Can Rocky grind setting go negative?

by **Bird** on Sat May 07, 2011 6:08 pm

I have been reading these forums but never post. I've learned a lot, but I still have a ways to go to become a true HB!

Here's my question: I recently bought a Rocket Cellini and a Rocky and I feel like I'm grinding as low as I can go. I found the zero point on the grinder and I'm grinding at 1. My shots take less than 20 secs.

Reading another thread, someone mentioned negative numbers with Rocky. Can I do that? Grind in the negatives? My mechanical side says, "Noooo."

My real disappointment is that I think when others talk about grinding around 6 or 7, that I should be getting better results. Do you think my problem could be stale beans?

Like I said, I'm low on the learning curve. Thanks!

by **Randy G.** on Sat May 07, 2011 6:53 pm

If Rocky cannot grind fine enough to choke the machine then there is a problem:
- you are not grinding fine enough
- you only think you found the zero point
- you are distributing the coffee poorly
- you are not using enough coffee each time
- the espresso machine's brew pressure is set too high
- the portafilter basket is cracked
- steam is being forced through the coffee before the water gets there at the beginning of an extraction

The numbers on Rocky mean very little, if anything at all, beyond just being relative to your grinder to make it easier to return to a setting, such as when going from espresso to drip and back to espresso. You are very close, and one click (or two at the most) finer should do it, to go from 20 to about 25.

by HB on Sat May 07, 2011 7:30 pm

As Randy noted, the numbers on most Italian grinders are meaningless. The exception is the Mazzer "start here" sticker, which is applied at the factory post-assembly at a reasonable espresso grind setting. See How to find the grinder true zero point and Fine tuning grinder setting with minimum waste for techniques that apply to all grinders, not just the Rancilio Rocky.

by **Bird** on Sat May 07, 2011 11:13 pm

Thank you for the pointers. I will experiment a little more. I believe that I do have the zero point--I removed the plastic blade guard and I can see the two burrs engage each other. This visual confirmation also jibes with hearing a metallic sound which I can then back off from.

I was given a can of Illy ground coffee which produced a better shot than the lavazza beans I've been using. This is part of what led me to believe that the grinder is the issue.

But if I really have found zero, then I'm grinding at most two clicks from it--certainly not the seven or so that others report. I'll repeat the process to double-check.

by **allon** on Sat May 07, 2011 11:18 pm

Is it a new Rocky, or used?

by **Bird** on Sat May 07, 2011 11:44 pm

Brand new.

I've just been reading up on distribution into the porta filter. This is something I'll pay attention to tomorrow AM.

by HB on Sun May 08, 2011 8:02 am

Bird wrote:I was given a can of Illy ground coffee which produced a better shot than the lavazza beans I've been using.

Freshly-roasted coffee is much easier to dial in. As coffee stales, it must be ground finer and finer. There are lots of online roasters that will gladly ship you coffee roasted the same day. See List of our favorite Roasters for suggestions.

by **mdf88keys** on Sat Oct 22, 2011 3:03 pm

Randy G. wrote:The numbers on Rocky mean very little, if anything at all, beyond just being relative to your grinder to make it easier to return to a setting, such as when going from espresso to drip and back to espresso. You are very close, and one click (or two at the most) finer should do it, to go from 20 to about 25.

I used to have a Rocky. After I changed the grind setting to coarser for a French press, returning to a low number (fine) for espresso was no longer the same level of fine grind. Once you change the grind setting, returning to the same number as you previously used will NOT produce the same level of coarse/fine grind!

I've very happily progressed from the Rocky and Silvia to the Giotto Rocket Evoluzione and Mazzer Rocket Mini.

by **boar_d_laze** on Sun Oct 23, 2011 12:54 pm

Welcome to the world of barista skills.

Even if you're drinking the same coffee today you did yesterday, and have the world's most consistent grinder (which you don't), you should start every day with the idea that the first cup is going to tell you to make at least a minor adjustment to the grind.

That it doesn't always is a function of the innate perversity of the inanimate universe, but that's another story. And the animates aren't exactly a day at the beach.

Anyway, the more any of the relevant factors (roast lot, bean, freshness, temperature, humidity, storage conditions, etc.) change, the more likely it is you'll have to make some adjustment to the grind. Grind is a a goodly part of the art in the art and science of brewing. Learn to love it.

BDL

by **Slow Turtle** on Thu Oct 27, 2011 5:13 pm

FWIW, I often grind at -1 or -2 settings on my Rocky.


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