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DIAL YOUR COFFEE

Learn how to adjust your espresso like a pro

Dialing espresso means making small adjustments until your coffee tastes balanced and matches your preference.

With Kubo you can control many variables, but the key to good dialing is knowing what to change and in what order.

Most espresso problems can be solved by adjusting just one variable: grind size.

Dialing priority order

Always adjust variables in this order

When dialing your coffee, follow this priority order:

1 Grind size

The most important variable. This should always be your first adjustment.

2 Ratio (dose → yield)

Controls extraction strength and balance.

3 Temperature

Useful for fine tuning extraction.

4 Pressure profile

Advanced adjustment for optimizing extraction style.

Important

Avoid changing multiple variables at the same time.

Change one variable, test again, then adjust if needed.

This makes dialing faster and more predictable.

Adjustment workflow

How to decide what to change

Use this simple decision process:

If the shot runs too fast

(example: under 20–22 seconds)

Adjust:

Grind finer

Do not change temperature or profiles first.

If the shot runs too slow

(example: over 35 seconds)

Adjust:

Grind coarser

Again, grind size should always be your first correction.

If the timing looks correct but taste feels wrong

Adjust:

Ratio

Example:

If coffee tastes too intense → increase yield slightly.

If coffee tastes weak → reduce yield slightly.

Advanced adjustments

Once grind and ratio are correct, you can fine-tune extraction with temperature.

Example:

Light roast tasting sour → increase temperature slightly.

Dark roast tasting bitter → reduce temperature slightly.

Expert adjustments

Pressure and flow profiles allow you to change how extraction happens, not just how much extraction occurs.

This is usually only necessary once grind, ratio and temperature are already well adjusted.

Profiles are best used to:

Improve clarity
Reduce bitterness
Enhance body
Optimize light roasts

Basic espresso ratios

Understanding brew ratios

The ratio describes how much espresso you extract relative to your coffee dose.

Example:

18g coffee → 36g espresso = 1:2 ratio.

Common starting ratios:

1:2 — Classic espresso

Balanced and works with most coffees.

1:2.5 — Light roast espresso

Helps extract more soluble material from dense beans.

1:1.5 — Ristretto style

Shorter extraction with more body and intensity.

If unsure, always start with 1:2.

Profile suggestions

Suggested starting profiles by roast level

Different roast levels benefit from different extraction styles.

These are safe starting points:

Light roast

Use:

Longer preinfusion

Gentle pressure ramp

Why:

Light roasts are denser and harder to extract, so they benefit from longer saturation.

Medium roast

Use:

Classic espresso profile

Why:

Medium roasts are the easiest to extract and usually work well with standard profiles.

Dark roast

Use:

Lower peak pressure
Shorter extractions

Why:

Dark roasts extract easily and can become bitter if overextracted.

Reducing pressure can improve balance and sweetness.

Important dialing principles

Keep these rules in mind

Adjust grind before machine settings
Change one variable at a time
Taste matters more than numbers
Start simple before going advanced

Kubo gives you powerful tools, but great espresso still follows the same fundamentals.

Master the basics first and advanced control will become much more useful.

Next step

Now that you understand how to dial your coffee, you can explore how to keep your machine performing at its best with proper cleaning and maintenance.

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