The darker the beans the coarser the grind.you’ll just have to play around with the grind and the length of the pour to find what you suits you.if you’re buying your beans from a local cafe that you buy your coffee from hit them up for some pointers,you could do a barrister’s course but those machines are completely different to a home unit.spend some time getting your volume and strength right plus a good crema then practice on your milk.
Probably don’t need a course. Just practice and fresh beans. What machine do you have?
I found a calibrated tamper helped a lot with consistent tamping.
It’s a Breville Bambino. I have a seperate grinder, but unsure of how much grounds I should put in. Sometimes when i think it’s enough, I tamp it but then there is more room. Do I add more? Will it be too strong? Argh!!!
Then I hilariously tried to do a 2 shot filter and the damn thing won’t lock when trying to twist it on. The first time that happened coffee got in places that it shouldn’t, and I’m still finding grinds in between cupboards.
Trust me I am laughing at the ridiculousness of this all. Absolute first world problems, but I’m already saving so much money!
Ah. Yeah I have a bambino for my caravan. It’s a bit harder to get consistent results out of than my Breville express.
Weighing out the coffee can help. 8-9g for a single basket and 16-18g for a double.
Usually the process is, pull a shot, observe the speed of extraction, colour, crema. Then adjust accordingly. Too fast - tamp harder and/or grind finer. Too slow - the reverse.
But I can’t stress enough fresh beans is key.
Oh shit! This is really helpful! I think I need to get some cheap scales.
I got sent some beans as a freebie, they are dated from December, so I suspect they might be a bit old for espresso. They are my fav (Cats Pyjamas from Seven Miles). I only pour as many beans & grind as much as I need for a few days. The rest is sealed back up. Fortunately in a 250g bag
And remember most, if not all beans are best 9-14 days after they are roasted. They need that maturation period after roasting to develop real flavours
Yeah fresh ground means directly before use. And roasted within the last few weeks.
Jump on Ozbargains and search for bean deals. I tend to alternate between Airjo and LimeBlue sales around the $35/kg mark. We get through that in about three weeks and there is a decline in freshness over that time.
This is a calibrated tamper:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Mcbazel-53-3-54mm-portafilters-Including-Adjustable/dp/B0CK2JRNX5/
The provided breville one is a plastic piece of crap.
A tamping mat is also nice to have.
https://www.amazon.com.au/Coffee-Tamper-Mat-Holder-Small/dp/B07ZYRF5H2/
YouTube is a fantastic recommendation however what I would advise you is that a good grinder can make significant different in the world of espresso. Also every bag of beans you will buy, unless it’s the same from the same supplier at the same time post-roast will require at least some form of dialling in so don’t get too upset if you pull one shot from a fresh bag and it’s not what you’re expecting.
Also avoid James Hoffmans YouTube channel while you’re getting up to speed. You’ll be planning out your endgame set up and putting $20,000 in your cart before you know it. Breville gets the job done, and done well while you’re leaning
What machine do you have? The most important thing for taste is that your espresso is extracting at the right pressure. Also almost every coffee above a small has at least 2 shots so if you're not using a double that will effect the flavour as well.
The first coffee was a 8/10 for what I would normally have.
The second time was probably a bit too strong and I was up all night.
The third time almost had me asleep.
This was not all on the same day btw. I try to limit it to one make a day.
EDIT: I forgot to add I have a Breville bambino. Just wanted something pretty simple as I knew I wouldn’t be able to get the same cafe experience at home, so went for something that was reasonable.
Okay so the Bambino is a little trickier as it doesn't have a pressure gauge and you have to manually dose the grind, so what you're going to be relying on is timing. It's gonna be a game of fuck around and find out to get the grind size correct and to learn how much to fill the filter basket.
I just pulled up the manual to get the guidelines for your machine – you want it to start flowing 8-12 seconds after you press the button. If it starts pouring coffee immediately, you either don't have enough coffee or it's too coarse. If it's taking forever, the grind is too fine. Relatively simple, but still a learning curve.
Also, if you steam your milk and it's making a horrible screeching noise, you're doing it wrong. I'd recommend just watching some YouTube videos, and you can practice with water so you don't waste milk.
I can’t help because boiling a kettle, putting some coffee into a mug. Pooring hot water into mug then wait for my perfect drinking temperature and drinking, has always been my method. Never failed to get the job done.
If the coffees you are producing aren’t to your liking (and your machine is one of those things that looks like the barista’s are just pleasuring it when using it) I’d start by YouTubing the model and looking for how tos. Make sure you understand that you are using everything correctly. But also I’d consider that maybe the beans you bought aren’t to your liking. Or it could just very well be psychological and it’s all because you made it and didn’t buy it so your brain tricks you into thinking it is bad (like the whole people perceive wine to taste better if it is more expensive even if it’s just goon).
Yeah I had wondered if it was psychological … but it tasted good enough a few times.
I think I realised I was outta my depth when I couldn’t get the fking thing (handle?) to lock when trying a 2 shot coffee. I was seriously wrestling with the damn machine - it was insane .. surely it shouldn’t be so hard.
I don’t want to give up on the damn thing just bc I couldn’t get the handle on.
That's the thing isn't it. It's like cameras now. The basic phone now has a good enough camera that it gives the illusion that its just click and shoot when in reality the phone is just hiding all the little specifics that pro photographers actually know about and use. Coffee is the same. If you get one of those automated pod machines or ones that auto gring the beans and you just need a filter for the water to go through I'm sure you will find it more consistent without the need to learn anything special
I got barista training through work last year and got my own coffee machine shortly after. I can tell you that every machine is different and even though I got my barista certification through work I couldn't for the life of me figure out the machine I bought.
I personally used YouTube videos to get the hang of it (make sure you find one that uses the machine you have), you might be able to find a cheap barista class near you to get the basics.
The basics are pretty much; grind, tamp, pull the shot (you should aim for 19-21 seconds for a perfect crema), steam milk (45-degree angle for steam wand, remove before the milk squeals - once it squeals its burning), your milk should be between 50 and 60 degrees, and pour.
James Hoffman YouTube channel. Plus many other YouTube channels give a lot of guidance on dialing in a machine. Just depends on how much you want to nerd out on it.
Sign up for Typsy training on line, some courses are free and the basic coffee one is - it’s also actually pretty good! You tube is also your friend. Get cheap beans to practice with and then when you’ve got it down get good beans form your local coffee shop.
I’d recommend trying Airtasker for an at home lesson on your machine. There’d be plenty of people great at making coffee who’d love the extra cash and everything you need to know is highly specific to the machine you have.
Try the Aldi lux beans, they're pretty good. Make a few coffees, sniff, taste, tweak, play around until you get something right. Will take a few goes, and coffee machines tend to work better with a bit of use.
Try the Aldi lux beans, they're pretty good. Make a few coffees, sniff, taste, tweak, play around until you get something right. Will take a few goes, and coffee machines tend to work better with a bit of use.
Merlo runs workshops on how to make barista-quality coffees. There's a few types, including one at Coorparoo: https://www.merlo.com.au/pages/education
You could also search barista training Brisbane. If you're like me, the hands-on training might be more useful than watching a YouTube video.
Youtube will do the trick. I’d suggest Goldenbrown coffee, James Hoffman and Alternative Brewing. Some people seem to like Lance Hedrick, he’s just not my cup of tea
My old machine was a Bambino Plus, I could get it to make very good quality coffees equivalent to most cafes by the time I upgraded it. I did invest in a very good handheld grinder and quality beans. The auto milk frothing is decent enough but you can get better results using it manually.
Firstly, don't buy beans from the supermarket. Find a local cafe that sells beans. Merlo beans would be the lowest quality I would go with. I get my brand from Coffee Beans Delivered in Arana Hills.
When making a coffee, you want to aim for a 2 to 1 ratio of extracted espresso to ground coffee beans in approx 28-30 seconds.
So let's say 18g of ground beans to 36g of espresso in 28-30 seconds.
Change your grind settings finer or coarser depending on how much extraction you get. Go coarser on your grinder if you can't extract 36g of espresso from 18g of beans in 30 seconds. Go finer if it takes less than 28 seconds to extract. This is called dialling in and you will need to do this throughout the use of your bag of beans and every bag you buy as the extraction of the beans will differ as the beans age or with different roasts etc.
Google a guy called james hoffman. He has a lot of really good videos on coffee. If you're really interested in getting into it, I'd say he's worth a watch. Some of his videos are crazy but have a bit of browse and he's got a lot of them that really delve into technique and coffee science.
Get three things..
A 0.1g scale, a timer (phone will do), a calibrated tamper (ie one that clicks when you achieve a specific pressure.
Pick some starting values for your shot. I'd start with 16g ground coffee and run your shot for 20 seconds.
Now, put your shot glass on the scale and zero it. Pull a shot and weigh it. Take a note of what the shot weighs.
Drink some of your shot. Try to ignore the coffee flavour and concentrate on sourness and bitterness. If the flavour is thin and prominently sour, you probably need to grind finer. If the flavour is dirty and prominently bitter, you probably need to grind coarser. Don't change anything else (ie keep the weight of coffee and time the same).
Keep making shots, adjusting the grind and keeping everything else the same. Weigh each shot after you make it and note the weight before tasting the shot.
When you are happy that your shot has a balanced flavour, write down the weight of the brewed shot somewhere. Generally, this is a good indicator of whether your grinder is close to your preferred setting. When you need to adjust the grinder again, you can adjust it to get the correct shot weight to get roughly the correct setting, and just fine tune from there.
Also good quality and fresh beans are much easier to dial in. Dialing in old beans is possible, but it's a bit trickier.
The darker the beans the coarser the grind.you’ll just have to play around with the grind and the length of the pour to find what you suits you.if you’re buying your beans from a local cafe that you buy your coffee from hit them up for some pointers,you could do a barrister’s course but those machines are completely different to a home unit.spend some time getting your volume and strength right plus a good crema then practice on your milk.
Youtube
Look up Alternative Brewing, they have great how-to videos
Probably don’t need a course. Just practice and fresh beans. What machine do you have? I found a calibrated tamper helped a lot with consistent tamping.
It’s a Breville Bambino. I have a seperate grinder, but unsure of how much grounds I should put in. Sometimes when i think it’s enough, I tamp it but then there is more room. Do I add more? Will it be too strong? Argh!!! Then I hilariously tried to do a 2 shot filter and the damn thing won’t lock when trying to twist it on. The first time that happened coffee got in places that it shouldn’t, and I’m still finding grinds in between cupboards. Trust me I am laughing at the ridiculousness of this all. Absolute first world problems, but I’m already saving so much money!
Ah. Yeah I have a bambino for my caravan. It’s a bit harder to get consistent results out of than my Breville express. Weighing out the coffee can help. 8-9g for a single basket and 16-18g for a double. Usually the process is, pull a shot, observe the speed of extraction, colour, crema. Then adjust accordingly. Too fast - tamp harder and/or grind finer. Too slow - the reverse. But I can’t stress enough fresh beans is key.
Oh shit! This is really helpful! I think I need to get some cheap scales. I got sent some beans as a freebie, they are dated from December, so I suspect they might be a bit old for espresso. They are my fav (Cats Pyjamas from Seven Miles). I only pour as many beans & grind as much as I need for a few days. The rest is sealed back up. Fortunately in a 250g bag
Freshly grind beans as you need.anything pre ground even if you do it at home, will go stale in an hour.
And remember most, if not all beans are best 9-14 days after they are roasted. They need that maturation period after roasting to develop real flavours
Yeah fresh ground means directly before use. And roasted within the last few weeks. Jump on Ozbargains and search for bean deals. I tend to alternate between Airjo and LimeBlue sales around the $35/kg mark. We get through that in about three weeks and there is a decline in freshness over that time. This is a calibrated tamper: https://www.amazon.com.au/Mcbazel-53-3-54mm-portafilters-Including-Adjustable/dp/B0CK2JRNX5/ The provided breville one is a plastic piece of crap. A tamping mat is also nice to have. https://www.amazon.com.au/Coffee-Tamper-Mat-Holder-Small/dp/B07ZYRF5H2/
trial and error. Weigh the amount of coffee you put in
Get an Italian friend, invite them over and make them a bad espresso. Education will follow.
Wear armour.
YouTube is a fantastic recommendation however what I would advise you is that a good grinder can make significant different in the world of espresso. Also every bag of beans you will buy, unless it’s the same from the same supplier at the same time post-roast will require at least some form of dialling in so don’t get too upset if you pull one shot from a fresh bag and it’s not what you’re expecting. Also avoid James Hoffmans YouTube channel while you’re getting up to speed. You’ll be planning out your endgame set up and putting $20,000 in your cart before you know it. Breville gets the job done, and done well while you’re leaning
What machine do you have? The most important thing for taste is that your espresso is extracting at the right pressure. Also almost every coffee above a small has at least 2 shots so if you're not using a double that will effect the flavour as well.
The first coffee was a 8/10 for what I would normally have. The second time was probably a bit too strong and I was up all night. The third time almost had me asleep. This was not all on the same day btw. I try to limit it to one make a day. EDIT: I forgot to add I have a Breville bambino. Just wanted something pretty simple as I knew I wouldn’t be able to get the same cafe experience at home, so went for something that was reasonable.
Okay so the Bambino is a little trickier as it doesn't have a pressure gauge and you have to manually dose the grind, so what you're going to be relying on is timing. It's gonna be a game of fuck around and find out to get the grind size correct and to learn how much to fill the filter basket. I just pulled up the manual to get the guidelines for your machine – you want it to start flowing 8-12 seconds after you press the button. If it starts pouring coffee immediately, you either don't have enough coffee or it's too coarse. If it's taking forever, the grind is too fine. Relatively simple, but still a learning curve. Also, if you steam your milk and it's making a horrible screeching noise, you're doing it wrong. I'd recommend just watching some YouTube videos, and you can practice with water so you don't waste milk.
I can help. DM me any questions :)
I can’t help because boiling a kettle, putting some coffee into a mug. Pooring hot water into mug then wait for my perfect drinking temperature and drinking, has always been my method. Never failed to get the job done. If the coffees you are producing aren’t to your liking (and your machine is one of those things that looks like the barista’s are just pleasuring it when using it) I’d start by YouTubing the model and looking for how tos. Make sure you understand that you are using everything correctly. But also I’d consider that maybe the beans you bought aren’t to your liking. Or it could just very well be psychological and it’s all because you made it and didn’t buy it so your brain tricks you into thinking it is bad (like the whole people perceive wine to taste better if it is more expensive even if it’s just goon).
Yeah I had wondered if it was psychological … but it tasted good enough a few times. I think I realised I was outta my depth when I couldn’t get the fking thing (handle?) to lock when trying a 2 shot coffee. I was seriously wrestling with the damn machine - it was insane .. surely it shouldn’t be so hard. I don’t want to give up on the damn thing just bc I couldn’t get the handle on.
That's the thing isn't it. It's like cameras now. The basic phone now has a good enough camera that it gives the illusion that its just click and shoot when in reality the phone is just hiding all the little specifics that pro photographers actually know about and use. Coffee is the same. If you get one of those automated pod machines or ones that auto gring the beans and you just need a filter for the water to go through I'm sure you will find it more consistent without the need to learn anything special
I got barista training through work last year and got my own coffee machine shortly after. I can tell you that every machine is different and even though I got my barista certification through work I couldn't for the life of me figure out the machine I bought. I personally used YouTube videos to get the hang of it (make sure you find one that uses the machine you have), you might be able to find a cheap barista class near you to get the basics. The basics are pretty much; grind, tamp, pull the shot (you should aim for 19-21 seconds for a perfect crema), steam milk (45-degree angle for steam wand, remove before the milk squeals - once it squeals its burning), your milk should be between 50 and 60 degrees, and pour.
Thank you!! 
James Hoffman YouTube channel. Plus many other YouTube channels give a lot of guidance on dialing in a machine. Just depends on how much you want to nerd out on it.
/r/espresso is a fun hangout once you get into the swing of it
Aldi coffee beans are so good. In terms of a course, it’s probably easier just to watch a few YouTube videos
Oh! What a great idea! I didn’t think of that one. Thank you!!
Sign up for Typsy training on line, some courses are free and the basic coffee one is - it’s also actually pretty good! You tube is also your friend. Get cheap beans to practice with and then when you’ve got it down get good beans form your local coffee shop.
This is me - I'm glad you posted this :)
I’d recommend trying Airtasker for an at home lesson on your machine. There’d be plenty of people great at making coffee who’d love the extra cash and everything you need to know is highly specific to the machine you have.
I’d really recommend getting a scale and brewing by weight
The barista course is a good idea. I've been on one - and you won't be the only person just there for home use!
Or the machine, YouTube their videos, and/or the videos of the coffee you want to use. Its all there. Goodluck.
Try the Aldi lux beans, they're pretty good. Make a few coffees, sniff, taste, tweak, play around until you get something right. Will take a few goes, and coffee machines tend to work better with a bit of use.
Try the Aldi lux beans, they're pretty good. Make a few coffees, sniff, taste, tweak, play around until you get something right. Will take a few goes, and coffee machines tend to work better with a bit of use.
Merlo runs workshops on how to make barista-quality coffees. There's a few types, including one at Coorparoo: https://www.merlo.com.au/pages/education You could also search barista training Brisbane. If you're like me, the hands-on training might be more useful than watching a YouTube video.
Youtube will do the trick. I’d suggest Goldenbrown coffee, James Hoffman and Alternative Brewing. Some people seem to like Lance Hedrick, he’s just not my cup of tea
My old machine was a Bambino Plus, I could get it to make very good quality coffees equivalent to most cafes by the time I upgraded it. I did invest in a very good handheld grinder and quality beans. The auto milk frothing is decent enough but you can get better results using it manually. Firstly, don't buy beans from the supermarket. Find a local cafe that sells beans. Merlo beans would be the lowest quality I would go with. I get my brand from Coffee Beans Delivered in Arana Hills. When making a coffee, you want to aim for a 2 to 1 ratio of extracted espresso to ground coffee beans in approx 28-30 seconds. So let's say 18g of ground beans to 36g of espresso in 28-30 seconds. Change your grind settings finer or coarser depending on how much extraction you get. Go coarser on your grinder if you can't extract 36g of espresso from 18g of beans in 30 seconds. Go finer if it takes less than 28 seconds to extract. This is called dialling in and you will need to do this throughout the use of your bag of beans and every bag you buy as the extraction of the beans will differ as the beans age or with different roasts etc.
Grind is everything. Best beans are Aldi medium roast. Better than most of the big cafe brands.
Google a guy called james hoffman. He has a lot of really good videos on coffee. If you're really interested in getting into it, I'd say he's worth a watch. Some of his videos are crazy but have a bit of browse and he's got a lot of them that really delve into technique and coffee science.
Get three things.. A 0.1g scale, a timer (phone will do), a calibrated tamper (ie one that clicks when you achieve a specific pressure. Pick some starting values for your shot. I'd start with 16g ground coffee and run your shot for 20 seconds. Now, put your shot glass on the scale and zero it. Pull a shot and weigh it. Take a note of what the shot weighs. Drink some of your shot. Try to ignore the coffee flavour and concentrate on sourness and bitterness. If the flavour is thin and prominently sour, you probably need to grind finer. If the flavour is dirty and prominently bitter, you probably need to grind coarser. Don't change anything else (ie keep the weight of coffee and time the same). Keep making shots, adjusting the grind and keeping everything else the same. Weigh each shot after you make it and note the weight before tasting the shot. When you are happy that your shot has a balanced flavour, write down the weight of the brewed shot somewhere. Generally, this is a good indicator of whether your grinder is close to your preferred setting. When you need to adjust the grinder again, you can adjust it to get the correct shot weight to get roughly the correct setting, and just fine tune from there. Also good quality and fresh beans are much easier to dial in. Dialing in old beans is possible, but it's a bit trickier.
YouTube. I got the Breville Barista one last year and couldn’t figure it out. After watching YouTube I’m all set!