In another thread I asked if it was wise to buy a Baratza (or actually a Mahlkönig as it is called here in Holland) Vario to replace my Mazzer Mini E. Meanwhile I took the plunge and bought one.
I still have to fine-tune it, although I am already in the ballpark because I had drinkable shots. I have the Macro setting at the 2nd notch from above and the Micro setting at the 8th notch from above.
What strikes me however is that, compared to the Mazzer Mini E, I have to grind more beans to fill the basket to the rim. I think it is about 1 to 1 1/2 grams more. This is with the same (home-roasted) beans.
Out of curiousity I wonder why this is so. Is there an explanation for that ?

It's probably just the way that the grinders handle the grinds between the time they leave the burrs and time they hit your basket. One path results in fluffier grinds. That's my guess but it doesn't really matter anyways as you should be dosing by weight, not volume.

It might be at those settings you're getting a finer grind, that settles a tad more.

However, as nixter pointed out, "you really should be dosing by weight, not volume."

While you're playing around with your new grinder, even though you're getting drinkable shots, you might want to try some of the tips that Jim posted @ Espresso 101: How to Adjust Dose and Grind Setting by Taste

Keith

Thanks for the replies.
Meanwhile I found the cause. It was me. I had changed my workflow.
While using my Mazzer I only tapped downwards (to settle the grounds in the basket) after leveling and before tamping. With the Vario I also tapped after dosing. Of course the level of the grounds sinks doing that and it looked as if I could dose more.
Btw, I think I do a mixture of dosing by weight and volume. I found out that, on an average, I can fill the basket to the rim (leveled) with 19 grams. I grind and weigh 19,5 grams and level then doing a NSEW. The waste is around 0,5 grams then. Is this an acceptable way ?

I also tried dosing direct in the basket, using a tall (Ipanema) OE dosing funnel. Somehow however a lot of grounds end up on the wall of the funnel and stick there. Is there a way to avoid that and if not how should I correct it so that the grounds fall in the basket as yet. Is it best to tap the funnel sideways with, e.g. the tamper ? For now I grind in a metal container and fill the basket (with the funnel on it) with that
Ton

Try dosing less. 19.5g is a pretty large dose. I personally find that 15.5g suits me well. This dose makes everything fit in the basket quite nicely. I do use a yogurt cup funnel but this is because I grind into the Vario's bucket and pour that into the basket. I then give the basket a couple lateral shakes in X and Y to even things out. One tap on the counter and I remove the funnel and do a quick finger swipe (only if needed). At this point I have a perfectly distributed basket ready for a light tamp. The other reason I use a lower dose is that larger dosed pucks tend to have a higher rate of extraction flaws, channeling, spritzing, etc. That's been my experience anyways. It comes down to personal taste but I'd at least try dialing in a lower dose and see what you think.

@nixter: Do you mean dosing less as a possible solution for the grounds on the wall of the funnel ?

If your have grounds on the wall of the funnel from static then that could be due to humidity levels, type of beans, courseness of grind, or some combination of these. If the grounds are on the wall simply due to the height of the grind pile then a lower dose should definitely help! Is there a particular reason you dose 19.5g?

nixter wrote:Is there a particular reason you dose 19.5g?

Because with that my LM double basket is filled to just above the rim, so that I can level it easily without wasting too much and I like the somewhat stronger shots.

I think the cause for the grounds on the funnel wall is static. When I grind in a container it also happens and I have to tap the container rather strongly to loosen them. I roast (always the same, Panama Boquete) beans myself and just into the 2nd crack thus rather dark.

A higher dose will change the taste profile but it doesn't necessarily mean stronger. That is if I'm reading the following correctly..
Espresso 101: How to Adjust Dose and Grind Setting by Taste

You could try dosing lower and grinding finer if only to see if it affects your static. I know grinding finer seems like it would create more static but I've found with the Vario that certain settings tend to create the static or not, regardless of how course or fine.

Will try that tomorrow.
Another thing that I noticed is that dosing with the timer seems to be not very consistent yet. I ground for instance 16 seconds and got 21 grams. Next time with 15 seconds, without changing the macro and micro setting, and expecting to get 19-20 grams I got 17 grams. Could it be that the burrs still have to break in ?