keno wrote:I own an M4 and I always use the trap door to keep the burrs clear of coffee.

Thanks, Ken. In another thread, someone wondered why the hopper had a door, since the hopper was not removable (he was speaking of the Junior). Now, you've pointed it out why. Shutting the door minimizes wastage of beans as you change the grind. [Light goes on]

Rick

rickmonroe wrote:Thanks, Ken. In another thread, someone wondered why the hopper had a door, since the hopper was not removable (he was speaking of the Junior). Now, you've pointed it out why. Shutting the door minimizes wastage of beans as you change the grind. [Light goes on]

That was me... thanks! [light on]

I am repeating some statements made here already, but the way I see it, you can always go to a more coarse grind without the grinder running. On the Rocky, I have found and feel comfortable going one click finer (and maybe even two) without the motor running is not a problem. Anything more and I would plan on running the motor while adjusting finer. On the Junior (and any other grinder), I think the same applies.

To be on the safe side, until you are more comfortable with how your equipment behaves, I would grind while going finer.

As previously suggested, you can limit the quantity of coffee in the hopper while you learn. I advocate weighing beans and grinding until empty for the first few weeks, so you learn by eye and feel what 14, or 16, or 18 grams, (or 7, or 9, or whatever) looks and feels like (especially when you tamp) in the portafilter.

I have put the scale away and dose by volume now. When I change blends, baskets, or want to check myself, I break the scale out again. I picked up a 0.1 gram resolution scale on eBay for about $12-15 shipped.

The grinders that you really need to worry about when adjusting the grind finer and have to have the motor turning are the low end grinders like the Solis Maestro, Baratza Virtuoso, and other grinders where the upper burr holder and or adjustment wheel is plastic. Rotating the grinder adjustment finer against the resistance of crushing beans in the burrs can damage the plastic burr holder. It is particularly problematic on the Solis grinders because there are two small tabs that can break off on the adjustment wheel if there are beans in the hopper (or if it is not cleaned regularly). On my Anfim, any upper end, or commercial grinders that I have used, a few clicks adjustment finer (the size of the click could make a difference here) has never caused the grinder to stall, bog down, or not start. Between the solid metal adjustment parts and the powerful motors it just crushes the beans on adjustment and pulverizes them and spits them out when the motor is engaged. Even so, for an adjustment over a few clicks finer I still make any adjustments with the grinder turning. My main concern here is stressing the very fine adjustment threads on upper burr holder.

I'd urge everyone not to ever change the grind setting calibration while the grinder is running.
This is old hat in the industry amongst techs and espresso professionals.
The grind calibrations in the direction of finer coffee should be done in minimal increments.

Make a small adjustment....power up the grinder to clear the chamber.....power down the grinder......make another small adjustment.

This method eats coffee and takes time, but will surely add to the longevity of the burrs and the grinder.

Unless you are adjusting an empty grinder...

Today I tried, for the first and last time, to adjust the grind on my Isomac Grand Macinino with the motor on. The adjustment wheel/upper burr spun like something out of The Exorcist. I think I'll stick to small increments with the motor off, thank you.