How to set your coffee grinder – Barista Tips
Achieving the perfect cup of coffee is not without its technical considerations, with mastering the art of setting and handling a coffee grinder seeming to be a mammoth mission on initial impression.
Nevertheless, with specific direction and instruction, the skill can be passed on and honed over time. Firstly, it is important to understand that a grinder is comprised of two burrs. The bottom burr cannot be moved, so it is the top burr that needs to be adjusted to ensure the desired granularity of the grind.
The closeness of the burrs defines the fineness of the ground coffee; the closer they are together the finer the grind and the further they are apart the coarser the result. The top burr is fixed to the top of the grinder and be moved in either direction depending on the required output. The grinder should be marked to show which way to turn it to make the grind fine or coarse.
If the resulting coffee grounds are too coarse and extraction happens in under 20 seconds, the hot water runs through them too quickly, however if they are too fine and extraction takes over 30 seconds, over-extracted coffee does not deliver the same feel during consumption.
Some grinders have numbers on their burrs, or indeed other indicators that facilitate adjustments of the machine. These should be made gradually and by one click a time. Temperature can also affect the fineness of the coffee grounds and so-called ‘espresso checks’ should be conducted regularly – by the same person throughout a shift – to ensure that all settings are in order and that the grinder is producing optimum results.