# Espresso

Written for Forte Espresso, which is the coffee we roast for pressure. Everything here applies to the
other coffees too, but they will taste sharper and thinner as espresso — that is the roast, not your
technique.

## Starting recipe

| Setting | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Dose | 18 g in a standard double basket |
| Yield | 36 g out (1:2 ratio) |
| Time | 26–30 seconds from first drop |
| Water temperature | 93 °C (199 °F) |
| Grind (Tandem EG-1) | Click 4–6 |

## Rest the coffee first

Give Forte **four days off the roast date** before you try to dial it in. Fresher than that and it is
still degassing: the puck channels, the shot gushes, and you will chase the grinder for nothing. The
usable window is roughly day 4 to day 21.

Every bag has the roast date printed on it. This is what it is for.

## Dialling in

Change **one** variable at a time and pull a shot between each change.

**Shot runs too fast (under 24 s)** — grind finer, one click at a time. Two clicks is a big move on the
Tandem.

**Shot runs too slow (over 32 s)** — grind coarser.

**Correct time but sour** — under-extracted. Raise the yield to 40 g, or raise the temperature 1 °C.

**Correct time but bitter and dry** — over-extracted. Drop the yield to 32 g, or drop the temperature 1 °C.

**Gushes then slows, uneven streams** — that is channelling, not grind. Distribute the grounds properly
and tamp level. A wobbly tamp is the most common cause of a bad shot in a home setup.

## Milk drinks

Forte is roasted to survive milk. For a 200 ml flat white pull the same 18 g in / 36 g out shot and steam
to 60 °C (140 °F). Above 65 °C the milk sugars scald and the chocolate note turns papery.

Do not compensate for milk by pulling a longer shot. Pull the same shot and use less milk.

## Moka pot

Forte and Blackpine both work. Use a fine — not espresso — grind, fill the basket level without tamping,
start with hot water in the base, and pull it off the heat the moment it starts to hiss.

## Related

- [Grind size chart](grind-size-chart.md)
- [Tandem grinder calibration](tandem-grinder-calibration.md)
- [Water for brewing](water-for-brewing.md)