Dialing in with Cropster Cafe

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




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.

Dialing in espresso can be done with connected equipment, or manually.

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. Select Barista Onsights.
  4. Scroll down to the Dial-In section
    Screenshot 2025-02-04 at 14.52.04
  5. In this section, you can adjust and record the dialing in of coffees based on different brewing methods:
    • Espresso
    • Batch Brew
    • Manual Brew

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 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.

Multiple buttons/Groupheads can be assigned to the same Recipe.


By following the steps below you can link Recipes:
  1. Navigate to Cafe on the main menu bar. You will be directed to the Operations page.
  2. Select the Telemetry Insights tab.
    Screenshot 2025-01-22 at 11.39.00
  3. Choose the desired machine by clicking on the dropdown menu to select the Telemetry Insights for connected Espresso machines.
    Screenshot 2025-02-04 at 14.35.20
  4. Navigate to the Linked Recipes section on the right side of the page and click Change recipe linking. 
    Screenshot 2025-02-04 at 14.34.06
  5. Scroll down to the Recipe tab. 
    Screenshot 2025-01-22 at 11.31.12
  6. You can link existing Recipes by clicking on the Link Recipe button. 
    💡You can select to include Recipes from other locations as well.
    Screenshot 2025-01-22 at 11.32.28
  7. A new window will pop up:
    Screenshot 2025-01-22 at 11.33.27
  8. 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).
  9. Click the Link Recipe button. 

For La Marzocco machines connected through the La Marzocco Pro App, Recipes can be linked to buttons.

For BrewBeacon connected machines, Recipes can be linked to Groupheads.

By keeping the settings unchanged, every brew made using the espresso machine's linked buttons/Groupheads will automatically be categorized under the linked Recipes.

Linking a button/Grouphead to a Recipe when it has already been linked with another Recipe, will automatically unlink it from the prior Recipe and link it to the new one.

Any Brews done by pressing this button/Grouphead will be captured under the new linked Recipe.

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. Navigate to Cafe on the main menu bar. You will be directed to the Operations page.
  2. Select Brews on the Telemetry Insights tab.
    Screenshot 2025-01-22 at 11.40.08
  3. Select the Brew by clicking on the Recipe. You will be directed to the Recipe details page.
    Screenshot 2025-01-22 at 11.41.34
  4. Click on the EditIcon (1)-png-2Edit 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. 
    Screenshot 2025-01-22 at 11.42.58

  5. You can edit any information about the Brew here. 
    Screenshot 2025-01-22 at 11.44.01
  6. Click Update recipe to finalize the changes.

Evaluating automatic Brews as Reference 

  1. Select Cafe > Equipment on the main menu bar. You will be directed to the Equipment overview page
  2. Choose the Equipment you wish to link the Reference Brew to by clicking on its Model name. You will be directed to Telemetry Insights page
  3. Click the Change linking button on the right side of the page. 
  4. Switch to the Brews tab
    💡 You can determine if a Reference Brew has not been added to the Recipe by checking if the Dose field is blank.
  5. Click on the Recipe's name to view the Brews.
  6. You can refine your search by filtering the Brews based on the specific Location.
  7. You can mark as a reference the Brew which is the most accurate by checking the Recipe parameters.
  8. Click the star icon to set it as a Reference Brew
    Screenshot 2025-01-20 at 14.59.10
  9. The Brew will be added to the list of References.
    Screenshot 2025-01-20 at 15.00.46

    For machines that connected via the La Marzocco Pro App:
    Any of the buttons that are under 10 seconds is sent to Cropster as a flush and, therefore won't appear on the Brews Table.

    Dialing in manually 


    By following the steps below you can Dial-in manually

    1. Navigate to Cafe > Barista Onsights.
    2. Scroll down to the Dial-In section
    3. 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.
      Screenshot 2025-01-22 at 11.53.36
    4. 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 1-3 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

      Here is an example of the information you will encounter when you choose the Espresso (manual) option:
      Screenshot 2025-01-22 at 11.55.17
    4. To proceed with the Espresso (manual) option, please input the relevant details as outlined in the example above.
      💡 The parameters vary based on the type of Dial-in card that is selected.
    5. Click Log brew to submit.

    If you are looking for more parameters to add, you need to navigate to gear-png-2 > Cafe settings on the top right side of the page.

    You can customize which parameters you wish to track here. 
    📚 Learn more about how to customize the Brew logging parameters. 


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    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