Breville Barista Touch Espresso machine: Extraction

Portafilter and filter basket

When I made a Flat White for my wife and me, the espresso started flowing in under seven seconds. This meant the extraction was too fast, indicating the grind was too coarse.

To adjust the grinder turn the dial on the side of the machine as indicated. Change the grinding size one unit at a time. Two is the limit.

The goal is to increase resistance, to slow flow of espresso through filter basket, resulting in a drier, more compact puck.

How to Adjust the Grinder for a Slower Flow

1. Adjust Using Side Dial: Turn the grind dial on the side of the machine to set a lower number. This results in a finer grind. Breville does not mention this but most experts agree that the grind size should only be adjusted with the grinder running.

2. Adjust in Increments: Change the grind size by small increments (about 1–2 units at most). 

3. Increase Dose: If the dose is underweight and the razor does not touch the surface of the grounds in the portafilter with filter cup inserted, increase the amount of coffee grounds by increasing the grinding time. Again do this one second at at time.

4.  Adjust Internal Burrs: This is a real last ditch effort. I have never tried this but I did find this recommendation on the Internet in a couple of places. 

   If the side dial is already at its finest setting (1 or 2) and the shot is still too fast, you may need to adjust the inner top burr. Remove the hopper, take out the top burr, and adjust the metal wire handle to a lower number (e.g., from 6 to 4 or 3).

Puck Condition

• Drier Puck: Because a finer grind requires higher pressure to pass through, the machine, the extraction will be more efficient, resulting in a drier, firmer, and more compact puck.

• Faster Flow Equals Damp/Muddy Puck: If the coffee is too coarse (flowing too fast), the puck will often be damp and muddy, as water passes through without being properly trapped.  

The goal is to aim for an extraction that begins in roughly 8–10 seconds and finishes around 25–30 seconds. If all goes as planned, you now have an espresso with nicely balanced flavour.

And, if the puck, while still in the portafilter, looks quite wet with a centre hole running right through the entire puck, you have forgotten the filter basket. Oops! The coffee streams will have started quite early and there will be coffee grounds in your drink. Toss the drink and start over.