How To: Dialing in a Coffee Grinder

[nevans104]

when i start timing my shot, should i start the timer right when i press the brew button or should i start right when i see the flow starting?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@nevans104 Start when you initiate the shot; then you want to see it start extracting 5 - 8 seconds after that point. Too quickly and you should tweak your grind more finely; too slowly and you should make it more coarse, etc. - Kat

[nevans104]

@SeattleCoffeeGear Sorry Kat! Just one more part to that question. I have the Barista Express so it pre-infuses on the double shot. I'm guessing that I should start the timer right after I hear the last pre-infusion pump. Is that correct? By the way I love that you're so good at replying to people's questions :)

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@nevans104 I would test it out to see how it affects your shot. There are two schools of thought - one that includes pre-infusion in the overall shot time, one that does not. It really is going to be your personal preference and the shot flavor that tells you which works best for you at the end of the day :) - Kat

[chrizzzer84]

Hi. I'm considering buying a grinder to grind my own coffee.. Never had one before and have always bought my coffee grinded. So is it worth the investment and how big will the difference in taste be?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@chrizzzer84 It will be considerable; in my opinion, your coffee grinder should be the most important purchase as the other gear is secondary to a great grind. You'll notice richer flavor, more crema and better overall consistency in your shots, etc. - Kat

[ClassicsCafe]

Gail said to use freshly roasted coffee four days after the roast date. What could happen to your coffee if you brewed it 2 or 3 days after?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@ClassicsCafe You will just have more C02 in the mix, so a LOT more crema, and a bit more sour on the shots, I find. Basically, the more C02, the less coffee can be extracted, so the shots won't be as rich. The ideal timeframe is different for every coffee; I think you want to wait a minimum of 48 hours, but some recommend up to 72 - Kat

[Floss99]

Just to clarify...if I had my grinder on a medium-coarse setting for French Press, and then wanted to change the setting for espresso, I should have the grinder on while closing the burrs, else the machine will break...correct? But, if going in the opposite direction, it doesn't matter since I would be increasing the distance between the burrs.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@Floss99 You are correct; finer - grinder on; coarser - doesn't matter - Kat

[bmurphskiing]

Do you think you guys could do a video on the new la marzocco portafilter with the different spouts because they actually snap off for easy cleaning so if you tamp with the spouts on the table they might snap off and coffee goes everywhere. So, they put a lip on the bottom for people to tamp against the side of a counter like you would with the say francis francis i think that has the plastic portafilter

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@bmurphskiing Yes! We have been meaning to do a feature on this; thanks for reminding - Kat

[mayongmd]

Hi guys. Great lesson as usual. Question: when you talk about stopping the shot, do you use volume alone to determine when you kill it, or will blonding also determine whether or not to stop it earlier? Does my question make sense? I mean, You can get a 2oz shot in say 27sec, but the couple or so seconds of the shot's really pale. And so, even if you have 2 or so oz, in the correct shot time, you'd still end up with a bitter shot. ??? Thanks...

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@mayongmd I think that the base approach should be to shoot for that window; once you get into that window, you can start calibrating for the coffee based on blonding and flavor. I, personally, am not afraid of the blond and find that it gives the shot a more well rounded flavor, but that is subjective and so if you want to pull it before the blonde, experiment with that once you get into that window - Kat

[mayongmd]

@SeattleCoffeeGear : Thank you Kat.

[YoungJim409]

I wonder if weighing the beans before dumping them in the grinder would make life easier; if you wanted to dial it finer it'd be pretty close to empty anyway and if you wanted the last of it you'd need nothing better than a vacuum cleaner.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@YoungJim409 Great suggestion! - Kat

[Beznet]

awesome video guys =]

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@Beznet Thank you! - Kat

[vyapada]

Great intro, but when it comes to (more advanced) shot parameters I've had some great ones above 30s at low temps... ;)

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@vyapada Totally! Some coffees, machines and temps produce great results in longer extractions. IMHO, once you get the basics set, then you can play around with it more -- like jazz :D - Kat

[klarinetta]

Guys I've been told by coffee judge who is judging all over the world that sour is something you don't talk about with espresso because sour means there's a defect in the coffee bean. So you should more be talking about acidity and sweetness in the shot.

[xTripl3Troubl3x]

@klarinetta cool story bro

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@klarinetta To each their own; I think that definitely plays a part when you are cupping coffees and agree there; however, the sour undertone from an underextracted shot is very specific and I think calling it sour is valid (and sorry, I won't be changing that) - Kat

[klarinetta]

@SeattleCoffeeGear I don't get that sour undertone you are talking about. It's usually a bit bitter in either direction. Are you then going to use the terms sour if you would do Ethiopian coffee in espresso ?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@klarinetta No, it's clearly a sour note, but everyone has different tasting sensibilities. When overextracted, it's bitter and you can taste a bit of charcoal in it almost :) Sour, it hits a different area of my tongue altogether. When I am tasting coffees that have a higher acidity to them, it is different in how that flavor comes across. The shots are palatable, whereas an underextracted shot is not. - Kat

[runupscape]

how can you be so epic) what exspreso maker would you give to a beginer (smie arto)

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@runupscape Saeco Via Venezia - Kat

[klarinetta]

You have to talk about what you do after you've dialed in your grinder. That is how you know when to stop the shot when it starts to get blond. Timing and volume gets much less important after you've dialed your grinder.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@klarinetta This is a primer, honey, to get someone starting from scratch going. It was almost 15 minutes long to begin with, and focused on the initial dial in only - Kat

[SchneiderStudios]

Boy that's a bad grinder 

[klarinetta]

@SchneiderStudios Their MCF(or MCI which is the doserless version) is though a fantastic grinder for using at home for smaller quantity and compares really close to the big ones like Mazzer,Mcap and Compak.

And I state that nothing does machines like Silvia,Crossland,Ascasso and above justice other than good quality stepless grinder.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@SchneiderStudios I couldn't disagree more - Kat

[MrRedbalrog]

@SeattleCoffeeGear You're the best, Kat! And Gail is too!

Need to reverse the roles for once, have Gail behind the camera! :)

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@MrRedbalrog :D Never! ;) - Kat

[MrRedbalrog]

@SeattleCoffeeGear I should make the journey to your store then, even though it's a long way from New Zealand...if you ever go on a world tour, you should drop by the little islands down under ;)

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@MrRedbalrog It's definitely on our hit list! :D - Kat

[streamr89]

what do you do with all the coffee that you "groom" off the top? isn't that huge waste every time you pull a shot? is there any way to avoid this?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@streamr89 Yes - you can get really precise around your dosing; Gail grooms varying amounts and often will have it right on ... depends on her mood, I guess? - Kat

[mieczyslam]

Love the comment on Hario Mini. I was just going to say that when you asked "What grinder isn't messy?"

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@mieczyslam :D

[cpettifer]

So did you know that I just got my new grinder today, so you put this up to help me out?! Another useful video, thanks. Now to dial in my lovely new Vario. :-)

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@cpettifer I am psychic? ;) Glad we were able to help so soon! - Kat

[anubiz03]

I have a delonghi, one of the lower end models with a pressurized portafilter, I saw a guide on removing the pressurization system, but I'm having trouble dialing in the grind - it always ends up being bad. Would you say it's possible to remove the pressurization and do it the "classic" way on the delonghi, or should I just stick to keeping it pressurized and not waste coffee trying?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@anubiz03 I can't really speak to this as we haven't experimented; I have heard of folks having great results so if yours is not extracting well, it could be the grinder at fault. - Kat

[anubiz03]

@SeattleCoffeeGear Alright, thanks for the help :) I'll keep experimenting with different grinds and see if some turn out well - I wish shops around here would sell coffee in smaller amounts, so you could just try out 1 or 2 shots of a specific grind. But that's not likely to come anytime soon.

[whiskeyminute]

For purposes of measuring the time, are you starting the timer when you press the button on the machine or when the coffee starts coming out?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@whiskeyminute Shot timing starts at shot initiation, not when the extraction begins. Some people choose to include pre-infusion in their timing; some don't. You will need to play around with this yourself, but it should be within the 20 - 30 second window - Kat

[jorgefc]

do you sleep at night?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@jorgefc Uh...yeah. Why do you ask? - Kat

[anubiz03]

@SeattleCoffeeGear About jorgefc's post, I'm guessing it's a joke about caffeine :)

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@anubiz03 Hahaha - ah, I see ;) - Kat

[jorgefc]

@SeattleCoffeeGear cause of the coffee tasting, sip after sip of espresso! that has to add up :D

[battlenetistehgay]

@jorgefc I don't, iv'e been drinking espresso since I was 7 and have acute insomnia

[Gig103]

Regarding the "grind while adjusting" rule - How does that work with the Breville Smart Grinder you recently reviewed?

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@Gig103 Same - if you're taking it finer and you have beans in the hopper/burrs, you need to grind while bringing the burrs closer together. It's true for all burr grinders - Kat

[Gig103]

@SeattleCoffeeGear Gotcha. I wasn't sure since it is using a digital display. I didn't see Gail doing it during the crew review but I realize that isn't a normal situation.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@Gig103 Ah yeah, sometimes she doesn't do that on reviews or going through features (I have to get on her case about it!) :D - Kat

[MrBarcec]

@Gig103 How does one adjust a Rocky to a finer grind without the help of a third hand? There are two widely separated buttons to push while you turn the reservoir.

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@MrBarcec Mutants only! Here in the store, we grab another person, or sometimes I have been able to get it with my elbow - Kat

[SeaHearts1]

please do a new review on alex duetto with the new specs. thanks :)

[SeattleCoffeeGear]

@SeaHearts1 It is on our to-do list; we have just setup a new demo model so look for it in the next few weeks. - Kat