02/11/2026
Dial In Session | Ep. 5
It’s been a little while between dial-in sessions!
This time we’re looking at one of the more commercial, semi-commercial setups. Perfect for workplaces, offices and lower-volume coffee environments where you want great coffee without the time, cost or complexity of a fully manual setup.
Like every dial-in session, it starts with understanding dose, extraction yield and, ultimately, finding the right recipe for the machine.
So, how do we approach a dial-in?
1. Understand the machine: First, establish the basket size and maximum dose. This Dr Coffee machine has a maximum basket dose of 16g.
2. Set the dose: Work within the machine’s capabilities. We settled on 16g of coffee.
3. Assess the extraction: Look at the volume of coffee coming out, extraction time and, most importantly, taste.
4. Adjust the recipe: Our initial recipe was running too long, producing an over-extracted shot with a shed load of bitterness.
5. Taste and refine: We decided Old Mate simply wasn’t the best fit for this particular machine, so we switched to Up North.
6. Find the sweet spot: We brought the output down to a 1:2.5 ratio, giving us 16g in and about 40ml out.
The result? A punchier, sweeter espresso with much better balance and exactly where we wanted it.
That’s what dialling in is all about. It’s not just about the coffee. It’s about understanding how the coffee and machine work together.
Keep an eye out for Madora Bay Tavern, who’ll soon be pumping out great coffees on their new machine.
A little bit of Up North is heading to this little seaside gem in the South!