Shop

Visit

Discover

Account
Our Coffee

How to Make Better Espresso at Home

Making great espresso at home comes down to a handful of variables — and once you understand them, consistency follows.

March 25, 2026
Photos: Justin Chung
What You'll Need

Espresso beans — we recommend starting with Sagebrush.

A grinder — the Lelit William Grinder is our top pick for espresso

An espresso machine — we carry the Lelit MaraX, the machine we use and love

A scale — the Acaia Lunar is what we reach for

  1. Nail your ratio.

    A standard double shot starts with a 1:2 ratio — 1 part ground coffee to 2 parts output by weight (e.g. 18g in, 36g out). This is why a scale is non-negotiable: different coffees have different densities, so eyeballing or using measuring spoons will give you a different dose every time. Use a scale for both your input and output. Tare your portafilter or dosing cup, grind your dose, confirm the weight, then tare again under the group head and stop your shot once you hit your target output weight.
  2. Dial in your grind.

    Once your dose is consistent, grind size becomes your main variable. Aim for 26–30 seconds of extraction — shorter for darker roasts, longer for lighter ones. Shot pulling too fast (under 26 sec)? Go finer in small increments. Too slow (over 33 sec)? Go coarser. As long as your doses are dialed, grind size is almost always the culprit behind under- or over-extraction.

  1. Rest your beans.

    Freshly roasted coffee isn't always better for espresso. Right off roast (days 1–5), beans are still off-gassing trapped CO₂ from the roasting process, which causes shot-to-shot inconsistency and a slightly pasty, acidic flavor. Wait until at least 7 days post-roast before pulling espresso — you'll get far more consistent, expressive results.
  2. Flush before you pull.

    If you're using a Lelit machine, pull the espresso lever for 3–5 seconds before your shot to flush out any old grounds and stabilize the water temperature. This ensures the water hitting your puck is at a consistent temperature from start to finish, rather than ramping up mid-shot.
  3. Prep your puck.

    Channeling — when espresso shoots out unevenly from a bottomless portafilter, or from one spout before the other — almost always comes down to puck prep. Use your finger or a distribution tool to level the coffee bed, eliminating any peaks, valleys, or open pockets. Then tamp evenly: position your tamper flat, apply steady downward pressure using your natural body weight, and release once you feel resistance. No digging, no stamping — just one smooth, level press.

More Our Coffee

View All
Our Coffee

The Canyon Factory

Behind the Scenes: The Canyon Roastery

In late October 2023, seven years after the launch of Canyon, we dropped our first batch of green coffee into the roaster at our new facility in Downtown Los Angeles.

Our friend, photographer Willem Verbeeck, noticed some of our stories of the space when it was still under construction. He grabbed his camera and came down to shoot some film, ultimately capturing a beautiful before and after sequence of what we've nicknamed the Canyon Factory.