Dialed-in starting recipe
Starting recipe for the Breville Barista Express
A new bag shouldn’t cost you half its beans in guessing. Here’s where we’d start on a Breville Barista Express with fresh, roast-to-order specialty coffee — plus how to correct in one cup, not ten.
- Method
- Espresso
- Dose
- 18 g in → 36 g out
- Ratio
- 1:2
- Grind
- Fine (espresso) — start the built-in grinder at 5–6 on the inner burr, hopper dial ~8
- Water
- 93°C (machine default)
- Time
- 25–30 seconds
Use the single-wall (non-pressurized) basket that fits 18 g. The built-in grinder drifts as beans age — re-check the time every few days, not the taste memory.
The three steps
- Grind 18 g into the portafilter, level and tamp firmly.
- Pull the shot aiming for about 36 g of espresso in the cup.
- Time it: 25–30 seconds is the window. Adjust the grind — not the dose — to hit it.
If the first cup is off
Shot runs under ~20s, tastes sour or thin → grind one step finer (or add 0.5–1 g).
Shot drags past ~35s, tastes bitter or harsh → grind one step coarser (or remove 0.5–1 g).
Change one variable at a time. A starting recipe is a starting point, not a prophecy — burrs, water and beans all drift. That’s the whole idea of dialed-in coffee.
What we’d brew on it
- Adira Blend — dark, chocolate-forward, very forgiving — built for espresso and milk drinks.
- Colombia — medium-dark, dark chocolate and mango — a step brighter without getting sour.
Skip the guessing entirely
Every Adira order comes with a starting recipe built for your exact machine and grinder — emailed to you and saved to your My Cup account. This page is the generic version; yours gets translated to your burrs. And if the first cups are off, Stefan helps you dial it in personally.
Start with your first dialed-in bag →First bag ships free with code FIRSTBAG · No subscription required
Starting recipes for other setups
Breville Barista Express · Breville Bambino · Gaggia Classic Pro · De’Longhi Dedica · Hario V60 · Chemex · AeroPress · Moka pot · French press · Moccamaster