Espresso shot doctor
Sour? Bitter? Fix it in one shot.
Enter your last shot. You get one change to make, the reason behind it, and the exact numbers to aim for next.
Pull a shot. Tell us how it went.
Enter the weight in, weight out, time and taste. You get one change to make and the numbers to aim for.
Fix the beans too
Stale beans cannot be dialed in.
Coffee is best 7 to 30 days off roast. If your shots keep drifting, the fix is fresher beans on a schedule, not another grind step.
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Dial in faster
Know your grinder's espresso zone.
Start from the documented espresso setting for your exact grinder, then use the doctor for the last few steps. Espresso needs the finest grind of any method. Small moves matter: one step on most grinders shifts the shot by several seconds.
Common questions
Why is my espresso sour?
Sour espresso is under-extracted. If the shot ran fast (under about 25 seconds), grind finer. If the time was right, pull a longer shot, for example 18 g in to 40 g out instead of 36 g.
Why is my espresso bitter?
Bitter espresso is over-extracted. If the shot ran slow (over about 32 seconds), grind coarser. If the time was right, stop the shot a few grams earlier or drop the brew temperature 1 to 2 C.
Why does my espresso taste sour and bitter at the same time?
That is channeling: water found a crack in the puck and rushed through it. Keep the grind, stir the grounds with a needle tool, tamp level, and make sure the dose fits the basket.
What is a good espresso recipe to start with?
18 g of coffee in, 36 g of espresso out, in 25 to 32 seconds, for a medium roast. Light roasts often want a longer ratio (about 1:2.4), dark roasts a shorter one (about 1:1.8).