Dosing coffee refers to the weight of dry coffee grounds placed in a portafilter.
- Clean and dry your portafilter.
- Grind your espresso into your portafilter. You can measure the dose of coffee using a digital scale to get an accurate measurement.
- Tap the portafilter to let the espresso grinds fall into the basket.
- For any extra heaping espresso grinds, use your finger on the top of the basket, to gently guide the espresso into the basket.
- Once the espresso dose is level and even around of the portafilter, you’re ready to tamp your espresso.
How to measure the correct dosage of coffee
To measure the correct dosage of coffee, you can use a digital scale to measure the number of grams in your portafilter basket.
How many grams in a double shot of espresso
In a double shot of espresso you should put 14-18g of ground coffee beans in your portafilter. This will produce 30-36 g espresso shot.
Find your recommended number of grams for your filter basket from your manufacturer. Each portafilter basket is different for their recommended dose.
How many espresso grounds in a single shot of espresso
For one shot of espresso, you’ll need about 6-8 grams of dry ground coffee beans. The volume of a single shot espresso will produce 12-16 g of liquid espresso.
Espresso brew ratio
Espresso brew ratio is generally a 1:2 ratio. 1g of ground dry coffee beans will yield 2g of liquid espresso.
However, you can change your espresso brew time to increase or decrease the yield of espresso. You can dose the exact same, but brew it for less time or more time.
Espresso Brew Ratio of 1:1 – your espresso will be under-extracted, and therefore much thicker and stronger.
Espresso Brew Ratio of 1:3 – your espresso will be weaker and thinner.
Your espresso brew ratio can change depending on your preference for your coffee. The dose will always be fixed.
You can measure your dose using a digital scale. Place your portafilter on a scale and measure the amount of espresso going into the portafilter basket to get an accurate dose, every time.
How long to brew espresso for
If your shot comes out too fast – less than 20-25 seconds, your espresso will be too acidic and bitter.
If your espresso shot is too slow – more than 30 seconds the espresso will be weaker and too thin. It will not have the pungent flavor and taste espresso normally has.
Ideally an espresso shot should be brewed for 20-30 seconds.
How hard should you tamp espresso
Espresso should be tamped with about 30 lbs of pressure.
You can also use a distribution tool which will level the coffee and tamp it for you which will give you consistent espresso shots, without having to use a tamper. This will produce the best crema possible for your espresso shot.
If you’re still having difficulties pulling the best espresso shot, try our espresso troubleshooting guide.
