Dialing in with Cropster Cafe

This article will explain how to Dial-in using Cropster Cafe.

---

• What is Dialing in?
• Dialing in espresso with connected equipment 

  • Linking Recipes to the espresso machine

  • Enriching or editing Brews
  • Evaluating automatic Brews as Reference or Test

• Dialing in manually 
  • Logging your Brews

---

What is Dialing in?

Dialing in is the process by which you adjust the parameters until you have found the ideal ones for your coffee, equipment, and brewing method.

Cropster Cafe allows you to dial in your coffees across multiple recipes and brewing methods.

Each Recipe can be dialed in across locations, through the process of marking a brew as a Reference.

By following these steps you can find the Dial-In section:

1. Log in to the online platform C-sar.
2. Navigate to Cafe on the main menu bar.
3. Click on Barista Onsights
4. Scroll down to the Dial-In section. 
5. Here, coffees are dialed in and logged per brewing method: espresso, batch brew, and manual filter brews.
   Dialing in espresso can be done with connected equipment, or manually.
   

Dialing in espresso with connected equipment

For espresso machines connected to Cropster Cafe, brew data will be logged automatically and stored under the machine's dial-in card:

Linked Recipes, incoming Brews, and Tasks assigned to the equipment are also shown here.

Linking Recipes

To sort the incoming brews to the correct Recipes, you can link your espresso machine's buttons (for La Marzocco connectable machines) or Groupheads (for BrewBeacon connected machines).

💡 Upon dialing in, do a quick check to ensure that this is correctly set up.

Cropster Cafe then tracks each of your Brews under the right recipe - hands-free.

By following the steps below you can link Recipes:

1. Log in to the online platform C-sar.
2. Navigate to Cafe on the main menu bar.
3. You will be directed to the Telemetry Insights page. 
4. Choose the desired machine by clicking on the dropdown menu to select the Focus view.
   
   
5. Navigate to the Linked Recipes section on the right side of the page and click Change linking. 
   
   
6. Scroll down to the Recipe tab. 
   
   
7. You can link existing Recipes by clicking on the Link Recipe button. 
   💡You can select to include Recipes from other locations as well.
8. A new window will pop up:
   
9. Link buttons/Grouphead to this Recipe, or add the Recipe with all buttons/Groupheads unlinked.
   💡 Link a button/Grouphead to the Recipe by clicking on the gray buttons to enable them (turn green). Unlink a button by clicking on the green buttons to disable them (turn gray).
10. Click the Link Recipe button. 

Enriching or editing Brews

Cropster Cafe  allows you to add or edit any parameter of the Brew, for example, to enrich the data with TDS and Ext % readings, sensory descriptors, yield, etc.
💡 You can also update the Recipe, Equipment, or the Roast.

By following the steps below you can enrich or edit your Brews: 

1. Complete steps 1-5 written above. 
2. Scroll down and select the Brews tab.
3. Click on the Edit button. 
   💡 If you edit a parameter, the Brew will be re-evaluated. If you change the Recipe, the Brew will be re-evaluated against the new Recipe's current ranges. 
   
4. You can edit any information about the Brew here. 
   
5. Click on the dropdown next to Save as. Select if you wish to save the Brew as Reference or as a Test. 
6. Click on Save to finalize the changes.

Evaluating automatic Brews as Reference or Test

Once you have verified that your linked Recipes are accurate, the next crucial step in the Dial-in process is to assess your Brews and designate your perfect one as the new Reference.

By following the steps below you can access the Brews tab where you can evaluate the incoming Brews and mark them as Reference or Test: 

1. Complete steps 1-5 written above. 
2. Scroll down and select the Brews tab.
   
   
3. Click on the Edit button. 
   💡 If you edit a parameter, the Brew will be re-evaluated. If you change the Recipe, the Brew will be re-evaluated against the new Recipe's current ranges. 
   
4. You can edit any information about the Brew here. 
5. Click on the dropdown next to Save as. Select if you wish to save the Brew as Reference or as a Test. 
   
   
   • Reference: Logging your Brew as a Reference will update the Recipe's brew parameters for this machine. We will then copy its input parameters to subsequent Brews captured under the same Recipe (until the Reference is updated). It will become the new brewing standard for this Recipe for this machine. 
   • Test:  Logging your Brew as a Test will not update the Recipe. It will log the Brew as a regular Brew with a clear indication that this Brew didn't meet your standards and wasn't handed to a customer.
     💡 This is useful when Dialing in, or during the initial creation of a Recipe.
     For example, when dialing in espresso, if a Brew does not meet your brewing standards, evaluate it as a Test. Once you have logged your ideal Brew, update the Recipe by evaluating the Brew as a Reference.
6. Click Save to finalize the changes 

Dialing in manually 

By following the steps below you can Dial-in manually: 

1. Log in to the online platform C-sar.
2. Navigate to Cafe on the main menu bar.
3. Click on Barista Onsights
4. Scroll down to the Dial-In section. 
5. For logging Espresso, Manual and Batch Brews manually, Brew data can be logged under and stored under the Espresso (manual), Manual Brew, and Batch Brew Dial-in cards.
   
6. You can dial in across multiple Recipes (of the same Brewing method) in one go. 💡 For example, if you make a Brew of each filter coffee you have on offer, you can log a New brew for each Recipe, and then evaluate them once ready.

Logging your Brews

1. Complete steps 1-4 written above.
2. Select from the Espresso (manual) Batch Brew or Manual Brew Dial-in cards. 
3. You will be directed to the Dialing in manually page. 
   
4. Enter the following details:
   * is indicating mandatory fields
   • *Recipe
   • Station
     💡Once you choose the Station, the Equipment field will automatically populate.
   • Equipment
   • Roast
   • Roast date
   • Grind setting
   • Brew water pulses
   • Pre-brewing on
   • Pre-brewing pause
   • Pre-brewing total
   • Temperature

1. • Water pH
   • TDS
   • Extraction
   • Score
   • Brew comment 
     💡 The parameters vary based on the type of Dial-in card that is selected.
2. Click on Log Brew to add. 

---

Related content

• How to customize the Brew logging parameters

---

Congratulations! You are now ready to use the Dial-in feature in Cropster Cafe!

Your opinion matters. If you have further questions, feedback, or concerns, please feel free to reach out by submitting a support ticket directly from support.cropster.com