I am new to the barista scene but love great coffee.

I have purchased a Breville BES920XL Espresso Machine & Mazzer Super Jolly grinder. Before the grinder arrived i used pre-ground coffee with the dual-wall filter, AWESOME.

Now with the grinder in place, grind setting at #2, using the single wall filter, i get "american coffee" yuck!!! What am i doing wrong? Using the dual wall filter it comes out great! But according to the directions, this filter is to be used on pre-ground coffee. To add insult to injury, the inner filter on the dual wall popped out, now i'm hosed until my new dual wall filter arrives unless i can figure out the grind setting mystery.

Can anyone help?

Grind finer?

yeah, you probably need to grind finer. How full is your basket? or...a better question what basket size and dose are you using? Do you know how to check to see if the basket is filled the right amount? If not, check out the Easy Guide to Better Espresso at Home on www.espressomyespresso.com It's a balance of grind setting and head space between the puck and screen. If you grind a particular dose very coarse it'll fill the basket a lot higher than if you grind it very fine. Typically, one settles on a standard dose weight and adjusts the grind setting to get the basket filled to allow the proper head space and give a specified output in a specified time. For instance, in a standard stock double basket you might use an 18g dose and shoot for 35g output in 25-28 seconds. Or start with a 16g dose and shoot for 32g out in the same time. Either of those would give you a normale shot. You can start with something like that and adjust from there once you get comfortable with the process - according to your palate. At any rate, I strongly recomend you ditch the idea of reverting to the pressurized pf, and stick with your new process. It might take a little patience on your end.

How old is your grinder? Did you buy it brand new or used. If used, when were the burrs last changed? If new, have you taken any steps to condition the burrs?

Deep clean the bean/collar chamber
once is completely clean
re-insert the upper assembly/collar
turn the collar down until you see the lower burr been moved by the touch of the upper one,
(grinder is unplugged and no power except your hand)
then open the space 1/8 of a turn,
this should give you a good starting point,
I personally start with choking the shots
then go coarser one notch at the time

Though the title may be a little misleading, dialing in a machine and dialing in a grinder are really one and the same.

Dave Stephens' excellent thread from years ago on dialing in a machine (grinder), step by step