lupomen . I started off with my grinder set at 12 and coffee spattered everywhere , to cut a long story short I’ve got to setting number 4 (Sage grinder) and the portafilter is running beautifully like videos I’ve watched …. however the brew time is 22 seconds and there is insufficient water 18g coffee producing 25g shot
You are receiving great advice from some very experienced forum members. We were all “newbies” and so on this forum, every question is a good one that we’re happy to answer.
When you mention that the “coffee splattered everywhere”, I’m abit confused by that. If your grind was very coarse, you will have a very fast flow but not “splatter”. Did the coffee “spritz” as distinct from flowing in a single stream? If so, your grounds were either not evenly distributed in the basket or improperly tamped. I’d read up on coffee ground distribution technique and on how to use a tamper. Google search “WDT”.
Then as others have mentioned, focus on the “brew ratio”, which is the ratio of ground beans in to brewed coffee out. 1 : 2.0 is a good starting point. Then vary that ratio to get the body and strength that you like. A lower ratio typically produces greater body / strength than a higher ratio.
Then “dial in” the balance of the shot by grinding finer to reduce sour notes or coarser to reduce bitter notes.
The following article by Barista Hustle contains a link to a great video on dialing in, plus links to basic information on making espresso. https://www.baristahustle.com/blog/espresso-recipes-putting-it-all-together/