• Insert the handle into the espresso machine empty and run the machine for a short period to heat the basket.
• Remove the handle from the espresso machine and wipe out the basket with a clean moist cloth.
• Fill the basket with coffee grounds until overflowing then give the handle a good tap against a hard surface to settle.

• Then place the handle on the edge of the grinder and distribute the grounds over the whole of the basket with your finger. This prevents any pockets forming that could allow coffee to extract through valleys giving a lousy coffee pour.
• Level off the grounds to the rim of the basket using your finger.

• Place the edge of the handle on the bench and pick up your tamper and gently rest it on the coffee grounds allowing the weight of the tamper to gently compress the grounds. Then remove the tamper and give the edge of the handle a gentle tap to remove the grounds from the walls of the basket.
• Place the tamper on the coffee grounds a second time and making sure you're keeping the tamper level with basket. Tamper the grounds to the correct pressure. We use an Espro tamper which has a pre-loaded torque spring that compresses at the correct pressure every time.

• Leaving the tamper resting on grounds twist it for a few spins to polish the biscuit.
• Remove the tamper and with your finger clean any loose grounds from the handle lugs and the rim of the basket.

• Before reinstating the handle to the espresso machine purge the group by activating the pour. This will get rid of any unwanted grounds from previous pours. This will also bring the group temperature to the correct degrees so you don't spoil the coffee.

• Place the handle in the group and tighten enough to engage the seal.
• Now you can pull the lever or press the button to activate the extraction. Observe the pour, looking at the colour and consistency. You will know you have a good pour when there is a 5 to 10 second delay before coffee starts to flow.

Once you have consistency with your dose and tamper you can than calibrate the grind to the correct extraction. The guide that I use for a great shot on an Expo Bar or Bezzera home espresso machine is 25-30 ml over a 30 second pour. Use a timer and measuring glass to calibrate your pour. If your coffee is pouring too quickly then you need to adjust the grind to be finer and if it is extracting too slowly than you need to coarsen the grind. After you master the pour you then can move on to the milk.