Is my grinder working properly?

[Fr. John]

I'm starting to wonder if my grinder is working to spec.

It's a MACAP M4 Stepless doser. My concerns:

- grinds very slow IMO. Takes an awful long time to do 2-3 shots worth (doubles).
- grounds are VERY clumpy, the roast is however a N. Italian blend, quite oily, but doesn't seem to improve much with drier roasts.
- I have it dialed to nearly 0, seems like awful low to me, i.e. whats the rest of the scale for!

SIDE NOTE: I can't believe I've owned this thing for 3 years now and just noticed on CC website that the doser is adjustable. Can anyone tell me how this is done?

[HB]

Not to pester you with an irrelevant question, but I have to ask: How's the espresso taste?

Speed: How slow is slow? Grinding ~2 grams per second is about average for this class of grinder.
Clumpy: Finer grind settings clump more, as do oily coffees.
Zero: Do you mean the "0" on the dial or the true zero where the burrs touch?
Doser adjustment: This is only useful if you fill the hopper doser at least half full.

[Fr. John]

Dan,

I just switched to a new "bulk" supplier (when you pull drinks for 4-5 people every morning you can't always use Black Cat). The new stuff tastes great in fact and my shots are fine for timing, etc.

-I'll time 13gr and see how it goes.
-I figured as much on the clumps
-Near zero on the dial, somewhere between 1-0. I zeroed the burrs when I got the thing and rarely look at the dial anymore, just seems weird to me that I'm working so close to 0.
-I'd be happy to keep the hopper half full considering what I have to make everyday. Not sure how the adjustment is done though.

[cafeIKE]

My MC4 grinds about 0.9g/s

[HB]

-I'd be happy to keep the hopper half full considering what I have to make everyday. Not sure how the adjustment is done though.

Sorry, I meant you need to keep the doser half full so the weight of the ground coffee will assure the pie-shaped wedge is full. You adjust the dose by changing the height of the vanes. IIRC, it involves pushing and turning the knurled knob on the doser's center post.