idea

• If coffee is too bland, increase dose.
• If coffee is too aggressive, decrease dose and grind finer.
• If coffee is too bright, keep the same dose but grind finer.
• If coffee is too bitter, keep the dose but grind coarser.

references

• Home barista / Espresso 101: How to Adjust Dose and Grind Setting by Taste

Does your shot taste balanced; are the sweetness, acidity, and roasty flavors in proportion?

• If the balance of the shot is good, but the flavors are not to your liking, you need to change coffee.
• If the flavors are to your liking, but their balance is wrong, with the shot tasting too bland, too in your face, too sour, or too bitter, you can fix it by changing dose and grind.

How to adjust dose and grind to fix the balance for most coffees

• If the coffee tastes too bland, the caramels and sugars are masking the flavors. Increase the dose, and coarsen the grind to keep the flow the same. This will reduce the proportion of sugars, while keeping the acid bitter balance the same.
• If the coffee tastes aggressive, you need more caramels and sugars, less flavors. Decrease the dose, and make the grind finer to keep the flow the same. This will increase the proportion of sugars, while keeping the acid bitter balance the same.
• If the coffee is too bright, with lemon, fruit, apple, wine and other acidic flavors, keep the dose the same, make the grind finer, to lower the flow rate. Make a slower flowing, more ristretto shot. This will reduce the acidity relative to the bitterness.
• If the coffee is too bitter, with too much "bright bitter" flavors in lighter roasts, like toast, wood, or lemon peel, or "dark bitter" flavors, in darker roasts, like blackcurrant, clove, tobacco, smoky pine sap, or peat, keep the dose the same and make the grind coarser. Make a faster flowing, more lungo shot. This will increase the acidity relative to the bitterness