Coffee Calculators
Espresso Dial-In Calculator
https://www.coffeesizing.com/calculators/espresso-dial-in/
Estimate only — not a cupping score, a water lab or a roast profile. Confirm on a test brew.
Espresso Dial-In Calculator
Dial-in is a loop: weigh dose and yield, time the shot, then say whether it was sour, balanced or bitter. Sour and fast usually wants finer grind size; bitter and slow wants coarser. Channeling looks ‘fast and sour-bitter’ — fix the puck before you chase this output.
Inputs
Results
- Suggested yield
- 36.0g
- Grind direction
- 0
- Time hint
- 28s
1 finer, -1 coarser, 0 hold
A target window centre, not a stopwatch religion.
Recommended gear
WDT tool
If the shot raced, fluff the dose before you grind finer. Needles fix more ‘sour 18 s’ shots than this calculator does.
Typical range: $15–$50
Precision espresso basket
Even holes so the suggested yield can actually flow. A warped stamped basket will ignore grind direction.
Typical range: $20–$40
Espresso machine
Temperature-stable water and a decent pump make dial-in repeatable. A boiling travel kettle does not.
Typical range: $400–$2,500
Calculation method
Sour means under-extracted: nudge yield about +8% so more water passes the puck. Bitter means over-extracted: trim yield about 8%. Shot time outside 25–32 s sets grind first (too fast → finer, too slow → coarser) and the time hint recentres on 28 s. If time is already in the window, grind still follows taste. Extraction yield still wants a refractometer — this page only steers the next shot.
Exact formula
Sour (under) → yield × 1.08; bitter (over) → yield × 0.92. grindDirection from time vs 25–32 s (too fast +1 finer, too slow −1 coarser); if time is in window, taste still sets grind. timeHint recentres to 28 s when outside the window. Limits: Basket, roast and water omitted; blond jets are prep, not a grind-direction oracle.
One variable per shot
Finer grind and a new ratio on the same pull teaches you nothing. Change grind or yield, not both, then taste.
Freshness
Beans still degassing will spray and fake a fast shot. Rest them, then dial. The degassing window tool is the calendar; this is the espresso loop.
Frequently asked questions
Sour but 32 seconds?
Could be too fine and still under-extracted if the roast is light, or channeling around a dense centre. Check the puck, then consider yield and water, not only grind.
Should I change dose?
Not on the same morning you are chasing grind. Fill the basket properly, lock dose, move grind and yield. Dose is a later lever.
What does grind direction 0 mean?
Time is in the 25–32 s window and taste is balanced. If the shot is sour or bitter with a normal time, grind still moves and yield nudges; 0 is not a licence to ignore flavour.
More in this topic
All tools in this topicGrind size & dialing in
Espresso Extraction Yield Calculator
Compute extraction yield and brew ratio from refractometer TDS, basket dose and beverage mass. EY% = TDS% × yield / dose.
Grind size & dialing in
Grind Size Converter
Convert grinder clicks between machines into estimated microns and whether that setting looks like espresso or filter. A map, not a laser diffraction lab.
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Grinder Burr Lifespan Calculator
Estimate remaining burr life in kilograms and days from daily dose, rated life and kilograms already ground. A planning number, not a steel autopsy.
Grind size & dialing in
TDS Target Calculator
Work backwards from dose, beverage yield and a target extraction yield to the TDS your refractometer should read. Strength is not extraction.