What you should be able to do
- Use a baseline recipe and sensory target.
- Prioritize grind changes when appropriate.
- Diagnose fast, slow, sour, bitter and inconsistent shots.
- Document changes so another barista can reproduce the result.
Start from a known baseline
Record coffee, roast age, dose, yield, time, grinder setting and water/machine context. A baseline makes every adjustment interpretable.
Grind as the main flow control
Finer grinding usually slows flow and can increase extraction; coarser grinding usually speeds flow and can reduce extraction. Small adjustments are preferable to large swings, especially on low-retention grinders.
Purge and retention
After a grinder adjustment, retained coffee may mean the next dose is a mix of old and new settings. Use an appropriate purge strategy for the grinder and operational waste policy.
Diagnose inconsistency first
If two shots at the same setting behave very differently, investigate distribution, dose variance, grinder clumping, basket condition, channeling, machine stability and workflow before chasing the grind dial.
Taste with a directional question
Instead of “good or bad?”, ask whether the cup needs more sweetness, less harshness, more clarity, more body or better balance. Connect each desired change to the smallest reasonable recipe adjustment.
Hand-over discipline
A completed dial-in should be logged for the next shift. Include the final recipe, grinder reference, sensory notes, observed drift and when to re-check.
Apply the lesson
Create a five-step dial-in decision tree beginning with “Is the shot repeatable?” and ending with a documented recipe. Test it on three consecutive shots.
Open Coffee Lab ↗Test your understanding
Pass at 70% or higher, then mark the module complete. You can retry as many times as needed.
Progress is stored locally in this browser. Completing a module does not issue a formal certification.