My own HG One came today

Grinders are one of the keys to exceptional espresso. Discuss them here.
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wrz0170
Posts: 187
Joined: 10 years ago

#1: Post by wrz0170 »

Pretty excited. My HG One with TiN burrs arrived today. Like many before me, I have to echo the sentiments when you first see it upon opening up the box and pull it out. Wow! I know I am certainly not covering any new ground here, but new to me. I also purchased their portafilter holder. Little pricey but I added it on anyway. The PF holder is also nicely built. Look forward to using it.

I also have a Vario which will still be used for my Aeropress and FP and occasional doses if I need something quick.

The packaging is impeccable. Very well packed. Glad to see this as it made the trip from California to eastern Pennsylvania. Many HGs go further, but the fact remains, it will get to their homes just fine, unless an elephant sits on the box. Even then....

The build is top notch. I may not know much about grinders as I am new, but I do know quality when I see it. It's heavy and not a plastic piece to be found on it. The small cup to load up the grinder is a nice touch as well as the plastic stir stick. I did buy a small whisk, so the stir stick will sit in its package. They also include the necessary hex wrenches, a small tube of food grade lube and if you like, an HG One sticker if you are so inclined.

Instructions are straight forward for the most part. Handle went on with ease as well as the static wiper. I put it on just because I have been dealing with some static and retention with the Vario. I will evaluate as I go.

Per the instructions, I set it to zero and made sure the bottom was flush and backed it out 450 degrees. I put a pencil mark at the "6 o'clock" tick as it is facing me. Made it easier to back it out. I am now ready to have some fun dialing it in.

The only guessing I may have in the beginning is how to use the etched markings on the lock ring with the burr mount as I begin to adjust finer or coarse. Any suggestions are pointers on how you use the markings would be greatly appreciated!

Bottom line for those waiting to get theirs; It's worth the wait. You won't be disappointed. Especially when you first open up that box :D

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rpavlis
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#2: Post by rpavlis »

You need to print out a Braille table to read the letters on the scale.



I found that the suggested 450 degree setting was amazingly too much. When it finally settled to stability it ended up about 200 degrees! I am not sure why they seem to vary on this a lot. There are five different ways you can set the scale by lifting the outer ring and setting it into one of five different places. I put mine in the position that gives small letters for espresso grind.

I found that if one grind minute rice, the best way to do it is to sit the machine on the floor. You may want to zero in somewhat to a good espresso setting before doing this. I found that 800 g of rice changed it from requiring a bit over 30 turns to grind 14 grams, to about 25 turns or so, as I remember. A second batch of 800 grams lowered it to about 20 or so. In the months since it seems stabilised at about 15 to 17 turns for the 14 grams.

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wrz0170 (original poster)
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#3: Post by wrz0170 (original poster) »

rpavlis wrote:You need to print out a Braille table to read the letters on the scale.

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I found that the suggested 450 degree setting was amazingly too much. When it finally settled to stability it ended up about 200 degrees! I am not sure why they seem to vary on this a lot. There are five different ways you can set the scale by lifting the outer ring and setting it into one of five different places. I put mine in the position that gives small letters for espresso grind.

I found that if one grind minute rice, the best way to do it is to sit the machine on the floor. You may want to zero in somewhat to a good espresso setting before doing this. I found that 800 g of rice changed it from requiring a bit over 30 turns to grind 14 grams, to about 25 turns or so, as I remember. A second batch of 800 grams lowered it to about 20 or so. In the months since it seems stabilised at about 15 to 17 turns for the 14 grams.
Thank you! So it doesn't matter where on the 5 ways it sits; as a starting point, you have a letter lined up with a pin (the 6 O'clock pin for instance) for the reference point? The other fixed ways could be used for something like Aeropress or other dosing needs?

For breaking in, I plan on following their suggestion of doing several shots to get close and then going through a box of minute rice. Then back to dosing. I bought three boxes. See what happens.

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rpavlis
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#4: Post by rpavlis »

I have mine set up so that when the burrs are closed I have the little o on the lower part about under the Braille g. What really matters is that you know where you have it set, so you can come back to it again.

With it set that way, optimal grind is about a.6 for mine, but I have been told for some reason the exact postion varies a lot.

I have done Turkish grinds with it, it can grind beans to dust.

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mel5582
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#5: Post by mel5582 »

Glad you took the plunge.. enjoy your HG One, it'll serve you well for many many years to come :D

brianl
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#6: Post by brianl »

I got mine as well and put about a half pound of stale beans before grinding any shots. Pulled some shots that tasted good but thin. Went to the bottomless to check it out. Huge channeling where half of the basket doesn't come through. I wasn't stirring so I'll try a couple stirs in the tumbler tomorrow. Hopefully it's just the burrs needing to be broken in.

I also just put about another lb through so hope that helps

IntrepidQ3
Posts: 332
Joined: 11 years ago

#7: Post by IntrepidQ3 »

I received mine last night! Same tin burrs.

My impressions as I opened the box and assembled were spot on with yours: heavy, quality build, very excited about NO PLASTIC! (Previous grinder is a Vario, duty is now fp/pourovers).

The braille print out is smart.

I have not pulled any shots but I attempted to dial in by feel and look of the grind, due to it was 9:30pm and I had to wake up at 4:30am. So far I have ground roughly 60 grams. 20 grams took 45-50 turns.

Static is a big issue already, the static wipe does help with this. I will try to add a few drops of water this weekend prior to grinding.

Extremely excited for the new espresso adventure!
"As you know, an explorer's temperament requires two basic qualities: optimism in attempt, criticism in work."-Freud

caffeinezombie
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#8: Post by caffeinezombie »

Still waiting for mine, UPS has missed the scheduled shipping date twice already. :(

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RedMan
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#9: Post by RedMan »

brianl wrote:I got mine as well and put about a half pound of stale beans before grinding any shots. Pulled some shots that tasted good but thin. Went to the bottomless to check it out. Huge channeling where half of the basket doesn't come through. I wasn't stirring so I'll try a couple stirs in the tumbler tomorrow. Hopefully it's just the burrs needing to be broken in. I also just put about another lb through so hope that helps
Yes, it's just the burrs needing to be broken in. I had the same problems in the beginning, shots were very inconsistent at first with some channeling and spritzers no matter what I did. Wdt/stirring the grounds beforehand helped but never 'fixed' it. After getting feedback from this forum that this was expected while burrs breaking in I just decided to stick it out and use the grinder normally without putting rice or old beans through it.

Started to notice improvement after about a month (15-20 shots a week) and after that it has only gotten better and more consistent. I'm sure you will have better results much sooner since you're putting more beans through it.

Congrats to everyone on their new grinders, enjoy!

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rpavlis
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#10: Post by rpavlis »

Remember if one grind minute rice, one can save the ground rice. It makes amazingly good breakfast cereal. I cooked it in milk.

I find that dry beans result in static problems even when grinding during a rain storm. Perhaps the easiest way to dampen them a bit is to put them under the steam wand for a second or two.

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