When it comes to espresso, you may hear your local baristas using the phrase “dialing in.” This saying is most commonly used in specialty coffee houses where you will find baristas taking incessantly loud sippings of espresso shots. Dialing in can typically occur first thing in the morning, with a freshly opened bag of coffee beans, or a coffee bag with a different roast date. We’ll get into the mechanisms behind dialing in espresso that can help you understand this chapter of your coffee journey.
What is Espresso?
First, espresso is the viscous emulsified oils from coffee brewed through a method that uses pressure. Espresso is exceptionally concentrated and brewed much faster than a traditionally brewed cup of coffee.
Typically, a shot of espresso is known to yield one ounce and a double shot yields two ounces, but this isn’t the case in some third-wave [insert link to article about coffee waves] coffee shops. When extracting or pulling shots of espresso, it is dialed in as a double shot. These double shots tend to yield an ounce and a half (give or take), but this doesn’t mean that you are getting less; it’s still about the same amount of caffeine.
Dialing in Basics
Many know espresso as intense, strong, and bold–which it can be–but who says espresso can’t taste good? Dialing in is the science and art of getting your espresso to taste the best. This process differs but generally consists of recording parameters known as the input, time, and output. When referring to input and output, baristas are talking about the grams of ground coffee and grams of coffee extracted, respectively. The time refers to the seconds it takes to pull the shot of espresso to yield a specific output.
Depending on the coffee, the input ranges from 17-22 grams of finely ground coffee and the output ranges from 30-40 grams of extracted coffee. To put it into perspective, the coffee-to-espresso ratio is generally 1:2. The extraction time can range anywhere from 25 to 35 seconds. Usually, the grind size determines the time it takes to extract coffee. In other words, if the espresso is pulling too fast, then the grind size is too coarse; and if the espresso is pulling too slow, then the grind size is too fine.
Dialing in espresso requires a timer, a coffee or kitchen scale (that can register changes in small amounts of grams), and–of course–an espresso machine.
This process can take baristas anywhere from five to fifteen minutes to dial in espresso. Some coffee beans are easier to dial in than others, but consistency and efficiency can help baristas navigate their way to the “perfect” shot of espresso.
The main thing to keep in mind during dial-in is consistency. Controlling as many factors as you can helps with finding optimal parameters. The one thing I maintain is the output, which usually falls between 34-38 grams. I change the input by 0.5 gram increments depending on how each shot tastes (further described below). The extraction time should stay consistent, however, it tends to differ by a second or two. If this is the case, try pulling a second shot and see how long it takes to pull that espresso shot.
Tasting
After pulling each shot of espresso within consistently optimal parameters, baristas will sip and slurp espresso. This loud sipping is done with purpose–to spray espresso all across the tongue–which helps the barista taste (and experience) all that the espresso can offer.
Depending on the coffee beans, espresso can taste fruity, juicy, nutty, chocolatey, and even floral. When tasting espresso, it can be complex–and even intimidating; but something to better navigate beginner espresso drinkers is finding a balance between acidic, sweet, and bitter.
To find that balance, it’s best to understand under- and over-extracted espresso. When under-extracted, the shot tends to have a quick finish and tastes sour, acidic, and even salty. When over-extracted, the shot tends to linger and taste bitter, medicinal, and even savory.
Whether you like your coffee to taste brighter or darker, the barista’s job is to find an espresso shot that accommodates both ends of the spectrum.
