How to set a Coffee Grinder

Grinding your coffee beans is an important process that needs to be done correctly. If you don’t set up your machine correctly you could find yourself having or serving a terrible cup of coffee. Calibrating your coffee grinder is something that should be done every morning. The good news is that calibrating your grinder is very simple to do. Today we will cover what needs to be done in order to set your coffee grinder correctly.

Setting the Coffee Grinder

A grinder has two burrs that are placed on top of each other. The distance between these two burrs defines the fineness of the ground coffee. The closer the burrs are together the finer the grind. The bottom burr is connected to the grinder and cannot be changed. The top burr is connected to the top of the grinder and can be moved clockwise or anticlockwise. Sometimes numbers indicate the distance between the burrs, the lowest number indicating the finest setting. Move the top burr towards a higher number to increase the distance between the blades. Some grinders have instructions to indicate which direction is finer or coarser.

Testing your Settings

Check the fineness of the grind by making a double espresso. Ensure there is the correct amount of coffee in the filter. If the extraction is under 20 seconds then the grind is too coarse and the coffee will be under-extracted. Extraction over 30 seconds means the grind is too fine, resulting in over-extracted coffee. With under-extracted coffee the water filters through too easily. This can be corrected by moving the burrs closer together, making the grind finer. Change the setting of the burrs very carefully. Move the burrs with only one click at a time. The slightest movement makes a big difference. Check the extraction again until an extraction between 20 and 30 seconds is achieved.

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