If you keep changing espresso, start here

A beautiful espresso sometimes seems simpler than it is. You see thick, syrupy shots with a nice crema on YouTube and think: surely I can do that at home too? But then your espresso runs through much too quickly. Or much too slowly. Sometimes it's watery, sometimes bitter, sometimes almost without crema.

In my workshops, I see this very often. Coffee lovers have bought a great espresso machine, sometimes even with good beans and a decent grinder, but they lack a solid foundation. How many grams of coffee should actually go into the portafilter? When do you stop the espresso? And what does a wet puck really tell you?

In this blog, I won't give you complicated theory, but a practical foundation that will immediately help you look at your espresso more calmly.

Portafilter wordt nauwkeurig gewogen tijdens een Sage privé barista workshop aan huis, met focus op juiste dosering en consistente espresso extractie.

Start measuring

Without scales, you're just guessing. And with espresso, guessing is usually precisely why one shot is delicious and the next one is suddenly disappointing.

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How many grams of coffee go into a portafilter?

Het Tamping Station Zilver van Barista Essentials is niet weg te denken als barista tool voor de thuisbarista! Dit tamping station van RVS verhoogd de kwaliteit van je koffie. Het Tamping Station Zilver van Barista Essentials ondersteund de filterdrager tijdens het tampen en je espresso krijg daardoor een stevige tamp.

Your filter basket tells a lot

You don't need to know everything perfectly before you start. Your portafilter often already shows you if you're using too little or too much coffee.

How do you know if there's too much or too little coffee in your portafilter?

A simple check is to fill your portafilter with a small mound of ground coffee on top. Then, level the coffee neatly and tamp it straight down with your tamper. After tamping, the coffee should usually be slightly below the rim of your filter basket.

Next, insert the portafilter into your espresso machine. If you can turn it noticeably far to the right, there's often too little coffee. If you can barely get it into the group head, there's probably too much coffee or the puck is too high.

This is not an exact science, but it is a useful practical check. Use it in conjunction with your scale. The scale gives you the number. The portafilter shows whether that number logically fits your machine.

Dubbele espresso extractie van 60 ml in shotglas op weegschaal met controle van doorlooptijd tussen 25 en 30 seconden

Also measure what comes out

Many home baristas weigh their coffee, but still pull their espresso by feel. As a result, you don't really know what you've brewed.

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Why measuring your espresso is more important than stopping by feel

A common mistake is weighing only the ground coffee. But espresso isn't just about how much coffee goes in. It's also about how much espresso comes out.

Here in the espresso world, we work with output ratio. In other words, how many ml or grams end up in your cup. The new standard ratio is increasingly 1:2. This means that an input of 16 grams of ground coffee in your portafilter should result in an output of approximately 32 ml or grams in your cup. For 18 or 20 grams of ground coffee, that's correspondingly 36 or 40 ml/grams output in your cup.

If you're using a shot glass, a simple guideline is to aim for about 15/20 ml for a single espresso and about 30/40 ml for a double espresso. If you use a scale under your cup, you can control the output even more precisely.

If your double espresso fills up in just 15 seconds, there's a good chance your grind is too coarse or there's not enough coffee in your filter basket. If it takes too long for anything decent to come out, your grind might be too fine or you're using too much coffee.

The gain is not in one magic number. The gain is in repeating, measuring, and understanding what changes.

Learn to work with fixed espresso rules
De espresso uitklopbak van RVS voor de espresso en koffie bereiding, helpt jouw espresso omgeving makkelijk schoon te houden. Koffie afval weggooien gaat super makkelijk, met deze uitklopbak of knock box in RVS en zwarte uitvoering. Het koffie residu wordt makkelijk in de knock box geklopt. Opgeruimd staat netjes!

Look at your puck, but don't overdo it

In addition to our unique expertise in the field of circular economy, we are also experienced in the field of recycling of various materials and components, for example within our own waste sorting installation. For example, we separate and recycle materials such as paper, cardboard, plastics, metals and textiles.

What does a wet or dry espresso puck say?

The puck is the used coffee that you knock out of your portafilter after brewing. If it's very wet and a lot of water remains on top, many people immediately think the espresso has failed. Sometimes that's true, sometimes not.

A very wet puck can be caused by too little coffee in the filter basket. This leaves too much space between the coffee and your machine's shower screen. But it can also be due to a grind that is too fine, the type of machine, or the filter basket you are using.

If your puck completely falls apart and feels dry and crumbly, it might contain too much coffee, or your grind might be too coarse.

My advice: look at the puck, but most importantly, taste your espresso. Taste, extraction time, dosage, and output together give a much more reliable picture than just that wet coffee disc in your knock box.

Portafilter en tamper op zwart tampingstation voor strak en gelijkmatig tampen bij thuisgebruik

Tools help, but only if you know why

Our goal is to make a positive social impact in the local communities where our products are manufactured, and to reduce their environmental impact.

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Which barista tools help achieve a more consistent espresso?

If you're just starting, I wouldn't immediately fill your whole kitchen with tools. Start with the basics: a good coffee scale with a timer, a suitable tamper, a shot glass or small measuring glass, and possibly a simple distributor or WDT tool.

The scale helps you with dosage and output. The timer helps you understand extraction time. A good tamper helps you tamp straighter and more consistently. A WDT tool can help break up clumps in your grind and distribute the coffee more evenly.

But remember this: tools are aids, not a substitute for understanding. If you don't know what you're measuring, you'll still be guessing. That's why the combination of good basic knowledge and a few smart tools works best.

Start with the right tools for espresso
Man draagt zwarte KOFFIEBAAS sweater en houdt espresso vast in een warme thuisbarista-koffiehoek met espressomachine.

Don't tinker endlessly

If you keep changing everything at once, espresso becomes frustrating. Then you no longer know what really made a difference.

Why You Should Only Change One Thing at a Time

This might be the most important tip in this entire blog: don't change everything at once.

Don't adjust your grind size, coffee quantity, tamping pressure, and extraction time all at once. If you do, it will be impossible to see what the effect was. Start with a fixed amount of coffee in your portafilter. Measure how much espresso comes out. Pay attention to the time. Taste. Only then, adjust one thing.

Is your espresso running much too fast? Make your grind slightly finer. Is it running much too slow? Make your grind slightly coarser. For now, try to keep the amount of coffee and output as consistent as possible.

This is how you get to know your espresso machine. Not by trying harder and harder, but by observing more calmly what happens.

Book personalized help on your own machine

Frequently asked questions about grams, portafilter and espresso

How many grams of coffee should go into a double portafilter?

For a double espresso, you typically use about 18 to 22 grams of ground coffee. The exact amount depends on your filter basket, machine, and desired taste. For example, start with 18 grams and then slowly adjust.

Why is my espresso running too fast?

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Why is my espresso watery and lacking in crema?

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Is a wet espresso puck always wrong?

No, a soggy puck does not automatically mean your espresso has failed. It could indicate too little coffee or too much headspace in the filter basket, but taste, output, and extraction time are more important for properly evaluating your espresso.

Do I need a coffee scale for espresso?

A 30-day money-back guarantee means that you can return a product within 30 days of purchase for a full refund. This gives you the opportunity to try out the product and return it if you are not satisfied, without any financial risk. Please refer to our returns policy for the exact conditions.

I have another question.

Contact Geert-Jan the Barista Man

From gambling to control over your espresso

If you want to know how many grams of coffee should go into your portafilter, you're actually looking for something bigger: control. You want to understand why your espresso runs beautifully one time and is watery, weak, bitter, or too fast the next.

Therefore, start simply. Weigh your coffee. Measure your output. Pay attention to your extraction time. Look at your puck, but let taste remain your guide. And always change only one thing at a time.

This way, making espresso at home becomes less frustrating and much easier to understand. This is exactly what De Barista Shop helps you with: making better coffee with regular equipment, practical explanations, and tools that truly add value.

Do you want to stop with isolated tricks and learn how to master espresso step-by-step? Then Module 8 of Espresso Under Control is the most logical next step.

Review Module 8: The 3 Golden Rules
Digitale koffie weegschaal met usb en timer voor espresso precisie van de Barista Shop 5

Measuring is knowing

Weighing ensures:

  1. The same amount in grams
  2. consistency
  3. clarity
  4. understanding of your extraction

Shop rechargeable scales with timer

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☕ How many grams of coffee should be in your portafilter for espresso?

Practical blog for home baristas who want to know how many grams of coffee should be in a portafilter, why espresso flows too fast or too slow, and how to gain more control over taste, crema, and extraction with scales, a shot glass, and a consistent routine.

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