I posted earlier about my frustrations with the baratza vario's grind adjustment, and finally, thanks to the inspiration in that thread and to danom, i have a compak k10 conic sans wbc/pb. the k10 blows my mind...even the gushers taste good!

i have a question that was originally asked here but which was never answered--when i tighten the set screw to lock in my grind, the upper burr carrier/adjustment ring tilt, predictably, away from the screw. is this anything to be worried about? it seems like it would affect the concentricity of the burrs. to get around this, i suppose i could simply not tighten the set screw whatsoever and just keep an eye on the adjustment to make sure it doesn't drift.

does this happen on your k10 conic/conic pb's as well?

Well, on my K10 conic I do use that grind adjustment lock screw, but some say they don't. Tighten it only slightly and it doesn't seem to canter the adjustment collar much, but still locks. Tolerances are quite tight on the adjustment collar, so I don't think the canter translates to the burrs much if any.

I've read that Compak removed that lock screw for a little while and then put it back.
Valid question though. Maybe someone with more info will give feedback.

How are you liking the K10? Did you get the auto-fill switch removed? (I used a trimmed cork to plug the wire hole that was left on mine after removal.) Should pair nicely with your BDB I think.

thanks dan...yep, removed the auto-fill "paddle," unhooked the electrical leads from the switch, passed the wires back down inside the body of the grinder, hooked up the leads again to the switch in the NC position, and wrapped it with electrical tape...voila!

i'll use the grinder and see if i can tell a difference with the set screw unscrewed, in that case...

When I modified mine it looks like I cut one of the wires short, soldered on a connector and bypassed that paddle switch completely. Your's is still reversible though.

Also you don't need to tighten the lock screw much.

Yesterday I was testing beans I'd never had in the grinder (Demitasse Foundation) and they ground perfect first shot. Amazing how much easier these K10's are compared to the Vario!

haha, it was indeed demitasse's house espresso blend that gave my vario fits and gave me the upgrade bug, and i even started a thread about it here! i'm going to have to try demitasse's beans on my k10.

grind is still settling in, necessitating day-to-day adjustments. but my shots taste amazing!

Yeah, it will take a few pounds for the grind to settle in. I don't adjust nearly as much now. I put through maybe 8 pounds and the original owner 10 pounds. Yours is "brand new", so adjustments will stabilize in a little while.

Compared to the Vario the K10 really pulls out depth of flavor and nuance.

Side note:
Everybody keeps talking about running rice through their grinder to break in the burrs. I won't recommend it, but I did try it with 2 pounds of long grain rice. Not much of a perceivable change in grind really.

If you like to single dose a foot switch helps, and I've liked this one so far. Keeps you from having to flip that switch too often. I just leave the grinder on, and hit the pedal when grinding.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005GRDZO0

DanoM wrote:Yeah, it will take a few pounds for the grind to settle in. I don't adjust nearly as much now. I put through maybe 8 pounds and the original owner 10 pounds. Yours is "brand new", so adjustments will stabilize in a little while.

Compared to the Vario the K10 really pulls out depth of flavor and nuance.

Forgive me for budding in, but promise to keep this on topic. I also recently upgraded from a Vario to a new K10PB. I'd say I've run about 5 pounds through it, give or take. Someone suggested 10lbs is a good break-in.

Is 10lbs enough to season a new K10PB? And what signs can I can look for, to indicate the burrs are finally broken in?

Many thanks!

I think after a 10 pounds of coffee you're on your way to break in. During the break in cycle you'll likely need to make more frequent adjustments to the grind settings, but as the burr edges get cleaned up you'll have more stability in the grind and all should be fine.

Perhaps up to 20 pounds of coffee through my grinder (plus 2 pounds of rice that didn't change much) I don't adjust my grinds daily even unless I'm changing beans. For the most part I've been running blends of beans and only making changes when a shot is slow or fast, and rarely have I needed a daily change in grind for that. (All Bodka Coffee, so it's roasted to their style.)

By the time you have passed 50 pounds through the machine it should be very stable on grind settings. For me that's a year's worth of coffee, so I'm patient and don't find the current "break in" anything I need to worry about.

sqroot3 wrote:haha, it was indeed demitasse's house espresso blend that gave my vario fits and gave me the upgrade bug, and i even started a thread about it here! i'm going to have to try demitasse's beans on my k10.

grind is still settling in, necessitating day-to-day adjustments. but my shots taste amazing!

Kev,

I have some Demitasse Foundation, now 4 days post roast, on the shelf. Yesterday's test shots were a little low on texture, and I think today's are getting a very nice body and flavor balance. (Not that I understand what's happening inside those beans.)
Today's shots were very close to Demitasse when I gave my Strega group a long cooling flush, dosed 16.5g and pulled 25.6g (same ratio as recommended in the thread you referenced), and tasted. When I did straight shots without an extended cool of the group I got more bitter than they serve, but a cooler pull was very close to their flavor.

In case that helps I thought I'd throw it out there for you. Beans might benefit from more rest, but I don't know how long Demitasse rests their beans before use.

very cool! russel would be proud...yes, i took your suggestion, danom, and got a foot pedal...it has revolutionized my use of the compak. also, i've read so many different things about whether or not to use rice (and to avoid instant rice) that i will just season as i go--with beans i intend to brew--rather than running pounds and pounds of heaven knows what beans through.