Need HELP with Breville Barista Pro

[Cyrus M]

Hi, I’m new in this Forum and desperately need help with setting up my new Breville Barista Pro.
I understand a perfect double espresso shot has 2:1 ratio and 17-18gr beans and 30-35 sec to make it …BUT, Icannot set up my machine to get it!!!
I have medium roast beans, I measure 17gr, grind at 9 (0-30 levels), however I don’t know how make the machine pre-infuse 8 sec and brew for 30secs…..
HELP me please!

 

[shadow745]

Honestly there is no perfect ratio for espresso regardless of equipment/coffee being used. That will vary greatly based on your taste, that sort of thing. Going by numbers to get things close is fine, but then tweak variables to get exactly what you like, then work at repeating it.

For example, I don't go by time, weight or volume but will check things now and then out of curiosity. My average ristretto can run upwards of 70 seconds with well under a 1 oz yield, as in say 19.1 grams in and 18-24 grams out in that time frame. That's not great to stretch some coffees out for my taste, but something like the typical 2:1 in 30 seconds is diluted/unbalanced swill for me at this point. Don't get too caught up thinking you just have to stick with the common guidelines to achieve what you like as that's hardly the case.

Also, I do make the effort to dial in the dry dose to the .1 gram as keeping that variable consistent is quite important. Keep in mind that if you grind a bit finer you can also increase the dose a bit, tamp a bit less, etc. Then keep in mind that your coffee can/will vary day by day at times. What worked yesterday may not come close in 1 week if you still have the same coffee. It will age a bit, then factor in temperature/humidity changes, etc. and you just have to figure it out as you go. Don't get overwhelmed as espresso isn't a set it/forget it type of thing and will always keep you guessing to a degree. There is no right or wrong, just give it time and effort to see the reward!

 

[Cyrus M]

Honestly there is no perfect ratio for espresso regardless of equipment/coffee being used. That will vary greatly based on your taste, that sort of thing. Going by numbers to get things close is fine, but then tweak variables to get exactly what you like, then work at repeating it.

For example, I don't go by time, weight or volume but will check things now and then out of curiosity. My average ristretto can run upwards of 70 seconds with well under a 1 oz yield, as in say 19.1 grams in and 18-24 grams out in that time frame. That's not great to stretch some coffees out for my taste, but something like the typical 2:1 in 30 seconds is diluted/unbalanced swill for me at this point. Don't get too caught up thinking you just have to stick with the common guidelines to achieve what you like as that's hardly the case.

Also, I do make the effort to dial in the dry dose to the .1 gram as keeping that variable consistent is quite important. Keep in mind that if you grind a bit finer you can also increase the dose a bit, tamp a bit less, etc. Then keep in mind that your coffee can/will vary day by day at times. What worked yesterday may not come close in 1 week if you still have the same coffee. It will age a bit, then factor in temperature/humidity changes, etc. and you just have to figure it out as you go. Don't get overwhelmed as espresso isn't a set it/forget it type of thing and will always keep you guessing to a degree. There is no right or wrong, just give it time and effort to see the reward!

Agreed. All I want at this point is to get the crema like they have it in some YouTubes… mine is not watery, but not much of crema either!

 

[shadow745]

Agreed. All I want at this point is to get the crema like they have it in some YouTubes… mine is not watery, but not much of crema either!

 

[Musicphan]

How fresh is your coffee?