About Espresso Troubleshooter
A fast, structured way to figure out why your espresso tastes off—and what to change next.
Espresso Troubleshooter helps you diagnose common espresso problems (sour, bitter, channeling, too fast/slow extraction) using a guided question flow and a cause → solution knowledge base.
The goal is to reduce guesswork: identify the most likely causes and surface the fixes that tend to work first.
Our Methodology
Our diagnostic engine uses a Bayesian probability model that updates cause likelihoods based on your answers. This approach is used in medical diagnostics and fault-finding systems because it handles uncertainty well.
Each symptom-cause relationship is weighted by probability based on industry knowledge and community feedback. Solutions are ranked by success rate, difficulty, and cost.
Our knowledge base is built from:
- Coffee science literature — extraction theory, grind particle analysis, temperature profiling
- Professional barista training resources — SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) standards and best practices
- Equipment manufacturer documentation — machine-specific guidance and maintenance protocols
- Community expertise — validated troubleshooting patterns from experienced home baristas and professionals
Solution effectiveness is tracked through user feedback. When you report whether a fix worked, it helps refine our probability weights and improve recommendations for everyone.
We regularly update our knowledge base as new techniques emerge and equipment evolves.
How to Get the Best Results
Measure what you can
Dose, yield, and time — even rough estimates improve diagnosis accuracy significantly.
Change one variable at a time
Start with the top-ranked fix. If it doesn't work, you've eliminated one possibility.
Provide feedback
Use the feedback widget on solution pages to help improve future recommendations.
Diagnosis results are probabilistic—espresso is complex and multiple causes can overlap. We present likelihoods, not certainties.
We aim to be practical and conservative: fixes are ranked by impact, effort, and cost. We don't recommend expensive solutions when simple adjustments might work.
See our Privacy Policy for details on what data is stored.
Have feedback, suggestions, or found an error in our knowledge base? We'd love to hear from you.
Visit our Contact page to get in touch.
Ready to troubleshoot your espresso?
Start the diagnosis and get step-by-step fixes.