opc wrote:I've attached a picture of the burrs, can anyone tell me if they're badly worn, or if the flat spots on the top are normal?

The flat spots are normal; Grinder burr types explained and How to know Rocky burrs are worn out? elaborate on this point. If they don't feel sharp, replace them. Rocky burrs don't last as long as many seem to think. BTW, do check out the FAQs and Favorites Digest. It links to the threads that answered your questions and probably answers others you have yet to post.

A little late reply, but definitely on-topic.

I have the Rocky and I kept struggling to ever want to adjust past 10. For some reason there was just a mental block that I needed a setting of 10 or less (also didn't know what grind should look like). I kept adjusting my tamp pressure instead (and under extracting), that was bad mistake. I even have an Espro tamp, to tell me I am tamping 30lbs., so I should have kept that the same and adjusted grind setting.

Well, I was very wrong, and as soon as I adjusted to 15 (keeping tamp at 30lb.) I got great improvements, however, I am still experimenting though, but for now this seems to be my Rocky's sweet spot.

Lesson's learned: Don't worry about where your Rocky's "zero" is, use Dan's touch technique as a starting point and make adj. until you like what's in the cup

Update: Now at Rocky setting 13 w/ 30lbs. tamp, as per Randy's suggestion, I was choking out at 10 w/ 30lbs. tamp

Once again I will add the following:

From my years of assisting new home baristas, it is nearly a universal truth that they tend to grind too coarse. I have always assumed that it comes from a fear of damaging the grinder's burrs or possibly the presumed danger of damaging the espresso machine by choking it.

Based on that I always advise them to find a grind that chokes the machine and then move, one click at time on the grinder, to find the correct setting, or a starting point, on the grinder.

So, grind finer and tamp lighter and work from there.

Randy G. wrote:Once again I will add the following:
...
So, grind finer and tamp lighter and work from there.

This probably works too, and I might give it a try, but there is usually more than one way to skin a cat I don't like trying to adjust my tamp, hence the Espro tamper. I just don't have too much confidence in my arm 's on board lbs. of pressure gauge ( yes I know train on a scale).

I was also trying to provide feedback for users of the Rocky as this is a Rocky thread. Sometimes Rocky users, me included, get hung up on those little numbers on the dial

Very interesting topic. My Rocky should arrive later today, and I am looking forward to trying the techniques described here.

Been using my doserless Rocky for a few days now. Like it very much. I ended up with a setting of "10" for the beans I currently have from a local roaster/retailer.



I closed it down until they were touching (which, IIRC was right around zero, oddly enough) and then backed it off to 6 or 7 and this was too fine; choked poor Silvia. Backed it off to 10, and everything seems good.

25 seconds:


Based on an earlier post in this thread, I may experiment with a couple other grind settings (keeping everything else the same) with this bean and see how it affects the result.

Unfortunately, I am sensitive enough to caffeine these days that if I have more than a single in the afternoon, I am awake for longer than I ought to be, so the pace of my information gathering will be slow. But, that's ok - I very much enjoy the process of trying to get those flavors I was getting 30+ years ago when I first learned to make espresso.