Baratza Vario espresso settings.

Grinders are one of the keys to exceptional espresso. Discuss them here.
bwcasolo
Posts: 30
Joined: 12 years ago

#1: Post by bwcasolo »

for you vario owners, where are your settings, just curious. have you set your timer based on a pre-weight amount, or what you knew was the right amount based on shot time, taste, ect.
this is an awesome grinder.

Louis
Posts: 418
Joined: 15 years ago

#2: Post by Louis »

Depends, depends, depends.

In my case, I ended up with a routine where I single-dose: I pre-weight the beans and use a fixed time setting to judge if the grind setting is right. With different beans, bean age, etc., adjustments needs to be made, but I found out that the required time to grind a set amount of beans is almost the same for the correct coarseness.

Hence, if beans are left in when the timer expires, I know the grind is too fine; if the grinder keeps running when all beans are through, the grind is too coarse.

I found that method more practical than pulling and sinking bad shots.

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JmanEspresso
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#3: Post by JmanEspresso »

I think the least frustrating way to dial in a timed grinder, is to set the grind setting first, for a specific dose, and then set the timer to give you that dose once your dialed in.

So, grind on manual, using a gram scale to make sure the dose is correct(for whatever you want to start with. Silvia? Try 15-16grams for the stock double basket), and adjust the grind based on how the shot pours. Once you are satisfied with the grind setting, set the timer. This is easy now, because when you grind on manual, it counts up, so you generally know where to set the timer, give or take a couple tenths.

Then, as the coffee ages, only small adjustments to time(more or less coffee), or grind setting needs to be made.

bwcasolo (original poster)
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Joined: 12 years ago

#4: Post by bwcasolo (original poster) »

thanks, that's exactly what i did this am. very happy with results.

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HB
Admin
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#5: Post by HB »

I always dispense directly into the basket and weigh, so I've never used the timer. The grind setting for espresso is two clicks away from zero (macro on right) and middle of the micro settings (left).
Dan Kehn

pacificmanitou
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#6: Post by pacificmanitou »

HB wrote:The grind setting for espresso is two clicks away from zero (macro on right) and middle of the micro settings (left).

same.
LMWDP #366

john_ertw
Posts: 78
Joined: 11 years ago

#7: Post by john_ertw »

The settings will vary from one vario to another. One reason is that two machines may be calibrated differently. Another thing that may cause variance is the espresso machine. Another might be the amount of coffee you use and what your target brew times are. I'm currently using 2-F and 12.9 seconds for ~15 grams. I think most Vario users are either using the finest or second finest macro setting, although Dan said he is two clicks away which I believe means the third setting.

I used the same method that Jman described to set the timer, namely single dose to get a ballpark time, then confirm the weight ground in a set time and adjust from there.

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bwcasolo (original poster)
Posts: 30
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#8: Post by bwcasolo (original poster) »

last night i received my new faceplate for my vario. a five minute switch, set at 2-f, and had a beautiful americano this am. i went back to single dosing by weight, and i am getting great shots, than leaving beans in the hopper.

john_ertw
Posts: 78
Joined: 11 years ago

#9: Post by john_ertw »

What weight of beans did you use at the 2-F setting and how long did the extraction take?

I'm pretty sure different machines will produce different grinds at the same setting (based on how they were calibrated), but I'm curious to see how yours reacted.

Ben_VC
Posts: 31
Joined: 11 years ago

#10: Post by Ben_VC »

I'm at 1 / G for my current beans, 11.2 secs for 15.5g ground. Extraction takes 25-30 secs for 25g espresso.

Cheers Ben

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