The Meraki Guides
Start with the cup or pour you can describe. Find the guide for sourness, bitterness, speed, crema or uneven flow, then follow one adjustment at a time.
32 articlesFind the guide for your next step
MERAKI / GUIDE LIBRARY
Diagnose the taste
9 GUIDESChoose the flavor description closest to the cup you are trying to improve.
- Why Your Espresso Is Sour or Bitter: A Flavor Troubleshooter
- Why Cafe Espresso Tastes Different at Home (and How to Close the Gap)
- Why Does Espresso Turn Bitter and Astringent with a Longer Extraction Time?
- Why Is My Espresso Watery and Weak?
- Espresso for Dark Roasts: Dialing In Without the Bitterness
- Why Can Slightly Under-Extracted Espresso Taste Sweeter?
- Espresso Tastes Bitter: The Fixes That Actually Work
- Espresso Tastes Sour: Diagnosing Under-Extraction
- Why Does the Second Espresso Shot Taste Different from the First?
Check speed and grind
7 GUIDESLook at the pour and the grind when the shot runs unusually fast or slowly.
- Espresso Shot Running Too Fast or Too Slow? Here’s What to Adjust
- Espresso Dose Too High or Too Low: How to Match the Dose to Your Basket
- Espresso Extraction Too Slow: Restricting and Adjusting the Shot
- Grinding Too Fine? Reading Your Grinder Settings
- Grinding Too Coarse? Why Your Shot Runs Fast
- Espresso Shot Runs Too Fast? 10-Second Fixes That Work
- Espresso Shot Too Slow: Diagnosing a 60-Second Pour
Read the crema, puck and flow
10 GUIDESUse the visible clues to choose the next guide without assuming one clue proves the whole problem.
- Espresso Channeling: Signs, Causes, and How to Prevent It
- What Your Espresso Puck Tells You (and What It Doesn’t)
- What Is Crema and Why It Forms
- Why Does Espresso Spray From the Portafilter?
- What Is Espresso Blonding, and When Should You Stop the Shot?
- Why Does Espresso Have No Crema? 8 Causes and What to Fix First
- Why Does the Espresso Puck Stick to the Shower Screen?
- Channeling in Espresso: Causes and Fixes
- No Crema in Espresso: What It Signals
- Brew Temperature That Is Off: How to Diagnose
More guides in this topic
6 GUIDES- Channeling in Espresso: Causes and Fixes
- What Makes Your Double Espresso Taste Sour or Bitter?
- Same Dose, Same Yield, Different Taste on Meraki: What Should You Check?
- Why Do Espresso Shots Run Faster as Coffee Beans Age?
- Espresso Tastes Dry and Astringent: Is It Really Bitterness?
- Why Does One Portafilter Spout Pour More Espresso Than the Other?
