Brew Guide

Brew Guide — Goldsmith & Sons

Great coffee starts with a few simple numbers.

Start here

16–18g in → 36–40g out
25–30 seconds

This is our sweet spot for the Signature Blend — a balanced, full-bodied espresso with plenty of chocolate, caramel and nutty character, whether you’re drinking it black or with milk.

A small set of coffee scales makes a huge difference. Rather than relying on cup volume or your machine’s preset buttons, weigh both your coffee dose and the espresso coming out. Once you reach 36–40g in the cup, stop the shot.

Want a stronger coffee?

Before changing the beans, check your recipe.

Letting an espresso run well beyond the recommended yield doesn't necessarily give you a stronger-tasting cup — you're passing more water through the same coffee and can end up with a thinner, more extracted shot.

The same applies after brewing. A great espresso can quickly taste mild if it's heavily diluted.

For milk coffees: try a smaller cup or use less milk before changing your espresso recipe.

For long blacks: start with less hot water and add more to taste. This keeps the espresso flavour rich and punchy rather than washing it out.

If you enjoy a genuinely stronger coffee, try a double shot rather than simply running more water through the same puck.

Your grinder matters

There is no single grind size that works for every espresso machine.

Different grinders, machines, beans and even changing conditions can affect how quickly your espresso flows. That's why we recommend buying whole beans and grinding fresh.

Whole beans give you the ability to adjust your grind until your shot lands in that 25–30 second window, while also helping preserve the coffee's freshness and aroma until you're ready to brew.

A decent burr grinder doesn't need to be complicated — it just needs to give you enough control to make small, consistent adjustments.

Dial it in

Use the numbers as your starting point, then let the cup guide you:

• Shot running too fast / tastes sour or thin? → Grind finer
• Shot running too slow / tastes bitter or heavy? → Grind coarser
• Tastes good but too mild with milk or water? → Reduce the milk/water or add another shot

Fresh coffee changes as it ages, so small grinder adjustments along the way are completely normal.

16–18g in. 36–40g out. 25–30 seconds.

Get those three things right first — then dial it to the way you like to drink coffee.