Little Fish Coffee Roasters

18/07/2026

29 seconds.. how I like my Old Mate from home. 👌🏼 Remember, brew guides are just that, a guide, brew it how you like it.

16/07/2026

Dial In | Ep. 4

Breville Barista Express | Making the most of one of the world’s most popular home espresso machines.

When I got word that Shane from Ovenden Bakehouse had a new coffee machine sitting on the bench at home, I couldn’t wait to drop around with a fresh bag of Old Mate to help put the icing on the birthday cake. Yes I know, fresh is t always best but a darn site better than what the machine came with which had serious aeroplane coffee vibes.

The coffee delivery quickly turned into another Dial In session on the Breville Barista Express—one of the most popular home espresso machines around thanks to its affordability, reliability and ease of use.

A few quick tweaks made a big difference.

Dial In Tips

* The built-in grinder was the biggest limitation. Even at its finest setting, the shot was still running too quickly equaling coffee that needed more sugar than what’s in jam donut.
* To create more resistance, we increased the dose to 16g (the most the basket could fit), helping slow the extraction.
* I also recommended swapping to the largest filter basket supplied with the machine. Being able to fit more coffee into the basket adds further resistance and helps stretch the shot into the ideal extraction window.
* Even with the grinder’s limitations, we were able to get very close to our brew card recipe of 18g in, 36g out, in 26–30 seconds.

A few further suggestions, to name a few:
- A nice set of .01 brew scales (the Swiss army knife of the home barista)
- An Upgraded tamper, Breville tampers really are not great with their non ergonomic design and soft rounded edges.
- A nice 600ml Incasa milk jug, great for pouring this awkward love hearts for your mates.

I know few people who earn a good, punchy morning coffee more than bakers. With Old Mate in the hopper and a few simple adjustments, Shane’s set to make some seriously tasty coffees at home and ease into those sub 4am starts better than most.

16/07/2026

A shout out to all our new followers, and a big thank you to everyone who has recently placed an order after seeing us featured thanks to the legends at Baldivis Times.

We hope your brews are tasting awesome. If you need a hand getting the very best out of your coffee, we’re only a message away and always happy to help.

Every first order includes a simple brew guide to help you get started. It’s designed to make dialling in as straightforward as possible, with less waste and better coffee from the first cup. While it’s a great starting point, each blend has its own recipe, so jump online for the recommended brew parameters for your coffee.

Also keep an eye on our Dial In sessions, where we share real-world tips, common mistakes, and practical examples to help you get the most from your equipment and your coffee. Great coffee doesn’t have to be complicated.

14/07/2026

Dial In | Ep. 3 When Great Equipment Meets Great Coffee

This customer decided to skip the upgrade cycle and invest properly from day one—a Rocket Appartamento paired with a Eureka Mignon grinder. It’s a serious home espresso setup, and one that should deliver exceptional coffee for many years to come.

The dial-in process was very similar to my own E61 single boiler machine(Ep 2), with only a few small tweaks while learning how the grinder responded. Once the dose and grind setting were right, everything came together beautifully, producing an extraction almost exactly on our recommended recipe of 19g in, 38ml out in about 28 seconds.

The result? Exactly what the investment was made for—rich, naturally sweet espresso with enough balance and body that the sugar stayed in the cupboard.

It proves something I say often: quality extraction, well-roasted and carefully sourced coffee are the perfect combination for naturally sweet, full-flavoured espresso at home. Making a serious investment in equipment deserves an equally serious investment in the coffee that goes through it.

To round out the setup, we also recommended a few worthwhile accessories:

* Brew scales for consistent dosing and yield.
* A quality knock box.
* An upgraded precision filter basket to comfortably accommodate a larger dose up to 22g.
* A distribution tool for improved puck preparation.
* A decent milk jug—our pick is the 600ml Incasa so Griffo can get his love hearts on.

They’re now set for the next 20 years… or at least until the next rabbit hole appears. 👌🏼

11/07/2026

How good, thanks Baldivis Times for the write up and review. ❤️

☕ MEET OUR FAVOURITE SECRET HARBOUR ROASTER

Let us be honest for a second. Most of us grab our coffee from multi-million dollar supermarket chains. We settle for stale beans packed months ago by corporations that ethically do not care where their product is sourced or who was impacted along the way.

It is time to change that.

Recently, a small family-owned micro-roaster operating right out of Secret Harbour and Mandurah sent us a package to try.

Little Fish Coffee Roasters brings over 20 years of experience to the table, and they are on a mission to share incredible, ethically sourced coffee in eco-conscious packaging. They even label their bags with the exact roast date, delivering to your door within days of roasting.

We gathered the team, including Myah and even my Mum, for a proper taste test. The verdict? We are completely blown away.

Our absolute standout is their Top of the Morning blend. It is incredibly smooth and rich with a beautiful candy sweetness on the exhale. It delivers that high-quality cafe experience without the heavy gut ache that comes from over-roasted commercial beans. Mum is officially a massive fan!

We also tested their Smooth Operator hot chocolate. Inspired by their daughter's coeliac diagnosis, it is made with just three clean ingredients. It is pure chocolatey goodness, perfect for a late-night cozy drink on a cold afternoon.

Supporting locals who actually care about their craft is a no-brainer. They have kindly given our readers an exclusive discount to help you make the switch.

🎟️ Use code BALDIVISTIMES at checkout for 15% off.
🚚 Free local delivery on orders over $50.

✍️ Head to the comments section below to read the full taste test article on our website! 👇

🤔 What is your go-to morning brew? Let us know below. 👇

🔔 Follow the Baldivis Times

10/07/2026

Dial In | Ep. 2 – My Home Setup | Isomac Mondiale + Sette Grinder (single boiler, heat exchange).

This one is a little closer to home.

I’ve owned this Isomac Mondiale for almost 20 years, and it’s still faithfully making coffee every morning. It’s proof that investing in a quality home machine can really pay off. It might not be the latest dual boiler setup, but with a little know-how, it still produces exceptional coffee.

Here’s how I get the best from it.

1. Always dial in with scales

Whether it’s a $500 machine or a $5,000+ machine, consistency starts with measuring your dose, yield and extraction time. Guesswork almost always leads to inconsistent coffee.

2. Purge water before every shot

As a heat exchange (HX) machine, the brew water sits above ideal brewing temperature when idle. Before brewing, I flush the group for around 5–8 seconds to bring the temperature back into the sweet spot. Skip this and you’ll often scorch the coffee, masking sweetness with bitterness.

3. Don’t chase the grinder

The Sette is a fantastic low-retention grinder, but even low-retention grinders hold a small amount of coffee. If you make a grind adjustment, don’t judge it on the very next shot. Purge at least one full dose (around 22g) before testing again, otherwise you’re tasting a mix of the old and new grind settings.

4. Use good water

This is one of the most overlooked parts of home coffee. Perth’s water is naturally high in minerals, which not only affects flavour but also leads to scale build-up inside your boiler over time. Good filtered water will improve the taste in your cup while helping protect your machine for years to come.

Twenty years on, this old Isomac continues to prove that great coffee isn’t about having the newest gear—it’s about understanding the equipment you’ve got.

What machine should we dial in next?

If you’re local and you’re struggling to get the best from your home setup, send me a message. I’d love to help dial it in and feature more real-world machines in future Dial In episodes, so everyone can make better coffee at home.

06/07/2026

Now hiring!

05/07/2026

Dial In | Ep. 1 – Old Mate on the Breville Barista Touch Impress.

Great coffee doesn’t always come from buying new gear. Sometimes it just needs a few small adjustments and a cheap set of brew scales.

Dropped in to visit an Old Mate drinker Andy Layton this week who loves his LF coffee but hadn’t quite had the time to fine tune the machine. A few tweaks later and the difference was night and day—sweet, balanced and exactly how Old Mate is designed to taste.

Here’s what we changed 👇

☕ Starting point

* 16g dose
* 38g espresso out
* 17 second extraction

The shot was running far too quickly and blonding early, leaving the cup thin and bitter.

☕ Step 1
Adjusted the grinder finer to lengthen the extraction time.

☕ Step 2
The shot improved, but we’d reached the grinder’s finest setting while it was still running too fast—a surprisingly common limitation with these Breville machines.

☕ Step 3
Instead of chasing a finer grind that wasn’t available (maxed out on setting 2), we increased the coffee dose to 18.1g.

Final recipe ✅

* 18.1g in
* 36g out
* 27–28 seconds
Classic 1:2 ratio.

The result? A sweet, rounded espresso, a shot that started to pour after about 7-8 sec and oozed like honey for the 28 sec shot duration, with plenty of body and a lot less bitterness—and one very happy customer enjoying their long black the way it should taste.

⸻

Running a Breville Barista Touch, Touch Impress, Oracle, Bambino or another home machine and struggling to get the best from your Little Fish coffee?

Reach out. If you’re local and struggling to get the best out of your coffee, I’d love to drop in and help dial it in. I’ll be sharing more of these Dial In episodes across different machines to help everyone get café-quality coffee at home, one setup at a time. 👌🏼🤝

03/07/2026

NEW RELEASE — Ethiopia 🇪🇹
Sidamo Mewa | Natural - Ripe Strawberry, Plum, Creamy Smooth.

From the highlands of Sidama, Ethiopia, comes a beautifully expressive natural coffee from the Mewa community — where generations of cultivation and an incredible growing environment create something truly special.

Grown at elevations approaching 2,000m+, ripe cherries are hand-selected and naturally dried on raised African beds, allowing the fruit’s sweetness to concentrate while preserving the delicate character Ethiopian coffees are famous for.

A refined natural with a vibrant yet elegant profile — think ripe strawberry, juicy plum and a creamy-smooth finish.

01/07/2026

Pretty pumped to be part of this huge cupping/ community event in Sydney by FBR ROM. Let the community speak and celebrate great coffee without shade and or bias. https://events.humanitix.com/fbr-allstars-au