One barista, coming right up.

Dialling in

I brew at home every day, on a Moka pot and a French press. I keep adjusting grind, water temperature and ratio, and tasting what each change does.

I haven't pulled a shot on a commercial machine yet, but I've done the reading. Here it is as a toy: 18 g in, 36 g out, you set the grind.

Set the grind, then pull. Aim for 25 to 32 seconds.

What I've taught myself so far

• The recipe: fix the dose and the yield, then move the grinder until the time lands.
• Taste tells you which way to go. Sour means grind finer, bitter means go coarser.
• The milk menu, from macchiato and cortado to flat white and latte, and how much milk and foam each one gets.
• Good microfoam: glossy and silky, no big bubbles, never scalded.

My Moka pot brews at about 1.5 bar. An espresso machine pulls at nine. I'm here for the other 7.5.