Diagnose My Shot Quiz
Bad shot, no idea why? Answer four quick questions about what you tasted, how it flowed, what the crema looked like, and how fresh your beans are — and get the most likely cause plus the exact fix to try next.
Prefer to pick your symptom directly? Try the Shot Troubleshooter →
One variable at a time
This quiz points at the most likely cause, but espresso diagnosis is still an experiment — and experiments only work when you change one thing per shot. Pick the fix, pull one shot, taste it, then adjust again. Changing grind, dose, and temperature all at once teaches you nothing.
Keep a simple log while you work: dose in, yield out, time, and one word on taste. After three or four logged shots the pattern is usually obvious. Our dial-in guide walks through the full method step by step.
Already know your symptom? Skip the questions and pick it directly in the Shot Troubleshooter.
The shortcut
Learn espresso in a weekend.
The 15-page Quick-Start Guide: your first shot step by step, the dial-in fix-it flowchart, milk basics, and a fridge-ready cheat sheet. Instant PDF download.
Get the guide — $6 $6 · yours foreverDiagnose FAQ
Can a shot be sour and bitter at once?
Yes — and it's the classic fingerprint of channeling. When water punches a narrow path through the puck, the coffee along that path over-extracts (bitter) while the rest under-extracts (sour), and you taste both in one cup. The fix is puck prep — distribute evenly and use a WDT tool — not a grind change. Our channeling guide walks through it.
Is it my beans or my technique?
Rule out beans first: if they're older than a month, have no roast date, or came pre-ground, start there — no technique rescues stale coffee. Fresh beans plus bad taste means it's technique (grind size or flow), which this quiz is built to diagnose.
What does a good shot taste like?
Balanced sweetness with gentle acidity and a rounded, syrupy body — no sharp sour bite, no drying bitterness. Dial in toward a 25–30 second pull for an 18 g dose and 36 g yield, and taste as you go. Our dial-in guide covers the full routine.