Good approximate Mazzer grind setting for espresso/French press

[MarkJames]

Howdy....

Long time since I've visited... kids sure do take up a bunch of time!

I was wondering if someone can help me out with two things...

Firstly... I use a minimazzer for my grinding. I find the setting that works for me is somewhere around the '1' setting though I tweak it up or down a hair to keep my extraction pressure between 8.5 and 10bar. I'd like to use my mazzer for grinding coffee for some french press coffee as well but am a total idiot when it comes to the grind size needed for that method. Does anyone have a mazzer so they can point me in a 'relative' direction? Thanks in advance.

Secondly... and I've searched this for a bit unsuccessfully... what does LMWDP stand for?

Mark

[cannonfodder]

Lever Machine World Domination Plot

I have a mini as well. My start here sticker is about 5 clicks finer than the 1 indicator. For French press, I open the grinder up to 5 with a 4 min percolation. I will go finer now and then but the steep time has to be shortened. Grind does change by coffee so keep notes.

[Psyd]

Secondly... and I've searched this for a bit unsuccessfully... what does LMWDP stand for?

"Lever Machine World Domination Plot" http://www.home-barista.com/forums/lmwdp-rollcall-t533.html

As far as the Mazzer settings go, I could post the Major's stats, but I'm not sure it would do you any good. Most blends hover right around '2', and I haven't tried the FP yet. Anyone with a Major that has a good starting point for me is welcome to chime in.

[another_jim]

For espresso, you're joking right? It's whatever flows right. Start with the marker found on all Mazzers, or if that's gone, a grind that pinches with fine granularity, one step coarser than a powder.

For FP, try a half turn coarser than whatever you're using for espresso

[HB]

I just checked and the French press grind setting for the Mazzer Mini is approximately 2.5 "big numbers" above the zero point. I follow Sweet Maria's French Press Brewing Instructions, which recommends the finest even grind coffee possible. The espresso "start here" sticker is accurate plus or minus a few notches.

[MarkJames]

lever machine world domination plot, huh? lol... well - I must say I was very tempted before I bought my Anita... the only thing that kept me from getting a lever machine and an LMWDP number was the problem of pulling multiple shots consecutively.

Thanks for the help with the mazzer settings. I've tried the sweet marias technique before - of a finer than 'normal' grind for french press. It's a tough thing to sort through as I'm not a big french press fan so I'm not really sure if I've gotten what I'm looking for. Too fine and it's too hard to press and you get a lot of sludge... too coarse and you feel no pressure while plunging and the coffee is flavorless. The bodum uses up so much coffee in one attempt that it brings tears to my eyes to sacrifice it to experimentation.

I'm gonna try cannon fodders advice and I'll let you all know how it goes.


Thanks again,

Mark

[HB]

The bodum uses up so much coffee in one attempt that it brings tears to my eyes to sacrifice it to experimentation.

I bought a one cup (8 ounce) Bodum presspot at Target for $12. Microwave boils the water in 3 minutes, grounds steep for 3.5 minutes. As for grind, you'll know by the resistance of the plunger and taste if it's off.

[cpl593h]

I follow Sweet Maria's French Press Brewing Instructions, which recommends the finest even grind coffee possible.

I started FP with this, but was amazed when I switched to a very coarse grind and a longer immersion time. Sweeter, fuller, better to my taste.

[MarkJames]

I bought a one cup (8 ounce) Bodum presspot at Target for $12. Microwave boils the water in 3 minutes, grounds steep for 3.5 minutes. As for grind, you'll know by the resistance of the plunger and taste if it's off.

That wouldn't hurt quite as badly.... how much coffee for a single cup?

Mark

[DaveC]

1. Make grind finer until burrs just touch (you can't turn them any more with fingers)
2. Go 13 notches coarser (not the numbers the little lines/notches I call em) and thats about right for espresso (within a notch or two)

French press, as Jim said about 1/2 a turn coarser than above.

[HB]

That wouldn't hurt quite as badly.... how much coffee for a single cup?

The standard SCAA brewing ratio for coffee (55 grams / liter) comes out to 13 grams for an 8 ounce cup.

[MarkJames]

Thank you all for your help with this.

I just made a couple of cups (the wife and I) of a nice Ethiopian Harrar that I roasted to Full City+ a couple of days ago. I used the ratio HB posted (thank you!) which worked out to almost exactly 2 tbsp of ground coffee for each 8oz cup of water. I set the mazzer to 4 (whatever that corresponds to) and let it steep 2 minutes then stirred then another 2:30 before pressing. The result was a very nice cup indeed.

The only thing that's a pain is that I have to take all my espresso beans out of the hopper and the burr chamber, clear out the coffee in the dispensing area, put the espresso beans in a container, put the FP beans in the hopper, grind them, transfer all the ground coffee to another container, clean it all back out again and then replace the espresso beans... it's a bit of a hassle. I may just take it into the store and grind it there in future.

I'm not giving up on my Espresso - not by a long shot! I've just been drinking nothing but Americanos - 4 doubles a day - for the last 9 or 10 years... I needed something to add a little variety to my life. This will also give me a little more play time with my roaster as the different beans take on such widely different characters at different roast levels.

Thanks again!

Mark

[HB]

I may just take it into the store and grind it there in future.

That would be a mistake. Preground coffee = stale coffee. Instead, try pressing in that little tab on the hopper as you're nearing the last espresso or two of the previous session. That will leave only the beans in the throat. Then you can lift off the hopper and grind for French press.

It saves a couple steps. Alternatively, get a second grinder (I know, I know... when does it stop? )

[Psyd]

For FP, try a half turn coarser than whatever you're using for espresso

So, on a Mazzer, the collar adjustment pin does a 180 degree rotation to get to FP? That should make going back and forth fairly easy.

[another_jim]

So, on a Mazzer, the collar adjustment pin does a 180 degree rotation to get to FP? That should make going back and forth fairly easy.

Yep. The only hassle is that the pin can block access to the doser if it's set, like mine, to point at around 1:30 when in espresso mode.

[Psyd]

Yep. The only hassle is that the pin can block access to the doser if it's set, like mine, to point at around 1:30 when in espresso mode.

My collar has four (three?) threaded holes in the outside of the adjustment collar. Couldn't you just use another hole?

[Ozark_61]

Yo - have a tip for you. When you find your setting, put some blank file folder labels along the edge of the top of the grind adjustment ring (you'll have to cut to match the curve). I then pencil in markings for moka and press. On the finer end, I just mark 0 - 4 or so for espresso. I know that redline I grind at 1.5 and so forth etc etc yadda yadda. I don't think moka and press are as tedious, but since it's in pencil, you'll easily be able to adjust.

[Psyd]

Yo - have a tip for you. When you find your setting, put some blank file folder labels along the edge of the top of the grind adjustment ring

Great idea, and I use it, but the OP's question was where to start trying for FP, not how to get there from espresso. Starting at espresso you might find a lot of grinds in your FP cup, and starting a rocks and twigs you'd get some pretty weak coffee flavored tea. Having a clue where espresso is on his Mazzer, he wanted to know where he'd go from there to get a good setting for French Press.

[MarkJames]

Great idea, and I use it, but the OP's question was where to start trying for FP, not how to get there from espresso. Starting at espresso you might find a lot of grinds in your FP cup, and starting a rocks and twigs you'd get some pretty weak coffee flavored tea. Having a clue where espresso is on his Mazzer, he wanted to know where he'd go from there to get a good setting for French Press.

Exactly right...

And yet after a couple of weeks I'm back in confoozdomland.... it's all good - just in different ways. 4 or so is quite coarse and works fine/tastes great - but 3 or so is also good, with more developed flavor, but with more sediment..... as I approach 2 it gets a bit difficult to plunge (particularly if I stir right before plunging) but this also tastes pretty decent. I like the simplicity of my espresso better - if I get a 20-25 second extraction at 8.5-10bar I feel like I've hit a winner... French Press seems to be 'good' in many forms.

On a different note, though, I've found that FP is a fair bit easier on my gut. I didn't realize that the 'force majeur' that seemed to always follow a good cup of espresso wasn't 'typical' lol

Mark