A good starting point for a tasty espresso:

Dose: 18g coffee
Grind: Fine
Extraction time: Around 27–32 seconds

Start with 18g of finely ground coffee in a standard non-pressurised basket. Pull your espresso and aim for around 27–32 seconds.

Running a little fast? → Grind finer
Taking too long? → Grind coarser

Every coffee, grinder and machine is a little different, so use this as a starting point rather than a strict rule. The most important bit? If it tastes good, you're doing it right.

Start with a fine grind and adjust from there.

As a general guide:

Under 30 seconds → Grind finer

Over 30 seconds → Grind coarser

Make small adjustments each time and let taste be the final judge. The numbers are there to get you close — good coffee is the actual goal.

Your espresso will usually tell you which way to go.

Sour, sharp or overly acidic? → Grind finer

Bitter, harsh or overly dry? → Grind coarser

Make one small adjustment at a time, pull another shot and taste again.

Add the beans to your machine's hopper and brew as normal.

If your machine gives you control over the grinder, you can adjust it using the same principles as espresso. Bean-to-cup machines don't always give you precise control over dose and extraction time, though, so taste is your best guide.

Tastes sour? → Try grinding finer
Tastes bitter? → Try grinding coarser

Small adjustments can make a surprisingly big difference.

We send our coffee freshly roasted, but that doesn't always mean straight out of the roaster.

Fresh coffee often benefits from a little time to rest and release CO₂ before brewing, particularly for espresso. Your coffee may therefore have had up to a couple of weeks of rest before it reaches you.

If it's less than a week from roast, don't worry if the flavours aren't quite where you expect them to be yet. Give it a little more time and you may find the coffee really starts to open up.

There's no single answer — and that's half the fun.

If you want something dependable and easy to dial in, House Blend is a great place to start. If you're after something a little different, explore our other espresso favourites above.

All the coffees on this page have been selected because we think they taste great as espresso.

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