3 Exercises to Immediately Improve your Espresso 

If you enjoyed, please consider hitting like and leaving a comment! Or hit save/share! All of that super helps! Of course, no pressure if you don't want to! Thanks so much for the support and patronage here.

teach me about bean water, magic man

Awesome info! Thanks. In the old days, when dinosaurs roamed the earth, we’d do “CENTER SHOTS”, meaning we’d discard a little bit of initial extraction and discard a little of the end extraction. You’ve explained why that helped some extraction and diminished others.

Lance, as a beginner in this game, and having watched quite a few of your 'how to dial in...' videos, this one by far helped me understand. i dont have the vocabulary or palette to understand what the likes of you or JamesH are talking about when you describe coffees. But the salami shot and especially the one where you did 3/4 of a shot and then have all the 5g cups to add back in helped me understand what the profile of flavours are across the shot time. Also adding water to open up an overly intense flavour just so you understand it is genius. Thankyou so much.

Adding 1:1 water to make sort of short americano has been my go to drink for almost a year already. I don't do it for darker roasts but for lighter it is really a game changer. And as a bonus it gives you more of the drink to drink than just espresso. Also also if you have a low end grinder, adding a bit of water will help smooth out any displeasing flavors (while not sacrificing the overall flavor profile).

Appreciate the ideas presented here. I was familiar with the salami shot (thanks past Lance), but good to see it again along with the other options. I still feel like I'm working out what I like and don't like, and being able to do some comparisons this way should be telling... and fun to do!

Lance is reading minds, I was thinking just about that. THANK YOU!

I've been doing the cortado-sized "mini americano" for a while now. It's been the easiest way to get consistently nice results without having to overthink it. Cortado is my favorite milk ratio, so it just made sense to see what would happen if I tried a small americano

Would love a video about choosing your water whether it’s filtered/bottled and the different minerals that may help reduce scale build up.

request for the dummies among us bad at paying attention: a brief recap at the end and when you’re making assertions would be great. something like “i like this shorter shot with a little water added better than this longer shot” vs “i like this one a lot better”, and “hope you enjoyed these three tips: salami shot, something, add water to open up the shot” (i already forgot the tips). awesome video as usual!

Very very useful information for people who are just starting. I get asked this a lot and it’s great to be able to share it with people 😄 obrigado professor!

I started to work as a barista a little less than 2 months… Had to watch this video 2 times to really understand the concepts, but f**k yeah, I’m excited to get to work as try this out. Thank you so much for what you do for the coffee world! Cheers

These are such obvious techniques once explained but i never thought of it before. Thanks ! Ill test these out and play around abit!

@LanceHedrick you're my espresso hero! I recently discovered the "minicano" but didn't understand the reason why I like it. you are the best!

I learned adding about 5mg of water to an espresso shot from Yuan coffee in Vancouver. I find this a very effective way to balance out an overly intense shot. Sometimes I’ll got to 10 or 15 extra grams.

I am loving this approachable format still with great technical knowledge!

Thanks for this vid! Perfect timing, as I just got my first machine, flair 58+ 🙏🏽🙏🏽

On the droplets of water in whisky technique, that is used to react with some soluble compounds in the whisky that turn into aromatics when water is added, not for dilution at all which is why it is added only in small drops, and if anything it makes the whisky more intense. Whisky and water is a great way to taste whisky if your pallet is not used to high alcohol content, like an americano would be for espresso

Straight from uganda always here for espress lessons

Excellent information & presentation. Thank you!

Masterful as usual, Sir you are a genius.

I really appreciated this one. I did not think to try the Salami shot for pulling Espresso (which I am a newbie in and having a challenge dialing in one coffee). I will try these. Thank you.

This was so educational!

Lance, super helpful video, definitely going to try the salami shot!

This also gave me insight to do the same experiment of brewing some extra parts of my filtered coffee to find out the perfect ratio! Thanks Lance, greetings from Brazil 😊

Great explanations, great video

Great techniques and ideas here. This will really help me up my game. Thank you very much.

Thank you for your videos! I have learned a lot! Thank you for your videos!

Very useful, the second tip seems like something to do every time when dialling in for the first time

Perfect timing on this one! I’ve been struggling dial in a Jairo Arcila Santa Monica from Good Brothers. It’s had a very strong acidity. Good tips for me to try! Thank you!

Never seen that Synesso es.1 before but that thing looks rad.

14:44 that slight voicecrack in "becomes" just mad my day

Awesome, Lance!! ♥️♥️♥️

Yup, very good video - real nice techniques

Super interesting. I have been into espresso for a few years now and did not try this before.

love this video

"Ppl overcomplicating making coffee"... *Holds thesis defense presentation about the deeper science of espresso extraction* ...one of the best videos about it I've ever seen, though. Thank you!

I've been doing this with our house espresso calling it a minicano and loving it for lighter roasts

Super helpful❤

These are such helpful principles!! I'm mostly a filter/pour over guy, and theres a lot of similarities here. I find if i have a brew thats maybe a little harsh, maybe a bitter finish, or a bit muddied flavors, but adding a splash of hot water it opens up with clarity and sweetness. Super interesting.

Super helpful video. Thanks!

The end of this video was magical 🤣

Salami shot is a great idea

Love it lance ❤

I loved that you mentioned adding extra water! I can’t drink pure espresso because I feel a lot of its nuances get lost. I usually mix it 1:1 or 1:2 with water. I’m not sure about the US, but in the UK and Australia, the ‘Long Black’ is quite popular! Also many thanks for advice about putting some “extra” poured water into a separate cup. That really allows to balance the ratio

Im typically doing a 1 to 3.5 ratio and it’s stellar!

Thank you very much, this video motivates me to experiment more with espresso shots! Regarding your recent post about "overconfidence" - not that I had seen it that way, but there was not even a hint of that:) you're great

Thanks for the pseudollonge idea!

Good vid. I have used the add a lil water method and much prefer the taste over a longer extraction. Dilution is different than extraction. 😮

hey!...The "extra" espresso for post-shot taste adjustment purposes is a great idea. Specially for sour shots! 👍

Another very good video Lance, espresso can be very fickle, I've pulled a 1:3 shot and tasted it very smooth, then I let it sit for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes and the taste was much more flavorful, I can see if you goof up in an extraction i will try adding some more water and maybe turn a bad shoot into something wonderful or close to it, keep up the great video's :)

This excellent video may went through some basics, but did it in a very clear and easy to understand way. Thank you! (I was just missing some jokes😅)

good stuff!

I've seen the salami shot before, but for some reason this video just hit different and made a lot more sense. Super helpful! Thanks Lance.

Like the big daddy Hoffman shirt!

Great video! I've sent a lot of your videos to friends getting into home espresso and we all have learned a lot. I also wanted to know where you got the oil slick spoons. I got a tasting spoon like that when Morgan promoted one but would love to get a whole set.

After watching almost all your videos I did pretty much the same process to dial my coffee and get what « I » like. Best video !! Your channel does not get enough credit yet! You need more subscribers

If I brew a 1:2 in the woods and no one else is there to taste it, will it be dialed in? Thanks for all the awesome content.

Your videos are always so helpful and expertly put together, thank you. Is it possible that on our tongue some perfect combination of bitter + sour = sweet?

I've recently learnt that brewing with too high of a pressure can also make things sour, so I'm working out how to fix that in the dedica. Also, now I know to not make 8 shots worth of coffee and make myself super jittery. Thanks, Lance. Also, when are we going to have singing lessons?

great video. still confusing. but easy to undrestand. i found one maybe two things that will. help mostly one as i drink latte. don't think i will ever get used to drunking espresso

How cool is it to see a copy of James Hoffmann’s book on the shelf on the right ??

Not only equipment and extraction might be different across different people, but the water might (probably does) play a good role as well when comparing experiences among coffee friends (especially if they live in different cities and use tap water).

Good work. You should open a school and teach a comprehensive program of one year.

Lance are there any negatives for longer contact time ? Like for an example the difference of a 1:2 ratio in 30 seconds, vs a 1:2 ratio in 1 minute ?

Dear Corduroy man. Thank you.

I'm always looking for new ways of experiencing coffee, and you always deliver! One question: Is there a difference in flavor when opening the shot if I use hot water or ice? Like if I add hot water to the espresso before pouring into the ice vs just the ice

Thank you for this video! Can we get one focused on decaf please? How differently would one approach it? Or just treat it the same as any regular full caf bean?

Nice mustache!! 💪

11:54 "Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?"

WAKE UP BABES NEW LANCE VIDEO DROPPED

I never liked the splitting in other than initial understanding of what goes on… only the last bit really tell if there anything left to add to the cup and help cutting it, because last bit ain’t really fantastic. I dilute for several years, especially the shorter ratio, as it really open the cup up and make it easier to assess it, as you say is done in whiskey for decades. True with the perception part

Very educational! So, why do I always get such hideously sour shots at espresso shops? Are they just massively underextracting, rushing things? Trying to use under-roasted beans? Too small of a ratio?

❤❤❤

That Colourfull Wilton Decaf in the corner!! ❤

I thought you were going to do the Morgan outro and walk out of the frame with your coffee at the end 😁

Anyone know what kettle that is that Lance used? Looking for a good gooseneck kettle and just want to research all my options.

Hi Lance! In the very beginning of my espresso journey I accidentally pulled a shot that was about 18 g in, 10 g out in over 60 or 90 seconds. Reaaally long and really concentrated. Somehow I've never tried it again but it was the most delicious and sweet "Ristretto", if you will, that I've ever had. Have you ever had a shot like that and if not would you be willing to give it a try? I think it was a medium roast

I'm super lazy so everything is a 1:2.5 turbo and that's how I like it. Reminds me I'm out of beans and I'm gonna miss my morning cup. 😅

Can you make a video about profiled shots?

0:55 jfyi, some of us are still being triggered by this "coffee to water" rather than "coffee weight in to espresso weight out" ratio explanation ;)

Hey. What is the lever machine on Lances's right side (so left side on the screen), behind him?

Ok so this immediately makes me ask if anyone has played around with adjusting the flow rate (and temp??) to equalize extraction v/s time... or at least more equalize it. I expect you can get different, if not better espresso by adjusting flow rates (and temp?) to optimize extraction. A Decent should be able to do this... slow down the pressure at the beginning so you don't extract all the coffee solids so early... and slow down the pressure/flow-rate for later in the shot... I would expect this . I'm sure this has been done by the lever guys as well. Can you comment on (or do a vid on) how this benefits (or does it, or are there less-beneficial methods). I plan to get a Decent in the next few months and would love some guidance on how to utilize it's power to further 'optimize' espresso.

Halp. I want to try all 3 solutions, but I need a starting point for them to make sense. How do I know what ratio and time to start with, to try the salami or extended 5g samples? If I don’t have a foundation, there’s too many variables to wonder about

I'm hoping to learn how to hit that magic 86% extraction

Ive been making 20:60 shots that i top up with 40g water, after recommendation from eaf jake and have really enjoyed the cups it makes. The water really helps to open it up like water in a dense whisky.

Is it normal for 18g of espresso to be quite a bit higher than the rim of your portafilter after you ground it? Idk if it's my scale or what, but 18g of dark roast makes so much coffee that I have to tamp it with the funnel still on it.

The heads hearts and tails of espreso😂

Using the difluid, if you add bypass water do you also adjust the yield on the app?

How do you choose between longer ratios or finer grind when the extraction is too sour?

Have you ever tried washing the fines off with cold or room temperature water before starting extracting?

Why not just ditch the first couple of grams of sour coffee? I did that on a light roast, and the end result was great.

when do we get the musical episode?!

How would you ask for a pseudo in a café? I feel like it shouldn't be too difficult for a barista to do and that might be a great order for me because they usually don't/can't dial in allongé and just end up pushing all that water through at that same grind size when you ask for it. Maybe just "an american with a splash of water/less water" or I could just ask that they pull my espresso on an ice cube.

Do you know that editing software allows to change volume on fragments and make it lower, f.e. on slurps and smacks...

How should I store my Espresso machine? I can empty the reservoir & back flush it. Do I have to empty the boiler and how is that done? Thank you

Thanks, Roast Malone

Yo!

Can someone please recommend an online forum about espresso machine maintenance?

Release the Bamboo tapes!