Bought a fancy espresso machine and spent 45 minutes grinding too fine

I finally upgraded from my old drip maker to a real espresso machine last month. A buddy at work told me I needed to dial in the grind size right or it'd taste like battery acid. First morning I set it to super fine because that's what the internet said for espresso. Took me 45 minutes of pulling shot after shot, spitting out sour sludge, and adjusting the burr grinder a tiny bit each time. Turned out I was grinding way too fine and the water was barely making it through the puck. Once I backed it off about three clicks, I got a decent pull that actually tasted like coffee instead of regret. Has anyone else spent way too long chasing that perfect first shot and ended up with a sink full of wasted beans?

2 comments

2 Comments

aarons361mo ago

Same thing happened to me... my first shot took so long to come out I was convinced the machine was broken and almost returned it.

leo2381mo ago

Yeah man, @aarons36 I know exactly what you mean. The first time I pulled a shot it dripped like it was confused about what to do. You gotta dial in your grind first, then mess with the dose. Grind way finer than you think you need to, like almost powder. For me, it was the grind that fixed everything, now my shots come out smooth and on time. Just takes some tinkering but once you find that sweet spot it gets really consistent.