No. 7 Praxis in a Breville Barista Express: settings that work

Start No. 7 Praxis on the Breville Barista Express with 18 g of coffee in a double basket, aiming for about 36 g of espresso in 25 to 30 seconds, and set the grinder near the middle of its 1 to 16 dial. Then adjust one grind step at a time by taste. One note first: we have not tested exact numbers for our coffee on this machine, and every Barista Express and every kitchen is a little different, so treat the numbers below as a starting plan and not a recipe.

What is on the label?

No. 7 Praxis is from Antigua, Guatemala, grown at 1,200 to 1,616 m and fully washed and sun dried. The varietals are Bourbon, Catuai, Caturra and Typica. The roast is Medium, and the notes are dark chocolate, bright fruit and butterscotch. The roaster says it works with any method. That is helpful for an espresso machine, because you can taste it and adjust. For the origin in depth, read what is in our Guatemala Antigua bag.

What dial-in plan should you follow?

For other dose and yield combinations, see how many grams of coffee for a shot of espresso.

What do you change when it tastes wrong?

• Sour, sharp, thin, and the shot ran in under 20 seconds: grind one step finer.
• Bitter, dry, and the shot dripped for over 35 seconds: grind one step coarser.
• Tastes fine but weak: check your dose with a scale before you change anything else.
• Uneven or spraying shot: level and tamp the puck straight, and clean the basket.

Make one change per shot, and keep notes. Because Praxis lists bright fruit on the label, a little liveliness in the cup is expected. Sharp and sour is the sign to grind finer. If you want to learn what the word means in the cup, see what body means in coffee.

How do you keep the grinder consistent?

Old grounds and oils build up in the burrs and the chute and change the way the same setting behaves. How to clean a coffee grinder walks through it. Run a shot of throwaway coffee after a deep clean, and expect to move the dial a step or two.

Will it work in milk drinks?

The roaster does not say, so we will not claim it. If you want milk drinks, the ratios are in our latte ratio guide, and a good taste test is to pull one shot straight and one into milk, and compare.

How many shots is a 12 oz bag?

A 12 oz bag is about 340 g. At 18 g per double, that is about 18 shots, before you count the ones you use dialing in.

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What should you expect from this origin?

From the label, expect dark chocolate, bright fruit and butterscotch, from a Medium roast. In espresso, brightness can read as sharpness if the shot runs fast, so the fruit is the part to watch. A shot that tastes of chocolate and sweetness with a little lift at the end is the goal. If you would like to know why altitude is printed on the bag, see what altitude on a coffee bag tells you.

Should you buy whole bean or ground?

Whole bean, for this machine. The Barista Express has a built-in grinder, so it grinds each dose fresh. Pre-ground coffee skips the grinder and limits how much you can adjust. Both options ship in the same 12 oz bag at the same price, but whole bean gives you the dial to work with.

What if the shots keep choking or running fast?

If the machine barely drips, the grind is too fine or the dose is too high. Grind coarser by one or two steps, and check the dose on the scale. If the shot gushes out in under 15 seconds, grind finer. If neither helps, clean the basket and the shower screen, as old oils block the holes and change the flow. Make the change, pull another shot, and give the machine a minute between tests so the temperature settles.

Pull three shots, change one thing each time, and write down the one you liked.