6 ways to automate dialling in espresso

#1 - Simple log

Who it's for: Single-site cafes where the barista dials in the machine themselves and wants the day's setting recorded.

What it is: Dialling in espresso is adjusting the grind, dose and yield until the shot pours right. This version captures the dial-in as one box: the beans, the dose in (grams of coffee), the yield out (grams of espresso), the shot time, and the taste and adjustment. The five sit together so each dial-in reads as one record.

In practice: A cafe opens, the barista pulls a test shot: 18g in, 36g out, 31 seconds, tastes a touch bitter. They grind a little coarser, pull again, log 18g in, 36g out, 28 seconds, tastes balanced. The setting is recorded, so the next barista isn't starting from scratch.

Why it works: The five inputs live in one box, so a setting is never logged without the numbers that produced it. A record of what worked yesterday is the fastest way to dial in again today.

Steps included:

• 1 grouped log (one box per dial-in) holding: beans (text), dose in (number), yield out (number), shot time (number), taste and adjustment (text)

#2 - With guidance

Who it's for: Cafes with a rota of baristas who don't all know the target ratio and how to adjust.

What it is: The simple log plus a guidance note in the box: aim for a ratio of about 1:2 (for example 18g in, 36g out) in 25 to 30 seconds. If the shot runs fast and tastes sour, grind finer; if it runs slow and tastes bitter, grind coarser. Re-dial whenever the beans, grind, or weather change.

What it adds to the simple log:

1. The target ratio and time are on screen at the machine
2. New baristas know which way to adjust the grind, not just that something's off
3. Every bar dials in to the same target

Why it works: The guidance sits in the box with the readings, so a barista reads the target as they dial in. It turns a skill that lives in one person's hands into one anyone can follow.

Steps included:

• 1 guidance note in the box (target ratio, time, and how to adjust)
• 1 grouped log (beans, dose in, yield out, shot time, taste and adjustment)

#3 - With a signature

Who it's for: Multi-site coffee groups that want a name against the dial-in, not just the numbers on the log.

What it is: The simple log plus a signature captured once the bar is dialled in. The log stays the same; the signature confirms who set the bar and that it's ready for service.

In practice: A coffee group running several bars. Each barista logs the dial-in, tastes the shot, and signs to confirm the bar is set for service. The head of coffee reviews the signed dial-ins across sites and knows exactly who to ask if a bar opens on a shot that's off target.

What it adds to the simple log:

1. A signature naming who dialled in, captured at sign-off
2. A record of when the dial-in was signed, next to the settings
3. Accountability that holds up when a bar opens off target

Why it works: The name goes on the record the moment the bar is set for service, not from memory later. A signed record is something a head of coffee treats as confirmation the bar actually opened dialled in.

Steps included:

• 1 grouped log (beans, dose in, yield out, shot time, taste and adjustment)
• 1 signature (dialled in and set for service)

#4 - With photo evidence

Who it's for: Cafes that want a visual record of the shot and the settings, for training or consistency across shifts.

What it is: The simple log plus a photo of the shot pouring with the scales and the timer in frame, so the dose, yield and time all sit alongside the numbers in the log.

What it adds to the simple log:

1. A photo of the shot, the scales and the timer, captured at the time
2. A visual reference the next barista can match
3. A record that shows the shot was actually pulled and checked, not guessed

Why it works: Espresso is as much taste and look as numbers. A photo of the pour next to the scales and timer is the closest thing to handing the next shift the exact shot.

Steps included:

• 1 grouped log (beans, dose in, yield out, shot time, taste and adjustment)
• 1 photo (the shot, the scales and the timer)

#5 - With Poppi checking the photo

Who it's for: Multi-site coffee groups where the dial-in photo gets taken but nobody checks whether the numbers in it are actually readable.

What it is: A photo-checked dial-in is the simple log plus a photo of the shot and the scales that Poppi (AI) reviews the moment it's saved. Poppi answers one question about that photo, set by you: does it clearly show a readable dose, yield and shot time? If the answer is no, Poppi posts what it found to the team chat, so the photo gets retaken while the barista is still at the machine.

In practice: A group of 6 cafes logs every dial-in with a photo. Most mornings the photo is fine: dose, yield and timer all in frame, Poppi reads it and moves on. On a rushed Saturday the photo is a blurry close-up of just the portafilter, with no scale reading in shot. Poppi answers no and posts to the team chat ("The dial-in photo doesn't clearly show the dose, yield and shot time"). The barista retakes it before the bar opens.

What it adds to the simple log:

1. A photo that gets checked the instant it's saved, not just stored
2. A team chat message the moment a photo doesn't show a readable dose, yield or time
3. The head of coffee stops being the only person who ever looks at the photos

Why it works: The check happens in the seconds between the photo being taken and the barista moving to the next job. That's the only moment a bad photo is still cheap to fix. Catching it the next day just means a record nobody can actually read; Poppi catching it on the spot gets a usable photo before service.

Steps included:

• 1 grouped log (beans, dose in, yield out, shot time, taste and adjustment)
• 1 photo (the shot, the scales and the timer)
• 1 Poppi decision (judges the photo against your question)
• 1 Poppi action (posts to the team chat if the photo fails the check)

#6 - With an alert if it is overdue

Who it's for: Multi-site coffee groups where a busy open sometimes means the dial-in gets skipped or delayed, and a bar starts service on an untested shot.

What it is: An overdue dial-in alert is the simple log plus a Poppi (AI) action set to the workflow's due time. Dialling in is a start-of-day routine, done before the bar opens. If it isn't recorded by the time the bar should be open, Poppi posts a message in the Pilla team chat so someone gets a shot pulled and logged before customers are served on an undialled machine.

In practice: A group of 6 cafes expects the dial-in logged by 7:30am, before opening. On a hectic morning, two sites get busy setting up and the dial-in slips. With this version, if it isn't recorded by 7:30am, the team chat gets a message, so the area manager catches the missed dial-ins that morning rather than finding out from a bad-coffee complaint that afternoon.

What it adds to the simple log:

1. A message in the team chat if the dial-in isn't recorded by the time the bar should open
2. A catch for the dial-in that quietly slipped in a busy open, not just the one someone remembers to chase
3. A record of when the dial-in should have happened, next to when it actually did
4. The area manager finds out that morning, not from a complaint

Why it works: The alert is tied to the time the bar should be open, so a missed dial-in raises its own hand. Nobody has to check every site by hand; the clock does it.

Steps included:

• 1 grouped log (beans, dose in, yield out, shot time, taste and adjustment)
• 1 Poppi action (posts to the team chat if the dial-in isn't recorded by its due time)

How to pick the right version

You don't need to know our product to choose. Every version here is the simple log plus one addition, so pick the additions your business actually needs.

Is it always you dialling in, or do other baristas do it too?

If you dial in yourself and know the target, the plain log is enough: #1. The moment a rota of baristas does it, the target ratio and time need to be on screen: #2.

Does the dial-in need a name against it?

If knowing it was done is enough, skip this one. If you want who dialled in on the record, #3 adds a signature.

Do you need a photo record, or are the numbers enough?

A logged number says what the setting was; a photo shows the shot. If you want a visual match for the next barista, #4 adds a photo.

Does anyone actually check the photos?

If a head of coffee genuinely reviews every dial-in photo, #4's record is enough. If photos get taken and filed unseen, #5 has Poppi (AI) check each one as it's saved, and tell the team chat when the dose, yield or time isn't readable.

Does the dial-in have to be done by a set time?

If a busy open sometimes means the dial-in slips, #6 posts a message to the team chat when the bar should be open and the dial-in still isn't recorded.

Need more than one addition? Open the version with the addition that matters most in the playground and add the others as steps. That's how the product works anyway: every option here is one step added to the same log.

Related workflows

• Daily bar cleaning checklist - keeping the machine and bar clean alongside the dial-in
• Bar opening checklist - the wider open the dial-in is part of
• Dishwasher cleaning checklist - clean glassware for the coffee you serve

Conclusion

A dialled-in espresso is the difference between a coffee worth charging for and a wasted shot. Recording the dial-in means the setting that worked is there for the next barista and the next morning. Every version above is the same simple log plus one addition: guidance, a signature, a photo, an AI check on the photo, or an alert if the dial-in is overdue. Pick the ones your business needs and combine them in the playground.