Guide to Making Great Espresso: Understanding Variables to Dial In Perfectly 

I hope you enjoyed this break down by looking at how each variable affects the final cup! Would super appreciate a like or comment, etc, if you enjoyed it! Thanks so much, friends, and see you in the comments!

You should invite guests to pull shots and comment about their performance. A lot of times your advices sound so easy but when dialing it in on my Gaggia, things get a little more challenging. Great video as always!

When Lance says “Well fret not”, I immediately fret not.

Tip with dose - put your coffee into a basket, tamp, put a 50c coin into the basket as well, close a portafilter then look if the coin left an indent. You can be consistent with your dose no matter what the coffee and grind size you use.

That's what they call a masterclass. Thanks a lot for your time and the effort you put to make our lives with coffee much easier.

The single point you made about not going by weight, but by grind level in your portafilter has just made my coffee taste a whole lot better! Using this tip, I was able to add 22g of a (slightly) courser grind in my 20g portafilter. It brought the compressed grinds closer to the screen but still allowed room so it's not leaving the indent from the screw. Using my usual grind size for my beans made it come out way too slow, so I upped the size to the next number and it came out in the usual sexy stream into my cup. Honestly, my coffee just tastes so much better. So a massive thanks for teaching us it is ok to ignore certain 'rules' to get us to a better coffee. 🤘🏽

Thanks for your videos lance, thanks to you I’ve just finished my first day of work as a barista at one of my favorite specialty coffee roaster!

my guy you're such a talented singer i swear your the type of person who can and will be good at anything and everything

When I first got into espresso, I had been hearing "18 gRaMs 30 SeCoNdS 1:2 is BeSt" blah blah but the first coffee I tried to make espresso with would overflow out of my 18 gram basket. It was an incredibly fluffy, not dense coffee and I'd lose so much when trying to prep the puck because it was just a mountain. It was also pushing up against my basket and the screw imprint was indeed there. I was getting these ultra muddy and sour shots that just weren't my jam. I took it down to like 16ish and stayed at my output (upping ratio technically). It was way better and I was like what are people talking about? Then I got another coffee and I needed more than 18 grams actually, among having to tweak other variables to get a good shot. That really helped me figure out that there's a lot more to be learned than I thought, and a lot of misinformation and generalization coming from some folks, and that extended to basically every variable. I guess the lesson is don't over simplify for convenience and to discount others, but also don't yuck someone else's yum.

Perfect timing on the new video drop - dialing in a new bag right now!

Just splashed out on my first ‘prosumer’ quality espresso machine and grinder and have been up all night the last few days watching RU-vid videos on espresso making. Yours is by far one of the best, I think I will be rewatching multiple times to let the concepts and learning sink in. Thank you!!

Tried 18 in 42 out today and it fixed my sour shots! I'd been running 18 in 36 out and having really sour.

Yesterday I was explaining some of the basics for the newcomers and I'm so happy, that I was pretty much close to this video in terms of information, but still not that highly concentrated with the useful info in just 18 minutes. Thank you Lance for keeping the pace in educating all of us!🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

God damn! You just summarized my entire year of learning about espresso in just 25 minutes plus I also got some new tips. Thank you, Lance! 🙇🏻

i was having a hard time with this bag of a light roast specialty my wife bought. this video was really helpful in getting it to taste amazing. thank you.

Pure gold. Thank you Lance, I'm moving out of noobville.

🎉🎉 Hallelujah!!!! The daily jesus devotional has been a huge part of my transformation, God is good 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻was owning a loan of $47,000 to the bank for my son's brain surgery (Oscar), Now I'm no longer in debt after lI invested $8,000 and got my payout of m $270,500 every months,God bless Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Webb 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸….

I've eliminated sourness by simply not putting the cup in place until a few drops fall. Removing just a few drops (like 1-5 of those initial drops) makes a big difference. The only downside I see is the bottom of the cup has some coffee on it. CT2 review please!

The thing I struggle with is actually knowing what’s wrong with my espresso in the first place. I don’t have a benchmark as to what it should taste like. Maybe an espresso I don’t like is because I don’t like it, not because it’s a bad shot

I just got my first flair and was just watching your old how to dial in videos. This couldn’t have come at a more perfect time for me. Thank you!

Thanks man, you just helped me getting a better shot. I got some light roasted coffee as a gift but I was never able to dial light roast in, they were always very very sour and undrinkable as an espresso (as a latte they are okay-ish). I was focusing too much on my ratios, I can get a perfect Medium/Dark roast pull 25-30sec 1:2 ratio tastes perfect but the same strategy failed with this light roast. Out of curiosity I pulled a 1:2.5 ratio shot not worrying about time and it got immediately 100x better. Bit too watery and the crema is laughable compared to my other shots but at least it didn't have to go down the sink. I'll fiddle with it, there's hope I can pull a decent shot now :) Thanks again!

The most important thing I learned from this video was to forget time, absolute game changer for me. I'm a real novice, but really enjoying this new hobby. I'd followed other guides to dial in my espresso and was hitting everything perfectly (or so I thought). Proper puck prep, the right pressure, coming through in 30 seconds and good crema, but sometimes I'd still get sour shots even with larger ratios. "Oh well, these beans are just too light for espresso" I naïvely thought. But after watching this I just ground just a bit finer and ignored time. I held a longer pre-infusion and ramped the pressure up a little to 10 bar and held the same ratio. Suddenly, I got a shot i loved the taste of! It may seem obvious to some, but for me it's so refreshing to see a video like this that teaches you what's the most important rule - that you enjoy the taste! Cheers Lance!

Always learning something new at Lance’s! I thought I was crazy for liking my 50 second shots that first raise an error code on the LC S

i have a dedica with a bottomless portafilter, I say this to establish I have limited knowledge :). I am really happy with milk drinks i get from it, but without milk its still a tad sour. I have watched countless videos on dialing in etc, but this video here gave me a couple of new ideas to try to get it perfect, namely go coarser (i do have tiger striping) and get the correct dose for my basket first. thx for the helpful video

Lance I love the way you went super speed at the end to go over everything again 😂 I will rewatch another 10 times until it finally sinks into my brain! 😭 Love your content and how you describe everything to make complete sense ❤

This is your best video yet. Super clear and easily delivered information, and really well paced.

Thanks Lance killin it! Would be sick to see this type of 'update summary of previous vids'/'dial via taste' for your Pour over method as I have watched your vids on that (even unfiltered) and still struggle to make your recipe work for many beans. If I am struggling I am sure many others need that little bit of help to also fully convert over to your method!

Immediately saving this video. Got a whole bag of Kona Peaberry to figure out my new machine. Hope you do a lever espresso masterclass like this one since they can play with pressure.

I had so much trouble with the light roasted coffee beans just as you said!

Perfect timing. Just got my Bambino plus, encore esp, WDT tools, portafilter, scale, and tamp

Lance, using the advice from this video I was able to make one of the most enjoyable lattes I’ve ever made this morning! The advice about dialing in dose and the explanation of the required head room made it clear I’ve been putting in about a gram too much coffee in my portafilter. Also, explaining tiger striping and how it can lead to bitter/astringent taste was not something I’d heard before. You gave me the confidence to grind a little coarser while the whole world was telling me to grind finer. Thanks!

I was trying to explain to somebody how grinding finer can cause less extraction because the water will tend to find channels in the puck. But they wasn’t having it but now you’ve made a video including that info which is great as there’s always more to learn.

appreciate you breaking this down again lance 🙌

I just noticed the digital scale you’re using, so found one on Amazon that looks and acts just like yours. I’m not sure what brand you have, but Dude!!! DUUUUUUUUUDE! I love it! I love that I no longer have to press the go button on my machine and the go button on my timer simultaneously. DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDE! Seriously, dude. I love your videos.

Thank you Lance for another great lesson in Espresso brewing. Thanks also for cleaning house on these "9 bar in 30 sec one size fits all recipes"!! It is so refreshing to hear you talk about the observations so many of us make and don't dare to talk about. One (of many) great things about working with a lever is that you can actually feel the puck eroding and the pressure go down. With your valuable insights (thanks for scouring the literature for us) it is sooo much easier to experiment and get results that taste great, without being constricted by haphazard rules. I will continue to play, hate shots, love shots and be happy I found something that I love doing.

Triggered. Rushes down stairs to dial in my espresso (again) Great work as always 😄

This is in top 3 of your videos. Thanks for all the knowledge.

Lance! You're my best teacher. Everything you teach works perfectly for me. Thanks for the inspiration.

I never get tired of your videos, I always learn something. Thanks

Simple and reliable advice. Thank you.

Really great video! Thank you!

A great update on the original "green kitchen" videos, with your breville, salami shot and "sour, sweet, bitter". 🙂

Thanks Lance for the breakdown! Bookmarking this video

Nice! I'm in a couple of groups on social media and someone will share a video of their process and ask, "What am I doing wrong?" and neither the poster nor the responders ever ask, "How did it taste?" and it drives me crazy!

What an excellent video, I learned a lot! Looking forward to that second video in this series that you mentioned in the beginning.

What an absolute delight this latest video is - yet again another banger, Lance you're a legend! Providing such detailed and helpful advice / reminders to everyone! Thankful for your content as always!

I love your style in your videos! I've been binge watching you and James Hoffman videos. Great coffee knowledge! Thanks for your contribution to the coffee community!

Thanks to Lance for his super informative videos!

I’ve been hoping you would make this video! Perfect timing for me, I have had my machine for about a month and understand the “basics”. I’m ready for a more in-depth understanding on how to make my coffee better than it is now.

Clear and concise as always Lance! Love the tips about getting the coffee just below the screen level! 🤯

This was great, love the break down, this will be extremely helpfully to dial in better, thank you!

Incredible explanations

I have been thinking about this precise topic for the past a couple of weeks. On one side you are trying to standardize an espresso drink with a particular ratio on the other side you are trying to create a delicious shot. The huge variance in coffee makes this difficult but fun. Thank you so much, Lance

Thanks for keeping the awesome content coming, Lance!

Thank you! Great work on the video and explanation!

never been so early to a Lance video before, but based on the title, I NEEDED this one!

This is fabulous! Wonderfully clear and thorough.

@LanceHedrick I need one of these for pour over, now that we are getting to the warm season. Already watched your iced coffee video several times by the way.

Lance, another stellar video. Also, just want say thank you so much for chatting and taking a photo with me when you rocking the Onyx booth at SCA. Not only are a coffee legend, but you are wonderful human. One of the kindest people I have met in the coffee industry as well as life in general. Keep that sick work brother!!

The dose was a game changer for my sour espresso. Reduced it from 17g to 16g with the Baskets that came with my GCP. This combined with your temperature surfing advice gave me my personal best shot today. Thank you!

Thanks. That was really well explained. I liked the idea of letting some more espresso at the end of the shot into a second cup and then adding by taste. I have used a lot of coffee to find a less sour shot ratio. Never thought of this option

Such a great video Lance!🎉

Ive watched a hundreds of espresso videos. But they all were not as this ones depth. Best video out there. Tysm lance

Thank you for this video, I'll test on my next cup paying attention to the points you brought up

Incredible this information is out there for free. Another great Educational video Lance!

Wow awesome video! All relevant information perfectly explained in one condensed video. I wish there had been something like this when I started with espresso. And yet, even for viewers who know every one of your videos, there is always at least one sentence that teaches you something new. Thank you for the great work!🙏

I know this is totally unrelated but I recently talked to one of the baristas at Aprils here in Denmark. He told me something very interesting that peaked my curiosity and went against everything I knew. It turns out that they pre-grind all their coffee, at least two hours up to a couple of days before brewing. Then they brew without blooming. I had a very hard time believing this, but it seems to work. They use it with all their coffee, including natural processed. And I hypothesize that especially in the naturally processed it contributes to a very round and easy experience I would like to see you investigate this. Maybe it’s good for all types of coffee Or maybe it just works especially well for those very weird naturally processed ones if you want them to be less in your face Hope this was interesting to you. Keep up the great work.

My first espresso machine is arriving tomorrow - well timed video, very excited to dive in!!

Great video, easy to understand once you are "into" espresso. Thank you Lance 😊

Hello Lance, I can't thank you enough how much you thought me about my espresso journey. I have a good normcore level temper, distributor, puckscreen, IMS shower screen, an IMS nanotech basket with a open portfilter, WDT (corkscrew woth needles) :D (machine is Lelit Bianca V3) To my problem, I've dailed in my beams at 28 second with 18grams to a 36-39gram yield. Taste creamy and amazing body with that chocolate. But I always get channeling. I can't get it consistently to not channel. Basically 6/10 shota turn out great but othertimea it just spews everywhere. I've tried to backtrack and see what I'm doing wrong but can't... I'd highly appreciate some advice from anyone, you can always learn something. P.s my grinder is not the BEST of the best. But we have a solid handgrinder for my GF's pourover and it's the same results.

What a great video, really helpful, thank you so much ❤

Such a good video. Essential viewing I'd say! The relationship between grind size, ratio And brew time reminds me of the photographic balance of aperture, shutter speed and iso. It's a balance of compromises in some way, to get closer to your desired result.

Next Level Stuff Lance. Much appreciated

Thank you! I just recently hit a slump with my espressos not tasting as good as usual and I was stumped! This was the perfect ground up from basics refresher I needed to understand what I was doing wrong!

This video in my humble opinion is A MASTERPIECE. Thank you😍

This is something I genuinely needed (and have felt very lost on), but couldn’t find a good resource for, thanks Lance

I loved this video; it was so helpful. Thank you! I would LOVE some more of this subject, like the nerdy video that you mentioned is coming, AND I ALSO would love to see more videos of you using these in action! It's something like your “How to Dial In Espresso” videos but even more educational. This medium-light roast is sour; here’s how I know it’s sour, not bitter, so here is ONE way I would increase the extraction to fix that, but here is another way I would do that, and finally, the last way but this way is a headache because _____. I think if you did that a bunch of times, it would be so valuable plus natural for you because you’re doing that for the most part ANYWAYS when you buy new coffees, test new machines, etc! And I wouldn’t worry about “what equipment and can these poor people afford this $6k machine?” I just want the methodology! Seeing is believing, and I believe in YOU! Lol. Lots of love, thanks, Lance!

Incredible video, very very useful to start digging into the misc part of espresso without gettin´ nuts!

I attended the SCAA convention in Denver in, oh, the mid 1990s. I attended a two-day class on how to objectively grade espresso and, with a trained palate/nose, fix it to obtain one's desired target. I've forgotten most of what we smelled and tasted but the variables under one's control back then were far more limited compared to what we play with today. We could adjust the grinder, buy different coffees (or roast our own), adjust dose by eye, and tamping was a dark art because that's what the experts said. We didn't have flow/pressure controls, scales, shakers, TDS, PID, WDT.

Super helpful - thank you.

Great stuff Lance! Picked up the Profitec GO for $1K and I can adjust pressure and temp all day long.. Big change for me coming from my Rancilio Sylvia. Love it.

Hello from Sydney Australia. Great vid lance.

Pure Master class. Espresso for dummies… well maybe not dummies but for most of us amateurs that are sometimes struggling to find the perfect cup. Is there such a thing? Let’s hope not so we continue striving to achieve it. Thanks Lance!

Amazing video, thank you so much Really expecting the next one❤

this has definitely made me want to try my flair out again. Seems like the most important things are dose grind size and ratio, and I’ve put more into grind size to hit pressures and times than I have put into finding the optimal dose or ratio. Definitely need to give ratio a shot even though it’s physically limited, adjusting dose will adjust ratio and help with channeling. Great video breaking things down!!

Always love these type of videos, thank you Lance for guiding us in coffee labyrinth!

Wow the timing on this video. I have been saving up nad hopefully next month I will be able to purchase the breville express Impress. or the breville barista pro. I really like learning difficult skills that take a lot of nuance to get right and I like the breville express machines since I can learn on them but my family can go the auto route without issue. I also really wanted to get the lelita mara x but its just too expensive for me right now. I love the fact that you are just dumping info and the thought process of how to react to each variable. When I teach people my skills i tend to do it in a similar manner. My hope is that the student may not understand fully everything they are hearing but it will be heard and they will recall it later when the need arises. It has happened to me when listening to a master explain things.

Aw hell yeah, I've been waiting for you to make a full-on espresso guide! I hope there'll be a very long and very scientific follow-up!

I always suspected we were kindred spirits, Lance, but once you belted out that Allen Stone track…now I know for sure

Nice video. Started off thinking that this will just be a refresher from all the previous videos, but it was a nice new perspective on it, with more focus on body.

The real coffee gem is back with another great video!

Stoked to start this right now. Big pourover guy here, and I have an amazing espresso setup, but I always feel like I waste SO MANY BEANS trying to dial in -- and I need to just get back to the basics to get some tasty spro

Just here for the singing, Keep up the excellence Lance 🙏🏼

Thanks again for another incredibly informative video and popping the “grind finer” balloon 🎈

Good advice. A few things I would mention about grams/volume is the coin test if you have not screw indent on your machine (put a coin in the bed and see if that makes contact and pushes into the puck) Also about pressure on standard 9 bar machines...to make sure they are still pushing 9 bar as its pretty common for them to run higher from factory or even every so often. For pre weighing how that affects volume, I single dose store my beans in these small 15g jars....larger beans will fill the jar and wont close unless i store 14g. Where small beans can go past 16g in the same jar Using those thick metal puck screens can help if you do not wish to dose 15g in a 15g basket I have found. So my 15g VST will take 14g and still pull good enough when I need to take 1g out of each dose to make up a extra shot (if the last single dose jar is only like 10g with whats left over)

Great video Lance. Of all your content I like this the best. I stopped timing my shots some time ago as I found it was causing confirmation bias and leading me in circles. For example if a shot poured in 20 or 35 seconds, I would expect certain negative characteristics and low and behold that's what I found in the cup. Now I ignore time and focus on taste and texture and get to a good result much faster.

Great video! Thanks!!!

Thanks for starting the video with a shot of that beautiful Synesso and then making it channel/spit in the least aesthetic way possible

So helpful. There’s a part 2 coming? Looking forward to it. Tell me though, why can’t a Gaggia Classic do a light roasted 1:1 shot? A Gaggiuino is my jam, but what these more entry machines do with 1:1 lights?

Thanks for another great vid! Honestly my love for u is as least as big as my love for ur vids by now :D