Espresso
Espresso brew ratio recipe
This recipe is a first shot, not a finished one.
- Coffee
- 18 g
- Yield
- 36 g
- Temp
- 93 °C
- Time
- 30 s
It gives you a dose, a beverage weight and a time window so that your first adjustment has something to be measured against. It suits anyone with an espresso machine and a grinder who is dialing in a new bag, or setting up a machine for the first time. If the grinder is not yet consistent, a shot will not be either, so expect a few tries. When you want to turn the espresso into milk coffee, the milk drinks builder scales cup sizes from this base. To move from this starting shot one change at a time, follow the espresso dial-in guide.
The spec
| Part | Amount |
|---|---|
| Coffee dose | 18 g in the basket |
| Beverage | 36 g in the cup (1:2 by beverage mass) |
| Water temperature | 93 °C |
| Shot time | 30 s from pump start |
| Grind | Espresso-fine |
You need
- An espresso machine with a portafilter, and a grinder that can make small steps.
- A scale that reads to 0.1 g, with a cup on it under the spout.
- A timer and a tamper.
Ratio 1:2 · Grind: Espresso · grind chart
Starting ranges come from your grinder maker’s own guide. Burrs, beans and calibration vary, so treat them as where to begin.
Steps
Before the timer starts, dose 18 g, level and tamp. Put the cup on the scale and zero it.
- 0:00, Start the shot.
Start the pump and the timer together. Watch for the first drops.
- 0:05, Watch flow and beverage mass.
This is when the flow settles. Around 30 g should be in the cup by 25 seconds. Watch for even, steady flow and note any spurts.
- 0:25, Stop near 36 g.
Stop the pump near 36 g. Stopping on weight, not time, is the point.
My notes for this recipe
Why these numbers
18 g and 36 g. One part dose to two parts beverage is the ratio convention. 36 divided by 18 is 2.0, and it measures the drink, not the water put into the machine. The basket size you own may suit a different dose, and then 36 g becomes twice that dose.
30 seconds. An SCA survey described 25 to 30 seconds as typical. CupTune has chosen the top of that range to keep arithmetic simple: a steady 36 g over 30 seconds is 1.2 g per second.
93 °C. Authored, and a starting point; machines report temperature differently from what the puck actually sees.
What changes the cup: flow and the clock
Time is a symptom, not a target. Use it to ask what the water did, then adjust one variable.
- Gushes: 36 g in under 20 seconds, pale and watery. The bed is offering too little resistance. Grind finer, or check that tamping is level.
- Drips: under 20 g at 30 seconds. The bed is too restrictive. Grind coarser and keep the dose the same.
- Spurts from one spot. Channelling, where water finds a weak path through the puck. Look at how evenly you distribute the grounds before tamping.
- On time and on weight but tastes sharp or sour. Change the grind finer by a small step or let the beverage run a few grams longer.
- On time and tastes bitter and dry. Go coarser or stop earlier.
Change one thing per shot and record the number, so you can return to it. These flow readings are CupTune's rules of thumb, not measured thresholds.
Evidence and limits
An SCA survey of current espresso practice reported an average 1:2 ratio, 18 to 20 g dose, 36.5 g beverage and 25 to 30 seconds. CupTune uses 18 g, 36 g and 30 seconds as a survey-grounded starting point, not a correctness standard. A survey average does not say that your bag, basket or machine should sit at that average. The 93 °C figure, the step timing and the flow-rate arithmetic are authored.
Questions
Is a 25-second shot wrong?
No. The window is a rough guide, and taste decides. A 25-second shot that tastes good is a good shot.
Why weigh the beverage instead of using a mark on the cup?
Crema volume changes with the coffee, but mass does not. A scale gives the same answer every time.
Do I need 18 g exactly?
No. Match the dose to your basket. Then take twice that dose as your beverage target.