August 20, 2026 · Hannah Brooks
Dialing in Night Shift on a home espresso machine
Most of the espresso questions we get start the same way: "I just got a new machine and everything tastes sour." Here is the routine we teach at the tasting bar.
Fix the dose, then the ratio, then the time
- Dose: weigh 18 g into a standard double basket. Don't change this while dialing in.
- Ratio: aim for 36 to 40 g of espresso out (about 1:2). Stop the shot by weight, not by volume.
- Time: adjust the grind to land between 27 and 32 seconds. Finer if it runs fast, coarser if it chokes.
Taste every shot. Sour and thin means grind finer; bitter and drying means grind coarser or stop earlier. Night Shift is forgiving and sweet at 1:2.1; Lantern wants a longer 1:2.3.
Rest your beans
Espresso tastes best about 7 to 40 days off roast. Coffee straight out of the roaster is full of CO2, which makes shots gush and taste sharp. If a bag is very fresh, give it a few days.
How much coffee does a home espresso habit use?
More than people expect. Two double shots a day at 18 g is about 1.1 kg a month, and dialing in a new bag, a new machine, or guests adds another 10 to 20%. A household making four milk drinks a day goes through a 5 lb bag in about five weeks. That's why Night Shift comes in 2 lb and 5 lb bags, and why most of our espresso customers subscribe.
Gear that matters
A grinder that can make small adjustments matters more than the machine. A scale with a timer matters more than either. Clean your group head and backflush weekly.