My setup starts with a Breville Barista Express and its built-in grinder. Alongside it are a Normcore spring-loaded tamper, a WDT tool, and a small Bomber coffee scale. Each has a place in the routine; the aim is to make the next shot easier to compare.
What each tool does
| Equipment | Its job in the routine |
|---|---|
| Breville Barista Express | The machine I use for espresso and lattes. Its built-in grinder prepares the coffee before brewing. |
| Small Bomber scale | Measures the beans. Weighing the grounds after grinding is another check if results vary. |
| WDT tool | Fine needles help break up clumps and distribute the grounds in the basket before tamping. |
| Normcore spring-loaded tamper | Helps make the tamp repeatable. The exact operation and force depend on the model and spring; follow your own tool's instructions. |
Choose a starting dose for the basket
I usually start with 18 grams of beans. Depending on the basket, I may try 19 grams and compare the taste. That is a starting point for my setup, rather than a dose for every espresso machine.
The basket is the insert inside the portafilter that holds the grounds. Its capacity determines how much coffee it is intended to hold. Breville's US manual lists 16–19 grams for the supplied two-cup baskets; check the instructions for the basket you actually use.
Follow the tools in order
- Weigh a dose that suits the basket.
- Grind the coffee. If consistency is off, check how much ground coffee reaches the basket.
- Use the WDT tool to distribute the grounds.
- Make a firm, level tamp using the tamper's instructions.
- Brew, taste, and record a useful observation before changing another variable.
Keep the working area clear enough to set tools down. Once equipment is cleaned according to its instructions, return it to the same place. A coffee station with fewer steps can start with the tools you already own.
Keep enough detail to compare
A dose alone is not the whole recipe. If you measure the drink's weight or time the shot, record those details alongside the grinder setting and taste. Leave anything you did not measure blank. The coffee notes tool gives you a place for the recipe you used and one thing to try next.
For the fuller explanation of weighing, grinder retention, WDT, and tamping force, read my espresso routine. It also links to the technical sources behind those steps.