Recipes and Adjustments

Dialing in starts with an espresso recipe— and Coffee Station lets us program that recipe right in the app—one less thing to worry about. But even with our recipe locked in, there’s still an important factor to watch for and that’s the flow of our espresso. Grind size affects how water moves through the coffee, so a little fine-tuning is always needed to keep the espresso in range. We’ll go over setting up our recipe and adjusting the Pico to fully dial in our station.

Even with a programmed recipe, espresso always requires fine-tuning to adjust for changes in grind size, shot time, and coffee freshness. Let’s walk through how to set up your recipe, calibrate your grind, and dial in your Coffee Station for espresso perfection.

 


Connect All Components

Before dialing in, ensure that your Linea Mini, Pico grinder, and La Marzocco Connected Scale are connected via the La Marzocco Home App.

  • Open the app and confirm that all devices are linked.
  • Make sure your scale is trained to switch seamlessly between brewing and grinding.

Now that everything is connected, we’re ready to program an espresso recipe and start dialing in.

Program Your Espresso Recipe

Dialing in starts with an espresso recipe, which is made up of two key variables:

  • Dose – How much coffee goes into the portafilter (measured in grams).
  • Yield – How much liquid espresso is extracted (measured in grams).

Together, these form your coffee-to-water ratio, which is the foundation of every espresso shot.

A great place to start is a “Normale” recipe:

  • Grind-by-Weight: 18 grams of coffee (set under MASS in the app).
  • Brew-by-Weight: 36 grams of espresso (set as the output target in the app).

Pro Tip: Shot time isn’t controlled by the app—that’s intentional! Since coffee naturally changes over time, you’ll need to fine-tune the grind size to keep your espresso in the right range.

Adjust the Grind Size

Even with dose and yield locked in, your grind size will determine how water flows through the coffee, affecting shot time and extraction quality.

Your goal? An espresso shot pulled between 25–35 seconds.

If the espresso flows too quickly → the connected scale won’t have enough time to stop the shot at the target weight. To slow the shot down, adjust the grind finer.

If the espresso flows too slowly → the coffee may be over-extracted and taste too intense. To speed it up, adjust the grind to be more course.

The Pico grinder offers a lot of adjustments, way more than just 27, so sometimes you’ll need to keep turning past zero to reach finer settings.

Grind Adjustment Tips:

  • Keep turning past zero if needed—this is normal on the Pico!
  • Grind a bit of coffee while making adjustments to avoid getting a stuck bean.
  • Watch for a steady, syrup-like espresso flow with a deep honey-brown color.

Let the Scale Do the Work

One of the biggest advantages of Grind-by-Weight in Coffee Station is that it takes the guesswork out of dialing in.

No matter how you adjust the grind size, you’ll always get the exact dose set in the app.
No more second-guessing, no more wasted coffee—just precise, repeatable espresso shots.
Once you hit that 25–35 second range, your shot will automatically stop at 36g, ensuring perfect extraction.

 

Enjoy the Perfect Shot—Every Time

Dialing in is part of the craft, but with Coffee Station, La Marzocco has made it easier and more precise than ever. By syncing your espresso machine, grinder, and scale, you get seamless adjustments, consistent dosing, and no wasted coffee—so you can focus on pulling the best shots possible.

Ready to dial in your Coffee Station? Let La Marzocco handle the details while you enjoy your perfect espresso. Happy brewing!

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Excerpt: Dialing in with Coffee Station

Dialing in starts with an espresso recipe, and Coffee Station makes it easy by letting you program it right in the app—one less thing to worry about. But even with a set recipe, grind size plays a big role in espresso flow, meaning a little fine-tuning is always needed. We’ll walk through setting up your recipe, adjusting the Pico grinder, and making the final tweaks to dial in your Coffee Station for the perfect shot.