Baratza Encore for Espresso

Coffee at its most concentrated: 25 seconds of pressure that pull a syrupy, aromatic ounce under a cap of hazelnut crema. It's the hardest brew to master and the most rewarding once you land it.

Baratza Encore

1Zpresso J-Max 23–34

1Zpresso JE 45–60

1Zpresso JX 8–11

1Zpresso JX-Pro 48–64

1Zpresso K-Max 30–45

1Zpresso K-Plus 30–45

1Zpresso K-Pro 30–45

1Zpresso K-Ultra 15–22

1Zpresso X-Pro 9–14

Baratza Encore 8

Baratza Encore ESP 15

Baratza Sette 270 3–9

Baratza Vario+ 11–17

Baratza Virtuoso+ 8

Breville Smart Grinder Pro 1–30

Comandante C40 MK3 8–11

Comandante C40 MK4 5–14

Comandante C60 Baracuda 10–18

DF64 Gen 2 11–17

Eureka Mignon Specialita 20–30

Eureka Mignon Zero 18–27

Fellow Opus 1–5

Flair Royal 11–17

Hario Mini-Slim Pro 4–6

MHW-3Bomber R3 Pro 0–20

Mazzer Philos 20–30

Niche Zero 5–20

Normcore Manual V2 10–15

OXO Brew Conical 7–10

Option-O Lagom P64 1–6

Sage Smart Grinder Pro 1–30

Timemore C3 Max Pro 7–8

Timemore C3 Pro 7–8

Timemore Chestnut C2 7–10

Timemore Chestnut C3 6–9

Timemore Chestnut S3 0–10

Timemore Chestnut S3 ESP 7–22

Timemore Chestnut X 8–15

Timemore Nano 10–14

Turin DF54 7–14

Varia VS3 13–19 Weber Key 20–30

Wilfa Uniform+ 1–4

Electric grinder · 40 mm conical burrs

Baratza Encore's setting

Clicks: 8
Grind size: 200–300 µm
Grind descriptor: Fine

These settings are consensus values computed from 4 independent sources (manufacturer manuals, reference charts and our micron model), monitored daily for changes.

See the Baratza Encore grind chart

Overview

Ours 1:2·18 g·36 g·93 °C·Fine · 200–300 µm·1:20 Make it yours

Brew with us

Espresso

Grind Fine 200–300 µm

Ratio 1:

Dose g

Yield g

Water temp °C

Total time 1:20

0:00 Timer

— Flow

— Weight

—

STEP 1 / 6 0:00 / 0:00

Notes

We stop the pull the moment the stream turns pale and blond — extend it and the shot turns thin and bitter. Tune the grind before the dose; it's the lever that actually moves the shot.

Weigh beans

Weigh out the beans — fresh, not pre-ground.

Grind

Grind fine, straight into the portafilter.

Distribute

Distribute the grounds level in the basket.

Tamp

Tamp level — one confident press.

Pull the shot

Aim for ~36 g out in 25–30 s. Stop on blond.

Enjoy

Drink it now — crema and all.

Behind every step

1Weigh beans
0:05

Weighing instead of scooping is the only way to repeat a brew — beans differ in density and roast, so a scoop of one is not a scoop of another. Fix the dose and every other variable finally means something.
2Grind
0:15

Espresso needs the finest grind of any brewed method — table salt heading toward powder — because water is forced through the puck in under 30 seconds. This is the tightest target on the chart: a click or two coarser gushes sour, a click finer chokes the machine.
3Distribute
0:10

Water always takes the easiest path, so any clump or dip becomes a channel that over-extracts one spot and leaves the rest untouched. Levelling the bed first is what makes the tamp — and the shot — even.
4Tamp
0:10

Tamping compacts the grounds into one even puck so pressurised water meets uniform resistance. Level matters far more than force: a tilted tamp sends water down the shallow side and the shot runs unevenly.
5Pull the shot
0:30

Nine bars of pressure force water through the puck in seconds, which is why espresso is so unforgiving. Watch the stream — it starts dark and syrupy and turns pale as extraction tails off; that blonding is your cue to stop.
6Enjoy
0:10

Coffee keeps changing as it cools: aromatics fade, acidity sharpens and sweetness comes forward. Drink it soon after brewing, and taste it as it drops in temperature — that's how you learn what to adjust next time.

Fix it by taste

Change one thing at a time — and it's almost always grind. Pull a shot at 18 → 36 g, taste it, nudge the grind one notch toward sweet, and repeat. Two or three shots and you'll land it. Trust your tongue over the timer: a balanced 32-second shot beats a sour 28. Re-dial with every new bag.

Sharp, sour, thin

Under-extracted

Fix · Grind finer, or let the shot run 2–4 g longer
Bitter, dry, ashy

Over-extracted

Fix · Grind coarser, or stop the shot 2–4 g sooner
Gushes out under 20 s, pale crema

Grind too coarse

Fix · Go finer and re-pull
Drips or chokes past 35 s

Grind too fine

Fix · Go coarser and re-pull

What you need

Espresso is the one method where the grinder matters more than the machine — you need one that goes fine and adjusts in small, repeatable steps. A pressurised basket forgives a lot while you learn.

Beans & roast

Rest beans 7–21 days off roast; too fresh and they gush from trapped CO₂. Medium-to-dark roasts are the friendliest — light 'omni' espresso runs finer, hotter and longer.

Variations to try

Ristretto

Same dose, ~1:1 out — shorter, sweeter, syrupy
Lungo

~1:3 or longer — bigger and more intense, watch the bitterness
Milk drinks

Pull it into steamed milk for a latte, cappuccino or flat white

Espresso FAQ

Why is my espresso so bitter?

Almost always over-extraction: the grind is too fine or the shot ran too long. Coarsen a step or stop it a few grams sooner, and check the beans aren't over-dark or stale.

Why doesn't my shot have crema?

Usually stale beans or too coarse a grind. Fresh coffee within a month of roast and a finer setting bring the crema back; pressurised baskets help too.

Can I use pre-ground coffee?

Not really for espresso — grind freshness and fineness are decisive, and pre-ground is too coarse and stale within minutes. A grinder is the single best upgrade.

What water temperature should I use?

Around 93 °C for medium roasts. Go a couple of degrees hotter for light roasts to coax out sweetness, cooler for dark to tame bitterness.