Dialing in Espresso by Roast Level

The list of variables that affect the taste of espresso can seem endless at times. Understanding those variables comes with time and practice-but, one of the most important variables to control is also one of the easiest: brew ratio.
Learn to Make Espresso: home.lamarzoccousa.com/gs3/ho...
Learn to Steam Milk: home.lamarzoccousa.com/milk-s...
Learn to Pour Latte Art: home.lamarzoccousa.com/latte-...
Upgrade your home espresso machine: lamarzoccohome.com

[@marcb9015]

This is incredible. This is like University grade education on coffee!

[@preetpatel]

lol hi marc!

[@adityadennis4252]

this is the best informative video about how to dial in an espresso so far, explain it super perfectly how to dial an espresso based on roast level, brew ratio, water temperature, time and taste. Very good job

[@sebastiansaucedo9965]

I know! Its hard to find a good video here on KZbin explaining this. This was very helpfull

[@SlayPlenty]

@@sebastiansaucedo9965 for me they all explain the same thing in different ways James Hoffmann, whole latte love these two creators approached this subject in different ways comparend to each other and to this video and watching all of them gave me a more complete picture of dialing in, in general i wouldnt say there is a one 'best' video for it

[@danjohnson6292]

/agree!!

[@fahadara]

True! An easy to understand and informative video….. Lance Hedrick does similar great videos too…. His channel worth subscribing if you are making your way in espresso knowledge…

[@FourCornersCoffee]

now I gotta watch

[@dankennedy3365]

nice video. thanks for your take on starting brew ratios for roast level. ( pssssst ... 16 x 2.5 is 40 8D)

[@remnant24]

0:05 Dang, I was really looking forward to see the kitty preparing the espresso.

[@Nazareth434]

cats are notoriously horrible espresso makers- Gerbils o n the other hand...

[@JureJerebic]

Been into coffee for a few years now but learned a ton from this video. Thank you!

[@SecurityDivision]

When you start espresso journey and start looking for information how to do it properly, what I've found is a huge overload of information from all these big coffee channels. It's always overengineered, overcomplicated, filled with ambiguous information and no clear paths. This video explained the whole thing in half an hour :)

[@FelipeMontes_Fhilippos]

This is such an amazing video. I've never seen any other as clear and informative as this one. Leah, thank you so much! Love the espresso classes too! Hope we can see you back soon!

[@motardmike6383]

This is so much easier to understand and utilize then many other in dial-in / espresso guides. Thank you.

[@e13c7r0nic]

Great video. One of the more informative ones on dialing in espresso. I loved how you explained the WHY and not just the how.

[@entertainment6630]

Absolutely the best espresso training material on KZbin!

[@jrb729]

Absolutely the best coffee extraction video I've seen to date! Thank you for your video

[@ymmf6863]

This is an excellent video and the extraction curve is the light bulb moment. Thank you for the contribution!

[@johnhavers]

Thank you. Your explanations and charts are the most informative and easy to comprehend that I’ve found since hunting for my best home brew. Now I understand why I love double ristretto lattes, and better still - I know which settings to tweak in order to arrive at latte nirvana. That will be soon, I hope! Thank you for being awesome.

[@Sawmoo]

Best video I have seen about dialing into espresso based on roast level and actually how to do it visually.

[@disssidi]

Absolutely great work explaining the whole dialing process. Appreciated!

[@thetenproject]

Wow so good! Your explanation is crystal clear and amazingly informative, thank you 🙏🏼

[@Eddian18]

She’s amazing. All her videos are great.

[@Poraqui]

Indeed the best video about modern espresso brewing.

[@AndyPanda9]

This is a really wonderful video. You've done such a great job of making this clear and easy to understand!

[@JavaJakesRoastery]

This was extremely helpful in my opinion one of the best educational coffee videos on KZbin

[@yanaysova5782]

Such a great video, thank you! Never thought about this concept and it's brilliant! You just made my dark roasted Colombian espresso taste much, much better :)

[@reidmartin8469]

This is one of the best videos I have seen yet. Thanks for the info.

[@bljteam]

The best Video on the Subject! You helped me a lot! Thank You!!!!

[@Iversonfr1985]

This video is simply awesome! Thank you!

[@adyp81]

Not only do you make the best coffee machines you also make the best tutorials

[@KzLollapalooza]

Thank you for your teachings, keep such content coming please.

[@boira31b60]

Great video. Lots of information and very well explained. Thanks!

[@arielk.8174]

So much to learn from this video just in time to receive my first espresso machine! TY!

[@MrLsaylor]

My god, this was so helpful. Thank you. I look forward to more like this!

[@yi-chenlee7324]

Very nice video! The thinking process for dialing espresso is super helpful.

[@wakeawaken430]

Congrats for the video, enjoyable to watch and helpful even for the experts

[@cvandenhaute]

Fantastic summary, very well laid out. I will put a link to it in my coffee blog.

[@dlk449]

Such a great video. I'm very much looking forward to all the shots I screw up trying to replicate both those awesome pulls!

[@boira31b60]

Loved the video. Lots of information and very well explained. Thaks!!

[@danjohnson6292]

I would love to have you trouble shoot my terrible espresso shots. you make it seem so simple. I completely agree with many of the comments, this is the best info about espresso I have found on KZbin so far. Thank you

[@diegohernandez1988]

Super informative and helpful! It leads me to brew an excellent lungo espresso of a really light roast geisha. Thank you a lot!

[@superstrada6847]

I learned more from this one video than I have in 2 years!

[@johnlambert6403]

This is very helpful. No one else wants to discus darker roast levels. Your communication style is most welcome too. Keep up the good work!

[@richardchaitt774]

Excellent video describing options I never before considered.

[@Jo-bo1mp]

Woww what a brilliant video! So lucky to have found this channel.

[@babieboi101]

Great video! That curve visual is very helpful. Thanks!

[@jwadleigh1]

Amazing video and so well explained! I honestly haven't seen such a great explanation of all of these concepts anywhere yet. So thank you SO much for the talk and putting this together. I've been really taking my espresso process to the next level lately and sort of forced to do so with the Silvia machine I just bought. Now I see how the temp has an important role in the whole process and why you'd want to change it slightly. So interesting! How do I sign up for the live talks that you give? I would love to be a part of them so I can do the Q&A sessions. Thank you again so much!!

[@manhso5549]

I really learned something from you today, thankyou .

[@matt-e]

Amazing quality content - rare - thank you!

[@davekerry7856]

Awesome video, great content - thankyou!!

[@theindynomad]

This was well made. I now clearly understand how extraction works and what flavours you can get at what points of the extraction. I have been seeing so many videos about espresso, and even James Hoffman does not delve into this level of detail in his dialling in videos!

[@johnauld1268]

Excellent content and very well presented. Thanks,

[@cognacbraun1]

Great video, thanks so much.

[@QuynhPham-vq3fy]

This is amazing ❤ thank you so much

[@ariobintangnugraha1916]

4:42 aah just like battery acid. So familiar, everybody had battery acid every now and then.

[@Dulakx]

made my day :-D

[@gildardoclemenst5101]

🤣

[@hamwarshwany]

I can still remember that taste 😂

[@yasser22b]

شكراً شكراً جهد كبير ومعلومات مفيدة جدا

[@philgoogle1535]

Thankyou, very enjoyable and informative. It would be useful to know how to adapt the extraction recipe for coffee as it ages.

[@FaiLoYut]

This was great, thank you!

[@garretthutson3658]

"broccoli stalk, kale, paper bag". Amazing. LOL. Very informtive video. Thnks!

[@expecto10]

Mantap cara explanation. Excelllent explanation. Learn a lot of things from your video. Subscribed!

[@000GunterGabriel000]

Wow! Excellent content. Thx!

[@dush]

One of the best videos on learning about different parameters, i prefer this one over James Hoffman videos

[@shanespruiell93]

I recently bought an Breville Barista Express espresso machine. Through much experimentation and frustration, I discovered that brewing my coffee at the 25 second and 1:2 ratio (parameters most commonly recommended in most other KZbin videos) resulted in shots that were very acidic (under extracted). I started to tinker with brew ratios and brew time and found that a 1:2.5 ratio and 29 seconds achieved a MUCH better shot - more well rounded with more sweet notes (properly extracted). As I started to think more about this, I wondered if this had something to do with the type of coffee that I was brewing, which have mostly been lighter roasts specialty coffees. This video provided a ton of insight into my experience with espresso thus far, and emphasized a point that is not talked about enough when it comes to dialing in a shot - the roast level (and elevation). Very good information that will make me much more prepared to dial in future coffees of different roast levels. Will definitely recommend this video to others who are new to brewing espresso, as adjusting for roast level has made a huge difference in my coffee drinking experience

[@citruslemons5491]

Hi , i have the same machine and light roast coffee as well . Can I know the grind setting for yours ( the one on the outside on the side of the machine ) ? Thank you so much in advance

[@josdreamhouse48]

Cool. Many many thanks.

[@randomstoragespace]

Excellent video. Very helpful

[@kimbridge5592]

both look yum. i have with milk so the dark looks good. i am trying to learn to taste coffee. but not a fan of espresso shots. but am trying

[@MrKhmer12]

Thanks for education of espresso shot.

[@rnchnphtsk]

Great informative video 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@jonperfetti]

Very nice. To the point. Beautiful cat..thanks

[@GoTellJesusSaves]

Great! Thank you!

[@stevecahill1378]

Agree Aditya... The darker roast seemed to have a better / fuller extraction (based solely on crema). Not what I would have expected.

[@christopherr.wilson8163]

Excellent!

[@infoSchoof]

Wonderful video, thx

[@mbnto3135]

That was excellent. Quick questions. Lighter roasts where I'm from have very bright acid notes and I can't balance them out. How to do so? Reduce grind size? I also have pressure profilie control, so if i have a super long pre infusion at low pressure and high temperature, will I get more sweetness and less of the acid? Or if a roast is very acid, is there nothing you can do to reduce acidity, and maybe I just dont like that note as much as those in darker roasts? I'd like to enjoy the lighter roasts more and expand beyond darker italian styles but haven't been successful, so thanks for any help!

[@maminshan]

Does brew time include pre-infusion time? And how does pre-infusion affect extraction curve? Thank you for such great tutorial!! :)

[@mcpulya6890710]

Few roasters recommend me to go for the 1:2 ratio for medium roast and not longer and the temperature they recommend for medium roast was 92-94. What do you think about it?

[@datup09]

Ah the mini... Wish I could afford that 😍. One question: since lighter roasts are more difficult to extract, would you recommend rather adjusting dose than grinding coarser?

[@mikehaterken4775]

Nice Video :) thanks!

[@NicklasAittamaa]

Great and detailed video, although i found it wierd to see your adjusting to a courser grind for the lighter beans. Should be toe opposite right?, i think thats why is channeled? Im confused

[@muhammadhayckel3030]

How about if i use double spout portafilter ? Is that mean i have to decrease yield for darker roast ? And i have to increase yield for lighter roast ?

[@ericb40380]

Any tips for someone with a machine that can't change temperature? There's a PID that keeps it at 200 and I have no control over that. Can that lack of control be made up in other ways? Preinfusion, total time, grind, etc? Or does a stationary temperature tie my hands and never allow me to get it perfect?

[@mcpulya6890710]

How can I know what time is better for the brew of any roast, 24 sec or 28 sec or 32 sec. How the time change will affect flavour?

[@emil_k]

Very good information, the lighter roast presented looked like a Medium roast. I recently received some whole beans that are roasted light (very light) and have tasting notes of Berry; Toffee; Citrus and elevation of 1400-1800. So I believe that bumping the water temp another notch 4C (total) and a ratio of 1:3 would be advised and the basket used would be 18gr. Looking forward to giving it a go and seeing the outcome. I am having issues with getting very bitter shots with multiple beans, hopefully, this information will provide resolution!

[@philindeblanc]

use lower temp would first guess for less bitter

[@solidandsoiled]

This has been a really helpful video! I just got my first espresso machine so I'm trying to figure out all the variables. guess I have many espresso days ahead haha

[@metrocaptain]

It's a journey. Have fun! Recipe ratios are a good starting place. I've been making espresso for 9 years and just now am diving into the depths of all of the science and theory behind what I've been doing. Lots of knowledge on here to learn from.

[@BaysviewPg]

I learnt and master the use of pressurized basket for over 2 months, after that it is much easier to master the non-pressurized basket. This is my personal experience,

[@annaheya2109]

Very useful 👍

[@z00011001]

If you cannot adjust temperature then is it better to increase time? I find 30ish seconds too fast in my cheap machine that seems to set at low temperature. I usually go much longer at 40 to 1 minute 17 seconds. 40ish seconds for medium roast. I order from bluetokaicoffee though I stick to only organic or another who is in process of getting organic. Former is medium roast and latter is light roast. Both comes out super good at much longer intervals. I have noticed that time can be ruled out. Like I get similar taste at 41 seconds and 50 seconds etc depending on grind size. I don’t have high end grinders… one is hands held that gives me just one usable setting and rancilio gives me just 2 settings…. Depending I run longer or shorter. I also find I don’t have to target anything more than 1:1.5 though sometimes I go up to 1:2 depending on coffee age or outside temp and humidity.

[@lloix]

Were both beans freshly roasted? Or should I allow certain beans to degas a little longer depending on the roast level?

[@JohnSmith-zy1ur]

Great video. Do you count preinfusion time in your shot time or not?

[@royidjit]

For your second shot for the lighter roast, why is the channeling because of the coarser grind size? And isn’t making it finer increase your chances of channeling?

[@doopydoge9815]

what is thw knock box you use?

[@ovismae]

I always enjoy learning about the beautiful world of coffee and to be honest, this video brought me a new perspective to this world. so thank you for creating this video and I'm looking forward to watch your new video

[@aidenyang747]

What grinder is that.

[@ekintulga2287]

16g x 2.5 equals 40gram, but other than that I learnt a ton here. I appreciate the share!

[@UncleWee]

Cool for cats too !

[@josho.9530]

How would you apply this to a medium blend in terms of grind and water temp?

[@RedLikeAnOrange]

Hi, when you first switched from the darker to the under extracted lighter roast, how many notches had you moved the grinder setting to coarser? Thanks.

[@SimonLeeds]

That doesn’t matter because even if you have the same grinder the blades would have different wear. This sort of thing take practice. Buy 1kg bags of beans.

[@jba68707]

Ah, I think they meant that 19-22% is the ideal range for extraction yield (EY), not TDS. For those wondering, EY = TDS x (yield/dose). For pour overs, a TDS of 1-2% is standard. And for espresso, 8-12 % is standard. But for both, an EY of 19-22% is what we want.

[@bgoldb21]

Thank you for clarifying this as she may have accidentally confused extraction yield with TDS.

[@wiktorinviktoria]

Hello, I have a question as a beginner home barista. I have the Sage barista express and I bought a really dark roast bean (of course fresh and high quality). I weigh my beans, 15-16 g (I started with 18 g but found it to be too much amount to fit in the basket, I read somewhere it's because of the dark roast) and I pull a 1:2 ratio shot ending up with ish 36 g of espresso. I have tried both finer and coarser grind but can't find a good setting that fines my problem. SO HERE IS MY PROBLEM: 1) The time to pull my shot is super super fast... I end up getting 36 g of espresso in like 7 sec... And I understad that I should grind my coffee finer but this doesn't seem to help. The dark roast been becomes extremely fine, like more fine than powder. 2) When I grind the beans at a finer setting I end up with a wet puck. I understand this is a symptom of too fine grind which I guess is the case because grinding my dark roast that fine as I said makes it almost vanish haha... But setting a coarser grind just pulls the shot so fast (like 5 sec??) and I end up with no crema at all. 3) The taste is really strong and has a lot of bitter tones and almost a little sour sometimes. Please help me succeed with my dark roast espresso! Any tips?? What grind setting should I try?

[@vh8496]

Where can you get that pad that was placed on the scale?

[@-Vee_]

Why every time I switch my beans from light to dark roast I need to grind finer for espresso to be able to build the pressure when everywhere it’s says it’s supposed to be opposite.

[@Dims338003]

Why turning the tamper in the PF after tamping though...

[@bikepackers4648]

I only taste soar and bitterness. I dont know whats the taste of paper or battery lol

[@baristakev5709]

What knock box is that

[@Kinnnnnnnnn1]

In this video did they mix up TDS and ExtractionYield? TDS should be in the range 1.1%-1.6%, right? Not like 20% which is said in the video.

[@philindeblanc]

no pre infusion on that nice machine?