Espresso at home: what matters and in what order

The 18 g is the dose Sage recommends for the Bambino’s 54 mm portafilter; its quick guide gives 16-19 g for the dual-wall basket. The 36 g in the cup (twice the coffee) is my suggestion to start with: from there, adjust the grind to taste.

If you’re torn between the two best-selling machines to start with, see Sage Bambino vs De’Longhi Dedica.

Step by step

1. Switch the machine on and let the portafilter heat up locked into the group head.
2. Grind 18 g of coffee finely, straight into the portafilter or into a dosing cup.
3. Distribute the coffee (with a WDT tool or a distributor) so there are no clumps or gaps.
4. Tamp level and firmly, without twisting at the end.
5. Put the scale under the cup and start the shot.
6. Stop when the cup reaches about 36 g. Taste and adjust the grind for the next one.

If it doesn't taste right

• Bitter: grind a little coarser or stop earlier.
• Sour or salty: grind finer or let a little more come through.
• The pressurised (dual-wall) baskets these machines come with forgive the grind; single-wall baskets give better results with a good grinder.
• Freshly roasted coffee, from the last few weeks. Supermarket pre-ground coffee doesn’t make good espresso.