adjust the inner burr, and that really did make the world of a difference. Another error I think I made was to be very strict on the yield, like you mention in the video. I would weigh the yield during the process and stop the extraction when it hit twice the weight of the grind (18g of beans meant going for 36g of yield) and it was meant to be no less than 20 seconds and no more than 30 seconds. Going about it this way was just frustrating and didn't make good results. Instead, just going with the machine's own version of a double shot and paying more attention to the stream makes a lot more sense. The stream itself tells you all you need to know. Besides, I weighed the yield from the machine's double shot espresso-button and it came out to be 35g anyway so there you go. Again, thank you for this video, it was great. Great production value, easy to follow, informative, dog-tax, coffee-roastery plug, nice flat with big green plants. It really does have it all. How you have less than 200 subscribes is beyond me.
I had no idea there was in internal adjustment to the bur grinder! I've had super inconsistent results with seemingly no reason. Thank you for illuminating the full function of this machine!!
Thank you very much for this detailed video!!!! Just bought this machine and thanks to you're explanation dialed in real fast for a great shot of espresso🎉
How do you get them to sennd you coffee? When ur a small page like similar to my numbers / do u just ask? Legitimate question 🙋🏻♀️ thanks for this video too❤️
Hey, came across your video after recently purchasing an espresso machine and trying to dial it in. Great video! Also, which cups from Amazon did you buy? There are tons to choose from and I like yours and the size is perfect as well. Thanks!
I like to watch and listen at high speed 1.5 to 1.75 speed..funny enough it sounds like you've had five expressos before recording the vid!! love it! great info.
James Thanks for the video very useful, However you were going to show how to reset the Breville Express to factory settings- I am having over-grind issues and have to stop the grind process I press the porta-filter again! Am I doing something wrong or I need to reset the settings!
hi, james I have the same problems I are going to chanche the setting of my internal grinder, and I let you, know , can you posted it the link of the dosing funnel?. .thank you
Thank you for this video!! So informative! Can I start pulling on your recommended setting from the end of the video or do I need to go through each step that you did?
you came up on my fyp on tik tok i’m so glad! just got my barista express today!!! this is so helpful- i hd no idea about adjusting the inner burr setting!
A lot of waste for making one cup, the truth is fine or number 1 always taste as good as any, the rest is us being spoiled and picky! I was in Africa last year and I saw people boiling coffee in pots and using cloth as a filter to pour into glasses! And no one ever complain about the taste!
Going with an arbitrary grind setting (by the way they’re different on every machine!) is going to be extremely hit or miss, unless you get very lucky. Espresso, unlike those pour-overs you mentioned, is a particularly finicky method of brewing coffee because it happens at high pressures. You might get something drinkable (MIGHT), but it’s unlikely it will taste as good as it could. I disagree that every shot pulled at x will taste as good as any. A good shot of espresso can sing in syrupy sweetness, and it takes understanding and skill to make. Why spend $ on good coffee and a capable machine and then not use what you have?
hey mate, what's happening to me is I'm not feeling the coffee? I'm a construction worker that loves coffee (not just the taste but how much it wakes me up), takes me out of that sluggish feeling in the morning and ready for the day, but when I get one from a coffee shop it REALLY wakes me up! haha this isn't doing that lol (and my sister bought a delonghi and i noticed this happened with hers too and it initially put me off buying one), is this just the settings I have to play around with (grind etc) or is it the beans? I'm going to get to a roasters today I think, because I just bought random beans for the set-up - which now I'm regretting. any help would be very much appreciated!
and I don't really find anyone talks about this, like it's coming out fine, the pressure is fine, but I feel like i just had a tea and not a coffee :-/
Nice job. It took me awhile to pull a good shot dial in etc and now I know how to check the burr setting as well. One thing I learned was to take a pick on my phone of the settings in case they’ve changed etc so you don’t have to remember.
I've watched about 50 videos,this is this is the first one that explains everything in a way I could understand. Thank you!
Me too. I though that i have a problem 😂😂😂😂😂
Over 250 RUclips videos on the machine
Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. I learn a lot.
Thank you so much for this! I watched about 5 different videos and fiddled around for ages with my grinder. Wasted so many beans. This helped - I'm close to a good shot now!
Whilst I would agree that some of this is good advice the key part of this that this chap is missing is that you need to weight the output, otherwise you are just guessing. start on a 2 to 1 ratio - weigh out 18grams , grind then extract your coffee but put your cup on a scale and aim for 36grams over 25-35 seconds as a starting point. THEN you will know if you have a good extraction. You also need to put your Barista express in manual mode, so you control the start / stop - Press the programme button and then you can press the double cup button to stop/start the flow. One last thing, this machine ony gets really good espresso when you let it heat up for AT LEAST 15 minutes, I leave mine for approx 20-25 minutes. The difference in taste is night and day. Edit - also you dont need to touch the amount knob, just hold the portafilter in until your beans are gone, it will grind until you let go.
Thank you James. I just purchased this machine a few days ago and was getting so frustrated that I couldn’t get a good tasting shot for latte. I’d been watching another video but the person doing it got so overly complicated with I started getting down. You explained it much better and are far more down to Earth. I’ll try your methods tomorrow and look forward to it. I’m very intimidated to change Burr settings but if necessary will do that. Luckily I have a local roaster just 8 miles away who has Organic beans and bought a few bags. They’re expensive- average price $19 US but I figure I get what I pay for. Thanks again!
This was a great video, thank you!!! Very informative. Just got this machine and it is a bit intimidating. Will be following your advice for sure!
I would love to see a video on in depth cleaning of the machine! Keep up the good work!!
Thanks so much! Great idea. If you want videos now, I have lots of cleaning videos on my TikTok channel linked in the video description.
I've watched a bunch of "dialing in" videos before this one, and wish that I had found this one first. It was the most instructive, well presented and useful video of all. Well done.
Thanks for this video. Super helpful! A way to “feel” what 30 lbs of pressure would feel like is to push on a scale till you hit 30
No that’s not correct because it’s pounds per square inch which is completely different since the surface of your hand contacting the surface of the scale is more than a square inch
It’s actually way, way, way more than that. Take your pinky, and try and get 30lb….. it’s even way more than that lol
For anyone wondering... during my quest to find the perfect machine for my budget, I saw that the majority of negative reviews came from people who didn't even bother to learn how to use this darn thing. This video did indeed help me make my decision and helped me set it up. For its price range, it is hard to beat. Is it 'endgame'? No, but it does deliver tasty shots that stay as consistent as your methods. Even with stock tools. I'm fairly confident that once I find the bag of beans that suits my taste buds and make a couple of upgrades (bottomless filter/calibrated tamper) I'll be set until I have enough for a better machine. I work in a lot of different homes and have seen this machine on many counter tops but do not see a scale, timer, I see pre ground beans, and before making the purchase I'd ask what their opinion was and sure enough it was; it sux. It will if you don't use it right lol.
Thanks for explaining so well and leading into the discussion of the inner burr. This has given me confidence to give that a go as I am on a setting of 3 with a dose of 17.9 and i get a very spurty and sometimes drippy result. When I go up the grind size, the result is not much better. Going to give this a go. :)
I personally think that ignoring yield with newbies can inhibit their understanding of what’s going on. The most important thing when making a coffee you just bought taste good, once you get the grind size in the ballpark such that you’re not drinking swill, is that ratio.
It seems like what you’re describing here is that initial ballpark adjustment, which is important to do. And I’m all for simplifying at first because I understand it’s difficult to get hit with an onslaught of information. I also know not everyone wants to do an enthusiast deep dive. But IME, folks who aren’t aware that yield is a variable during this process will hit a learning ceiling. They will go on to change grind size as THE variable and also overvalue shot times (as an unintentional proxy for yield). Why does that matter? Because, meanwhile, the window of grind adjustment might be too small for the coffee they’re using for a good extraction at an acceptable strength. This happens a lot with the popular third wave coffees in some markets that are brighter and really benefit from higher yields. You can think you’re doing it all “right” and get something pretty harsh. That can be a frustrating experience.
What I’d recommend is that they start out with a *single ratio* and keep it constant (say, 1:2). Start with the basket’s recommended dose, adjust grind until they get twice that out in a reasonable shot time with that decent looking pour. Then, play with either dose or yield, keeping the other one religiously constant (!), and taste. (Either dose or yield needs to be kept constant because if they’re changing the dose and their yield is changing with every cup, they’re trying to hit a moving target. Keeping yield constant is what I personally do with my lever because it puts out the same amount of water every time, but to my knowledge it is much more common with a pump machine to keep the dose constant like you do here.)
Then and only then, when it tastes good, they can further mess with grind size if they’d like to tinker. Grind size should really only be tweaked to further develop an already good tasting shot. This is even more true, IMU, with home set ups because grind adjustments are not as precise and reliable with relatively cheaper equipment, like the Express.
Also, I believe that the reason you’re getting better results after adjusting the burr grinder settings inside is that you’ve essentially centered on a better window of grind settings for that dose. That allows the grind setting knob on the machine to do what it’s designed to do: be a small-gradation adjustment of an already acceptable range. I could be wrong, but I would think of that more as a set and forget or troubleshooting function than something to do often or especially as a second step in dialing in a coffee. My intuition during the normal day to day instead would be to slightly adjust the dose or yield (one!) if the ideal was in between two grind settings that way.
Can I get some advice relating to your insightful comment? I am trying to dial in my Breville Barista Pro. After 2 weeks of increasing frustration I bought a kitchen scale and my dose was surprisingly low compared to my estimate (~13 instead of 16-18g like I was expecting). I'm now using a dose of approximately 15.5-16.0g for the 54mm portafilter (double shot, single wall). I have changed the grind to be much finer (internal 'burr' grind setting down from 6 to 4, external grind down from 15 to 4). What is now VERY surprising is that the default double shot button is yielding around 50-60g of espresso (approx. 1:3.5 !) in around 28-31 seconds (including pre-infusion).
For my next step, should I use the manual shot timer button to aim for a set ratio (I was considering 1:3 since it's close to what I have now, or maybe 1:2.5 since it's closer to a traditional ratio)? That would put my shot time back to around 20seconds, meaning I would probably also need to dose higher and/or grind finer.
Thanks for any advice :)
Feels like I just got brought in to the inner circle of this machine…the secret door to the inner burr that is never spoken of in the manual! Nice! Thanks James. BTW- my factory setting was “6”
This is a common theme I’m hearing! Dealing with the same until I found this video. Inner burr setting 🔑
Just got mine today and made two shots. Really fast extraction. Your video made me realize I was adjusting the grind size the wrong way. haha Going to try again in the morning. Thanks for this video! I had no idea about the internal burr adjustment too.
Literally spent about an hour doing exactly this, thanks for making me feel a little better
Hey! Great video!! Just a quick question, how do you adjust the brewing time? Mine definitely doesn't get to 25/30 seconds. Thanks!
Any suggestions for a Breville Barista Max espresso machine? I cannot find the correct grind setting (1-30). I wasted a lot of coffee and it is very frustrating...
I was going crazy making bad yields after another. Ugh. This made me feel sane. Going to try this now. Thank you.
NEW SUB HERE! Love your channel! I can't seem to figure out how to get my Breville Barista to actually get into the Espresso Range! Yes, I purchase coffee beans from the grocery store and it's from a local Coffeeshop that roasts their own coffee here in Austin but now I have heard not to use 1 month+ old coffee beans
...so NOW I'm wondering how long the coffee bean bag had been sitting at the store.
It's an organic brand and the 2 lb bag deal is the STEAL DEAL so I been buying this bag for over 10 years!
(Ruta Maya Coffee in Austin, Texas... if you want to know)
so that's what I buy and I would say that bag lasts me the whole month so I'm still not sure if it's the bag of beans I buy or just me needing to find that perfect grind setting.
and sad to say I've never removed the grinder the way you did NOR have I ever seen anyone say to do this! What the heck? So there's another Grinder setting INSIDE the hopper and not just on the outside???
The amount of coffee you should grind into your basket depends on what roast level your coffee beans are. The lighter the roast, the denser (heavier) the coffee grounds are, the less volume it will fill the basket, and vice versa. 20g of dark roast coffee takes up more space (higher volume) than 20g of light roast coffee. So 18g is a good middle ground for the stock basket.
As far as tamping pressure goes, the extraction and flow rate at 30 lbs or beyond has very little to no changes at all, so even if you tamp at 50 lb, it really does not matter. A way to look at it is that you want to tamp until the coffee grounds can no longer be compacted. That means you can tamp as hard as you possibly can, and you should be fine.
Thanks for creating this informative video! I'm curious if you could provide some insights on the "program" button/feature, if you have any. Thank you!
Also James can you create a video on how to clean and maintenance the Breville Brista Express. How to use the descale tablets. And I would like to see your custom Coffee mug, and Espresso cups, and Coffee bean Canister. Again James I and my family here we thank you so very much.
I am having trouble with the amount of espresso. I have the same scale and the hopper is totally empty when I start. But filling it up with 18g totally overflows my double, non pressurized portafilter. 16g fits well, but I want to make sure I am doing it right. What is my problem?
Hi James, I bought a Barista Express second hand, but great condition. I cleaned the burrs (not the inner yet, as I'm lacking the tool to unscrew the hex nut.) but my shots are still running through on both inner and outer grinder on 1.... Fresh beans, proper tamp, changed the water temp to higher. 21 grams, so maxing out the basket. It's only an extra 5 seconds I'm seeking, but I'm lost what else I could do....
8:43 oh wow, I think using PLA for food containers isn't the best choice.. I think PLA isn't healthy and some fibers could get into your coffee.. just my two cents from the bottom of my heart. Thanks for the video!
Mine is not flowing it barley comes out I've tried 18g and then 17g then went fine grind and then more course..
Oooh I need to grind way finer to get pressure. I've been using the double wall to get pressure but it doesn't make the coffee taste much better.
How long does the extraction process run? Mine has the right pressure but it doesn’t run for 20 seconds which is what the manual states. Good video
What about water level? My breville doesn't produce as much water now on a double shot. The machine is now 3 yrs old.
Thanks so much for making this video, James. As someone looking into my first machine (shortlist between either the Express or the Touch) its been really helpful to understand what i’m getting myself into.
I'm in the love-the-sound-of-your-voice camp! I also just bought a Breville Barista Express Impress, and this detailed tutorial is exactly what I needed! I've already blown through a bag of beans trying to get dialed-in and am not sure it's right even now. Sounds like I need to adjust the INNER burr.
Just bought the machine yesterday and it's supposed to arrive tomorrow... your video is very informative but it's starting to seem like waaaay too much work 😩 weighing out coffee beans EVERY time I want coffee??? I'm starting to have second thoughts about all of this..
Hey james! great review! quick question: how much grams do i need for a normal size capuccino cup? 18 grams is a double shot right so is it good for it?
This video is awesome. The machine finally makes sense. Thanks James
Your video is very helpful. I have an older machine (2014) that does not allow for any adjustments to the burr grinder so can only change the grinder setting on the side.
Hi James!! thanks for video :) question where did you buy the funnel?
Everything is in Amazon
Why dont they put the inner grinder to 4 as factory reset?
Watched tons of videos yours is the most helpful. Thanku. No one else talked about what grind numbers they used
This was the best video I’ve ever seen in grinding. Thank you so much
What kind of dog is that? He's so beautiful!
hey great video. I got so confused after watching all others video and when i saw yours i followed your instructions and voila i am having my coffee now after only 2 tries!! I still need to try the grind size ofcourse but i am happy anyway with my coffee. Thanks!!
Can u make a tutorial how to use the milk frother?
It's crazy how different beans can be. I just bought one and am using a Colombian coffee from my local grocery store. I go about 18g of coffee beans and set the internal burr to 4 and grind to 8. I barely got any coffee to come out. I had to set my grind to 14 to get a great brew. Anything less was barely coming out.
Fresher beans (roasted in the last week or 2) will be very different than older beans. Grocery store beans are often months old.
@@RRaider Not my grocery store.
@@RRaider may I ask where you buy your beans? I'm in the market for fresh beans to use as I just bought my espresso machine
@@taylorwalter5225 I sometimes go to a couple of my local coffee shops that sell freshly roasted beans but ended up buying a coffee roaster so now I roast my own.
@@RRaider great, thanks!
Do you recommend starting with a cheaper bean for practice? I hate to waste my expensive beans :)
I wasted a whole pound of coffee and tried every grind setting and every other setting and I could never get any pressure. Did I just get a dud?
@@hmcsee No the unit was broken. Replaced.
@@hmcsee unlikely. Tamping anything over 20-30lbs does nothing additional and can make channeling more likely with clumpy or imperfectly consistent grinds.
I had same issue before I set the inside grinding to #1 outside on #2. It works great now. Hope you can figure it out.
What is your BURR and your LEFT grind setting?
Knowing about adjusting the inner burr was a life saver! Thank you eternally
Super helpful & ready to start adjusting... I do have one question. Do you find the extraction "time" as suggested in the manual to be how long it actually takes? For instance it says correct extraction should start after 4-7sec & then it should take 25-35sec for it to be full extracted.. is that an accurate time table or should I really just focus on what the extracted shot looks like & not so much how long it took to extract.
Standard is 25-30 by the time you press the button
This is a really well done video!! Great info and production quality
Thanks for being so clear & mentioning the grind amount. Couldn’t find a video that mentions this, also, thanks showing us your trials & errors. Appreciate it! ☕️
I'm having no success making a shot I've turned my inner grind to four and I've tried the outer grind at 17,16,15,14,12,10,7 when I've been below 12 it's come out choking it with tiny drips not making any expresso. I've been in the 17 and 16 it's come out with a 19 gram dose producing 47 to 60 gram shots and taking 30 to 35 seconds .
I'm using coffee from a roaster that was done on September 24th and it's October 25th I've gone through three bags of coffee no success
is there any way that you could help me? my pressure only ever goes just below the middle in the express oh range except when I've gone down to the 12 ground on the outside it doesn't get into the Gray. Is there a problem with the machine if the pressure is not getting higher than that? I've watched like eight different videos from people to try to understand what can be happening. I'm using the double shot basket single walled I'm not using the pressurized one because I thought these beans are fresh enough?
Have been struggling to get a finer grind even when at 1 on the outside, had no idea there was an inner grind setting. Watched heaps of videos and this is the first time it’s mentioned…thankyou so much James
I wish I saw this video first when I got this machine. Thank you! Now I just wish I could find one specifically for decaf beans...
To reduce mess from overflowing coffee grounds - set to single cup filter size - grind - tamp lightly - grind again and tamp appropriately. Virtually no mess!
Crazy the machines are preset to work…. Very frustrating trying to get it perfect but good video on the steps
So what if your espresso is horribly bitter at 1:2 ratio and it's that way anywhere from 20 to 30 seconds? I can't seem to get a drinkable shot from my new Gaggia classic pro.
Suggestion. Create time marks for your description per topic. For ex, I am still searching youtube to learn how to add freaking water for this machine. I can assume how its done, but its not my machine. Anyone have a suggestion? thx!
The best video for sure
Thank you for this James I just got my machine a couple of days ago. Almost cried, I just couldn’t get it right - it was either sour or bitter and I didn’t know how or what ‘dial in’ meant, adjust grind settings,etc. It was just all too complicated for me. FYI, I used a Nespresso machine/pods before this, so imagine my frustration! 😂
Now that I’m a bit more ‘educated’ I’ll be playing around with it a bit more and sacrifice a bag of beans in the process 😅
More importantly, you kept it plain and simple - very helpful for a newbie like me.
I followed your video, step-by-step, and the issue I’m finding is that when using a non-pressurized and moving closer, and closer to fine on the grind sized and burr I’m losing all pressure and my shots are only pulling at the beginning was seven seconds and now two 10 1/2 seconds but again no pressure at all. Why would you suggest this and how was yours increasing pressure?
Great vídeo.
I've Just purchased mine.
Unfortunelly the Grinder doesn't really works as shown. In fact, it almost doesn't work at all...
I might be little late to the party here, but thanks a lot for this. I wish this video was further up so that I didn't watch all those other, confusing videos first. I had no idea you could adjust the inner burr, and that really did make the world of a difference. Another error I think I made was to be very strict on the yield, like you mention in the video. I would weigh the yield during the process and stop the extraction when it hit twice the weight of the grind (18g of beans meant going for 36g of yield) and it was meant to be no less than 20 seconds and no more than 30 seconds. Going about it this way was just frustrating and didn't make good results. Instead, just going with the machine's own version of a double shot and paying more attention to the stream makes a lot more sense. The stream itself tells you all you need to know. Besides, I weighed the yield from the machine's double shot espresso-button and it came out to be 35g anyway so there you go. Again, thank you for this video, it was great. Great production value, easy to follow, informative, dog-tax, coffee-roastery plug, nice flat with big green plants. It really does have it all. How you have less than 200 subscribes is beyond me.
yo ANYTIME anyone would look you up on you tube the auto fill will just point them towards JAMES hoffman…. i think ya need a new youtube name homie
Couldn’t you just time the grind to know how much time it takes to grind 18 g that we’d have to measure 18 g every time?
Have the stl (3d print file for muggles) for that funnel ? :D great vid thanks.
Where do you buy the funnel from?
You can't go wrong buying it in Amazon
We actually got a "funnel" with our machine. I'm in Australia btw.
I’m having good pressure but still only about a half ounce is being extracted for a 2 cup, Any ideas?
Can I use this machine to grind coffee bean for a pour over or French press?
I had no idea there was in internal adjustment to the bur grinder! I've had super inconsistent results with seemingly no reason. Thank you for illuminating the full function of this machine!!
Thank you very much for this detailed video!!!! Just bought this machine and thanks to you're explanation dialed in real fast for a great shot of espresso🎉
How do you get them to sennd you coffee? When ur a small page like similar to my numbers / do u just ask? Legitimate question 🙋🏻♀️ thanks for this video too❤️
Hey, came across your video after recently purchasing an espresso machine and trying to dial it in. Great video! Also, which cups from Amazon did you buy? There are tons to choose from and I like yours and the size is perfect as well. Thanks!
I have breville dual boiler, 2 cup -》 dose 18g -》 123g output. Dark roast
I like to watch and listen at high speed 1.5 to 1.75 speed..funny enough it sounds like you've had five expressos before recording the vid!! love it! great info.
James Thanks for the video very useful, However you were going to show how to reset the Breville Express to factory settings- I am having over-grind issues and have to stop the grind process I press the porta-filter again! Am I doing something wrong or I need to reset the settings!
Shouldn’t you be purging the grinder between each adjustment of finer/course grind?
hi, james I have the same problems I are going to chanche the setting of my internal grinder, and I let you, know , can you posted it the link of the dosing funnel?. .thank you
Thank you so much James!
Your explanation helped me 😊
My factory setting was 1! Who knew, this was incredibly helpful. Thank you!
Thank you! I wish I had watched this video first! When dialling in my machine!
Follow-up: beans make all the difference, I use super-crema by Lavazza
Thank you for this video!! So informative!
Can I start pulling on your recommended setting from the end of the video or do I need to go through each step that you did?
I’m not sure..I’ve seen you had set up ur machine for double but the outcome seemed as a single..
Thank you thank you! So simple instructions to help us a bit wow your video helped over so many others!!!
Excelente video para los rookies como yo. Ajusté mi grider en el interior y ahora tengo un cafe perfecto de Puerto Rico
Why not dial in using the single shot basket? You save more beans that way or am i missing something?
Well Explained great video.
Thanks from Montreal qc…
I saw in another video that you start timing when the espresso first hits the cup. Is this accurate? Or is it when you push the button?
So helpful, thanks for not using expensive extra stuff. Where did you get that funnel?
Is it better to keep the inner burr finer and outer grinder coarser vs inner coarser and outer finer or it doesn’t matter?
Great video - your trick of changing the internal grinder setting worked! I got a great espresso shot.
you came up on my fyp on tik tok i’m so glad! just got my barista express today!!! this is so helpful- i hd no idea about adjusting the inner burr setting!
Thank you! much simpler way to start dialing in a shot.
the only thing is you didnt say how many seconds you had it brew for😭😭🥰
Great video. It’s helping me out with my new breville espresso maker
A lot of waste for making one cup, the truth is fine or number 1 always taste as good as any, the rest is us being spoiled and picky! I was in Africa last year and I saw people boiling coffee in pots and using cloth as a filter to pour into glasses! And no one ever complain about the taste!
Going with an arbitrary grind setting (by the way they’re different on every machine!) is going to be extremely hit or miss, unless you get very lucky. Espresso, unlike those pour-overs you mentioned, is a particularly finicky method of brewing coffee because it happens at high pressures. You might get something drinkable (MIGHT), but it’s unlikely it will taste as good as it could. I disagree that every shot pulled at x will taste as good as any. A good shot of espresso can sing in syrupy sweetness, and it takes understanding and skill to make. Why spend $ on good coffee and a capable machine and then not use what you have?
Thanks man. This video is really helpful.
hey mate, what's happening to me is I'm not feeling the coffee? I'm a construction worker that loves coffee (not just the taste but how much it wakes me up), takes me out of that sluggish feeling in the morning and ready for the day, but when I get one from a coffee shop it REALLY wakes me up! haha this isn't doing that lol (and my sister bought a delonghi and i noticed this happened with hers too and it initially put me off buying one), is this just the settings I have to play around with (grind etc) or is it the beans? I'm going to get to a roasters today I think, because I just bought random beans for the set-up - which now I'm regretting. any help would be very much appreciated!
and I don't really find anyone talks about this, like it's coming out fine, the pressure is fine, but I feel like i just had a tea and not a coffee :-/
Omgash, this was super helpful! Thank you!
Nice job. It took me awhile to pull a good shot dial in etc and now I know how to check the burr setting as well. One thing I learned was to take a pick on my phone of the settings in case they’ve changed etc so you don’t have to remember.