Watched a barista in Portland pull my shot in 19 seconds and told me my grind was wrong, now I'm second guessing every cup I make at home

Emery White · 2026-10-03T11:40:03.929759+00:00

Last weekend I was in Portland visiting my sister and we stopped at this small shop near Alberta Street where the barista had a scale on the drip tray and a timer running the whole time. I ordered a double shot of some Ethiopian bean they had on the shelf and she pulled it in about 19 seconds, then handed it to me and said my home setup was probably running too coarse if I wasn't hitting that range. I didn't even tell her I brewed at home, she just guessed it from how I was asking about the roast date. I got home to my kitchen in Tacoma and tried the same bean on my usual setting and it ran for 32 seconds and tasted bitter as all get out. I dropped my grinder two clicks finer and now it's pulling around 24 seconds and the shot actually tastes like blueberries instead of burnt toast. The thing that bugs me is I've been drinking coffee this way for almost 3 years and nobody at any shop I've been to ever said a word about my timing. So now I'm wondering how many of you actually time your shots at home, or am I the only one who was just eyeballing it this whole time?

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Watched a barista in Portland pull my shot in 19 seconds and told me my grind was wrong, now I'm second guessing every cup I make at home | Cozy Coffee Brews - Babble Community