Barista Resources .
How To Dial-in .
How To Dial In:
Dialing in is how you adjust your grinder so every espresso shot hits the same target for weight, time, and taste. This is the exact method our baristas use across every 787 Coffee location — NYC, New Jersey, Texas, Puerto Rico, and Mexico City — so a Supremo shot tastes the same at 3 PM as it did at 8 AM.
Watch the full masterclass above, then keep this page as your reference at the machine.
The Standard
Weight in: 17.5–18 grams
Extraction time: 27–31 seconds
Weight out: 50 ml
Re-dial: every 2 hours, minimum
Read the shot by taste
Sour means under-extracted → grind finer
Bitter means over-extracted → grind coarser
Balanced means sweet, chocolatey, a little fruit on the finish → don't touch a thing
The golden rule: change only one click at a time, then purge for 6 seconds and pull again.
Why we obsess over this
Less than 1% of coffee shops in the world own their own coffee farm. We're one of them.
Our coffee comes primarily from Hacienda Iluminada in Maricao, Puerto Rico, we also partner with specific farms in Mexico and it takes three years to grow a coffee tree before it gives you a single cherry. Every bad shot is three years of work in the trash.
We dial in because the coffee, the farmer, and the customer deserve it.
Want to dial in the same espresso at home? This is our Supremo, roasted from beans grown on our own farm.
For Humans, By Humans.
Gracias, gracias, gracias ☕
FAQ on How To Dial In:
What does it mean to dial in espresso? Dialing in is adjusting your grinder so every shot hits the same target for weight, time, and taste. You pull a shot, check the numbers, taste it, and make a small grind adjustment until it lands in the window. It's the difference between an espresso that's consistent and one that's a guess.
What are 787 Coffee's espresso targets? The Supremo Standard is 17.5–18 grams of coffee in, a 27–31 second extraction, and 50 ml out. A shot inside that window, tasting sweet and balanced, is dialed in. Always weigh your dose on a scale — don't eyeball it.
Why does my espresso taste sour, and how do I fix it? A sour shot is under-extracted — water moved through the coffee too fast and didn't pull enough sweetness. The fix is to grind finer, which slows the shot down. Adjust one click, purge, and pull again.
Why does my espresso taste bitter, and how do I fix it? A bitter shot is over-extracted — water moved through too slowly and pulled out the harsh, dry notes. The fix is to grind coarser, which speeds the shot up. One click at a time, then re-pull.
How often should I dial in during a shift? Every two hours, minimum. Grind behavior shifts with humidity, temperature, and how the beans rest through the day, so a shot dialed in at 8 AM will drift by lunch. Re-dialing keeps a Supremo tasting identical from open to close.
When a shot is off, what can I actually change? Only one thing directly: grind size. Coarser grind means a faster shot, finer grind means a slower shot. Keep everything else — dose, tamp, machine — consistent, and change only one click at a time so you can actually see what each adjustment does.
Why do I purge the grinder after adjusting? When you change the grind, old grounds at the previous setting are still sitting in the chute. If you don't clear them, your next shot is a mix of two settings and your reading is useless. Purge for about 6 seconds, toss those grounds, then dose fresh and pull.
How do I know when a shot is dialed in? Two things have to agree: the numbers and the taste. The shot should land in the 27–31 second / 50 ml window and taste balanced — sweet, chocolatey, with a little fruit on the finish. When both line up, stop adjusting. You're dialed in.