What should be adjusted if a shot pulls too quickly?

When a shot pulls too quickly, making the grind finer is the appropriate adjustment to address the issue. A shot that pulls quickly typically indicates that the water is flowing through the coffee grounds too fast, which can result in under-extraction. This happens because the water is not in contact with the coffee long enough to extract the full range of flavors, oils, and compounds from the coffee.

By grinding the coffee beans to a finer consistency, the surface area of the coffee increases. This allows for better extraction of the flavors as the water spends more time in contact with the grounds during the brewing process. The finer grind slows down the water flow, enabling a more optimal extraction and a richer, more balanced flavor profile in the espresso shot.

Other options may not directly address the problem: raising the temperature could lead to over-extraction and bitterness, adding more coffee might not effectively control the flow rate, and changing the brew time alone without adjusting grind size may not solve the issue either. Thus, adjusting the grind size is the best method to ensure a balanced extraction and improve the quality of the espresso shot.