First drip
When the first coffee comes through the basket, timed from the pump start.
Espresso analysis An ilscipio app
Espresso Shot Reader
Your shot, read frame by frame.
Film your espresso from below, through a bottomless portafilter, at up to 240 frames a second. The app reads the video and tells you what the shot did.
Needs a bottomless portafilter. A portafilter with spouts hides the basket, so the app cannot read those shots.
Coming soon to the App Store and Google Play
What it looks like
What it does
Spray jets
Each jet that shoots sideways out of the basket, with the time and its clock position. A jet is the visible sign of channeling.
Blonding point
When the stream turns pale and the shot starts to run thin.
Flow balance
Which side of the basket wets first, as a left and right share and an evenness score across eight sectors.
Every shot becomes a card
Each card keeps the slow-motion video, the extraction ribbon, the basket map and your dial-in. Replay a shot at quarter speed and see the jet happen.
Compare two shots
One step finer on the grinder, and the first drip came 1.3 s later with one jet instead of three.
What you need
- A bottomless portafilter
- It has to fit your machine, with a basket that is not pressurised. It is often a separate purchase, in 51, 54 or 58 mm.
- Your phone under the basket
- Camera up, upright or sideways for a low machine. The app finds the basket and follows it while your hand moves.
- Good light
- A small torch or the phone's own light helps. Each reading shows a confidence value, and the app tells you when steam or poor light got in the way.
Price, privacy, devices
- Price
- The first shot analysis is free. Unlimited analysis is a single €9.99 purchase. No subscription.
- Privacy
- All analysis runs on your phone. Your videos never leave the device, and there is no account. Privacy policy
- Devices
- iPhone with iOS 17 or later, Android 8 or later. The app uses the highest frame rate your camera supports.