To translate the admittedly somewhat arbitrary term I might have just invented in the subject, what I mean by "down-dialing" is to set the zero spot with the dials in a physically lower "coarser" position than instructed. The instructions for calibration have you dialing the macro knob to its finest, and then the micro knob to about halfway, leaving a minimum of space at the very finest end of the micro dial.

I can understand that by calibrating the zero at the near-finest possible point of adjustability, it maximizes adjustment range in the coarser direction from there. I don't do french press; maybe someone who does both FP & espresso can speak to whether a finest-position zero helps them on the coarsest end. Also, from a security standpoint I can understand how perhaps it makes sense to try to lessen the chances a user has for grinding the burrs together too severely, by instructing them to not even leave themselves that much adjustability. But let's assume we're all bright & experienced enough not to worry about this. For espresso-centric users, is there some mechanical benefit to setting the zero spot with the macro knob 1 or 2 notches below the top?

I've kept mine dialed down with a minimum of space beyond zero, as per the instructions. Next time I calibrate I'll probably take the macro knob down a peg, just for the heck of it. If there exists any noticeable benefit, it could be the kind of thing that's random/unique to each machine, or even just in the eye of the barista. What I guess I'm hoping to find is that there might be some magical improvement in the quickness with which the vario "settles" into a new grind, and maybe also repeatability of settings. I have no idea why this would be true. But if not these, maybe there's some other benefit to down-dialing the zero. Anyone have any observations? Speculations? Superstitions? Pardon me if this was addressed in the voluminous Owner's Experience thread. I've tried combing through but haven't found much detail.

(Background of this inquiry: Age-old Vario conundrum. I use one bean at a time, espresso only, as I don't find it worthwhile to waste as much time & coffee as it takes to switch to decaf or to Aeropress and back. When I first bought the machine I put little tape slivers at settings that would work for one batch at one point, but when switched away and came back, not so much. I love my Vario; best grind quality I've had to date, by far. But I did originally hope to take greater advantage of its titular "variability.")

One benefit I can think of is if you are always grinding with your micro knob right at the top or right at the bottom for the specific beans you use. When you run out of micro notches to adjust, you will be forced to adjust the macro. By "down-dialing" the grinder by half the range on the micro side, you will now be grinding with that knob in the mid position avoiding adjustments of the macro knob for espresso as beans age or from one bean to another.

I will be interested in the reply. AFAIK my Vario is dialled in "by the book" and my espresso grind is finest on the macro and in the E - G range on the micro. I have to admit I don't fiddle as much as I thought I would - once it is dialled in for whatever beans I am using that week I pretty much leave it alone.

Cheers Ben

In my experience w/ the Vario over the past few years I initially calibrated per the manual (macro at finest, micro in middle) and that worked fine for most coffees pulling 16.5 to 17.5 g shots, but on occasion, using light roasts, I was running the micro at or within a few clicks of the finest setting so I started 'down dialing' the calibration at about the 1/4 up the micro scale from the bottom rather than at the middle with the macro still at finest setting. I have yet to need any more 'headroom' on the micro setting and never move the macro (for espresso only).

Also, as mentioned by others, there is overlap among macro settings (coarsest micro w macro at top is not finer than finest micro w/ macro 2nd from top....sorry if that makes your head swell) so unless one likes to pull 14g shots with light roasted beans....probably don't need to 'down dial' further beyond macro at top...and why make life more complicated than it needs to be?.

Pat

I've had occasional experiences over the last year where after adjusting the grind coarser I've had to spend allot of time, and beans getting my Vario settled back into a sweet spot. It seems like the burrs open up and get stuck a bit, and at some point it releases and settles back into place. I've been following the guide with calibrating it but I may try to adjust it at the fine end versus the middle next time it happens to see if that helps at all.

Outside of the occasional tuning problem I love the grind quality and how clean it is to use. I just grind into the bin that comes with the grinder and then I pour it into the PF using an OE funnel.

I remember calibrating my Vario-W and noticing that to get a good extraction, I needed to turn the calibration past where I heard the motor laboring. That worried me enough to contact Baratza and Kyle confirmed that the motor is quite robust and that even when the motor is laboring, the burrs aren't touching or being damaged.

There's a post on CG that confirms this: https://www.coffeegeek.com/forums/espre ... 898#564898.

I've got my vario-w calibrated like the manual suggests, except I set the macro at 2 instead of 1 for the slowing motor. Works fine a year later.

Calibrating with macro at 2 would presumably lead to the ability to make finer grind at the "1 A" setting than using the standard calibration method.

I wonder if this would make it possible to et it fine enough for Turkish coffee. While I extremely happy with my (standard calibrated) Vario for espresso and French press pot it simply isn't grinding fine enough for Turkish even at the finest micro and macro settings.

Has anyone successfully got the Vario to grind for Turkish?

jgirl125 wrote:
Outside of the occasional tuning problem I love the grind quality and how clean it is to use. I just grind into the bin that comes with the grinder and then I pour it into the PF using an OE funnel.

Same as I on my Vario-W.
I also find the lighter roasts require a bit more dialing in, but the Baratza recommended calibration routine is working for me. Cleaning under the lower burr (removing it) every 2nd cleaning helps as well.

I may be a few days late to the party, but I figured I'd chime in too...

I don't make turkish at home, but from what I've seen when I was fiddling with the grind range, you should be able to manage it if you calibrate the grind to give you more leeway at the fine end. I've had grinds that were pretty close to baby powder consistency. I would suggest however that you watch carefully as at those settings it may clog.

I also, some time ago now, spoke with Baratza about being concerned I would ruin the burrs, but from what I recall the carriers are made such that they bottom out before the burrs can get damaged. I didn't check the thread from CG someone posted, but I suspect that may corroborate?

As for the original poster's question, the only benefit I've noticed is that if you calibrate so that your "sweet spot" for your typical beans is close-ish to the coarse end of the micro adjustments, it gives you more leeway to work with. Adjusting finer if your beans are a bit older seems to me to be the most common adjustment, and the Vario seems to like going from coarse to fine more than the reverse...

jgirl125 wrote:I've had occasional experiences over the last year where after adjusting the grind coarser I've had to spend allot of time, and beans getting my Vario settled back into a sweet spot. It seems like the burrs open up and get stuck a bit, and at some point it releases and settles back into place. I've been following the guide with calibrating it but I may try to adjust it at the fine end versus the middle next time it happens to see if that helps at all.

From what Baratza told me, again, quite some time ago, when I had initially had trouble with the same issue (and from removing the bottom burr to clean and seeing how it's put together), if the burr carrier isn't aligned exactly, the tension on the drive shaft (? probably making some terms up myself) from the belt makes it stick. I found that I could run the grinder with no beans and change the grind coarse, then if I did the same and changed it to fine I could actually push lightly on the burr and make it "click" down to where it should have been. It doesn't seem to happen as much or as significantly after the grinder was well broken in though... at least I don't notice anymore, though I do sometimes still find it fiddly getting dialed in if I've had to step the macro adjustment instead of just the micro.