Espresso zu Hause: So stellst du Mühle und Maschine richtig ein

Espresso at home: How to properly adjust your grinder and machine

Why making espresso at home is often frustrating

Many home baristas are familiar with the problem: the espresso runs through too quickly, is too sour, or too bitter. With a few basics about grind size, dose, and brewing time, you can significantly improve your espresso at home.

This guide will show you how to adjust your espresso grinder and portafilter machine step by step.

The basic recipe for espresso

  • Coffee: 18 g in a double filter (guideline)

  • Dispensing volume: approx. 36–40 g of espresso in the cup

  • Brewing time: 25–30 seconds

  • Temperature: usually 92–94 °C (depending on machine and roast)

The ratio 1:2 (18 g in, 36 g out) is a good starting point and can be adjusted to taste and roast.

Step 1: Grind fresh & dose correctly

  1. Set the coffee grinder to espresso grind (significantly finer than filter coffee).

  2. Grind 18g of coffee into the double sieve (optionally use scales).

  3. Distribute the coffee powder evenly and press it down evenly with a tamper .

Important: The puck should be smooth and even, without cracks or holes.

Step 2: Test the reference and measure the time

  1. Insert the portafilter and start the timer as soon as you start the extraction.

  2. Goal: Approximately 36–40 g of espresso should end up in the cup in 25–30 seconds.

  3. Then check the taste.

Step 3: Fine-tune the espresso by adjusting the grind.

  • Espresso runs through too quickly (under 20 seconds, tastes weak/sour)
    → Adjust the grind to a finer setting.

  • Espresso runs too slowly (over 35 seconds, tastes bitter/strong)
    → Adjust the grind to a coarser setting.

Always adjust in small steps and test again.

Step 4: Adjust the dose and effluent volume

Once the grind is roughly correct, you can experiment with the dose and beverage weight :

  • More coffee in the filter → more intense, stronger

  • Less coffee → lighter, often fruitier

  • Higher flow rate (e.g. 18 g in, 45 g out) → more like a "Lungo"

  • Lower flow rate (e.g., 18 g in, 30 g out) → shorter, syrupy consistency

Common mistakes when making espresso at home

  • Channeling (fast, uneven currents from the sieve)
    → The puck was not evenly distributed or tamped.
    → Gently shake the portafilter before tamping or use WDT.

  • Very acidic espresso
    → often underextracted: grind finer, aim for a slightly longer brewing time.

  • Very bitter espresso
    → often over-extracted: grind coarser, slightly reduce the flow rate.

Conclusion

With a little patience and a systematic approach, you can achieve café -quality results at home with your specialty espresso beans . Write down your settings and only change one variable at a time – that's how you find your perfect espresso setup.

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