Dialed-in starting recipe
Starting recipe for the Gaggia Classic Pro
A new bag shouldn’t cost you half its beans in guessing. Here’s where we’d start on a Gaggia Classic Pro 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) — external grinder required
- Water
- Machine default — flush 2–3 s after the brew light steadies
- Time
- 25–30 seconds
Small single boiler: temperature moves around. A short flush before the shot keeps it consistent — consistency first, then taste adjustments mean something.
The three steps
- Flush briefly, grind 18 g, tamp level.
- Pull to ~36 g in the cup.
- Time the shot; 25–30 s is the target window.
If the first cup is off
Fast and sour → finer grind; keep the dose fixed.
Slow and bitter → coarser grind; check the tamp isn’t uneven.
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 — a dark, classic espresso profile that suits the Gaggia’s character.
- Sumatra — deep and heavy-bodied if you like your espresso rustic.
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