Hello

I recently purchased a used Super Jolly. The grinder as well as the Burrs seems to be in very good shape.
the grinder is clean inside out which was a pleasant surprise.
I have been using a blade grinder with my Gaggia New Baby for 6 months now. I was, on a rare occasion, able to pull a decent shot even with the blade grinder.

I must admit that I have only used the SJ for a couple of days, but so far I have not been able to pull a decent shot. ONE issue is that the grounds even at the finest setting are more coarse than the ones I am used to from the blade grinder.
Please excuse my ignorance and answer this, is there a direct co-relation between the fineness of the grounds and the quality of shots? Is it possible to have a decent shot (with creme on top) even when the grounds are coarse?
I do have a new set of Burrs that I can try, but I would like to be sure about what I might be doing wrong.

kam1996 wrote:ONE issue is that the grounds even at the finest setting are more coarse than the ones I am used to from the blade grinder.

How do you define "finest setting"? See How to find the grinder true zero point. On my Super Jolly, the "espresso zone" is around 1/8th turn from the zero point.

By finest setting I meant turning the "Fine-Coarse" adjuster counter clockwise all the way. I assumed that was the "finest" setting.
Am I wrong?

In case you haven't already noticed. On newer Mazzers (late 90'ies and on) there is a screw in the dial collar preventing you to go too fine. Make sure this is not in your way of grinding fine enough.

all the way to what? 0 is not a true zero...

with the grinder off and the hopper removed.. keep turning it finer (remember it is a reverse thread!)

when you can't turn it anymore reach into the throat and see if you can spin the rotor shaft (you shouldnt be able to)

if you can, you can turn the adjustment knob finer.

So now that you reached true zero, move the adjustment coarser until the shaft can spin freely with your hand


now you are near the espresso zone for grinding.. make a test shot and see if you need to go coarser/finer

Might want to peruse this thread as I found it invaluable when I first got my machine years ago. It is the quickest way to dial in your grinder I've found.

Dialing in a new espresso machine, a step by step guide

Thank you so much for the "dialing in espresso machine" link.

I read it over and over and actually found what I was doing wrong.

I wasnt tamping hard enough, I was adding too much coffee. I have also dialed in my SJ and WAO!!!

I was able to pull 3 back to back consistent shots, better shots than I have ever pulled.

Thank you guys.

I was going to suggest, before you got actual help, that your Mazzer might not go to 11. Most only go to 10, but the Python model goes to 11 which is what you need for the really good espresso.
Bernie

I was actually able to find the zero point. I then back tracked till the grounds were just right. My first three setting were too fine, I moved 1/8th inch at a time and the fourth step is now perfect!