Dialing In

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Sounds like you have a nice setup. 

The tricky thing with espresso is that brewing with force really amplifies the effects of all the other variables. So here at the DoubleShot, we teach a very specific way of dosing, leveling, and tamping and try to ensure that our baristas adhere to that unwaveringly. We’re trying to fix as many variables as possible. Then it’s obviously all about making sure your pressure pump is set at 9 bars (or whatever your preference is there). Then fiddling with the grind size until you get the flow rate you want - we shoot for 2 ounce pours in 25-30 seconds. The last thing is that, if you have the ability, changing the brew temp up or down by one degree will yield a different espresso, and that can be fun.

As far as coffee, I see that you’re on our monthly subscription at the moment. I’m going to make note on your next shipment to send you 1/2 pound of our India Monsooned Malabar and 1/2 pound of our Ambergris Espresso Blend  if that sounds good to you. The blend is specifically made to be used as espresso, and that’s what we use in-house. About 1/4 of the blend is the Malabar, and even though it’s a polarizing coffee (and I don’t necessarily recommend using it as a drip coffee), it makes a super interesting espresso loaded with crema.

If you ever need service on your espresso machine, we have a full-time tech on staff who is a whiz and can fix, descale, or completely renovate your machine. And if you ever think about going fully manual with your espresso, I use the Comandante grinder and Aram espresso maker at home, and it’s a very satisfying process.