Perfecting the Barista Express
Like Duolingo, but for Perfecting the Barista Express. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
For the part of you with thirty open tabs that never became anything.
19 levels across 4 sections, about 38 minutes end to end, roughly 8 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Dialing In for Consistency, Precision Workflow & Tools, Troubleshooting & Taste, and Longevity and Care. It assumes you already know the basics.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in Perfecting the Barista Express
- The 54mm basket is narrower and deeper than commercial 58mm versions
- The BBE timer doesn't account for changes in grind size or resistance
- Overfilling prevents the shower screen from distributing water evenly
- Crema volume is deceptive and changes as beans age
- An 18g dose leaves the ideal 'headspace' for the puck to expand
- Stopping the shot manually on a scale ensures a precise yield weight
- Why the 18-gram dose is the mechanical sweet spot for the BBE's 54mm basket
- The necessity of manual yield control over the BBE's internal timer
- The 1:2 ratio means the liquid weight is double the dry dose
- 36g of liquid is the traditional target for an 18g dose
- The gauge reflects the resistance the water meets inside the puck
- Low pressure usually indicates the grind is too coarse for the BBE
- Using the BBE pressure gauge to diagnose puck prep issues
- Fresh beans contain more CO2 which creates more natural resistance
- Applying the 1:2 ratio to calculate a target yield
- As beans age and lose gas, water flows through the puck faster
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives Perfecting the Barista Express the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
Why might the BBE's programmed 'Double Shot' button produce a different amount of coffee each time?
Get it right to open this lesson and 18 more in the app.
Where Perfecting the Barista Express takes you
Move beyond the 'Double Shot' button and master the nuances of your Breville Barista Express. Learn to diagnose extractions, optimize the built-in grinder, and maintain your machine for cafe-quality results at home.
- 1
Dialing In for Consistency
- The Golden Ratio on the BBE
- Taming the Built-in Grinder
- 2
Precision Workflow & Tools
- Distribution and Tamping Mastery
- Advanced Machine Control
- 3
Troubleshooting & Taste
- Diagnosing the Extraction
- Milk Texturing and Pouring
- 4
Longevity and Care
- Deep Cleaning and Maintenance
4 sections · 7 units · 19 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
You pick the voice
Perfecting the Barista Express is taught in the The Professor style: clear, structured, thorough. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start Perfecting the Barista Express today.
Download Tomo, search Perfecting the Barista Express, and play your first lesson in under a minute.