Hypothesis: Immersion methods are better for users with small conical burr grinders because they can keep the grind coarse for smaller brews, whereas a similarly small sized brew with a drip method will suffer because of the poor nature of the grind size distribution of smaller burred grinders which is required for drip settings.

A drip method requires a certain grind setting for a certain dose. This is because for a given dose, the time depends on the grind (finer grind slower extraction, coarser grind longer extraction). Raising the dose (and the water proportionally of course) will lengthen the timing, over-extracting a coffee unless you coarsen the grind the proper amount. This is generally fine - except for when you consider most grinders.

Stealing the virtuoso grind distribution graph from this thread *Which* Baratza grinder for drip/press?, you can see that the virtuoso is very good at grinding uni-modally at the coarser settings with few fines (and I think it's safe to assume most ~40mm conical grinders), but not very good at grinding similarly at the finer (espresso) range.





1. Therefore, (assuming homogeneity is good) brews using the coarser end of the brew spectrum -on grinders with the above characteristics- will be better than those using setting finer than the blue line.

2. Grind setting required for v60 and Chemex (which I have) require an fine setting for small outputs (i.e. 8oz) which is between the "medium" and "fine" settings on the graph.

3. Therefore, home users with such grinders (lido/baratza etc.) should use immersion techniques to get the most out of their brews like FP, CCD, etc. since you can adjust the time independent of the grind thereby keeping the grind coarse for smaller brews.



*So since I want to make 8oz coffe just for me, should I ditch the chemex (near espresso grind at that dose) and get a CCD?

EDIT: It appears that the preciso burrs which now ship with the virtuoso are superior at the coarser setting, but taper off very similarly as things get finer. Baratza Grinders - Particle Distribution at Various Settings

Maybe I've missed something, but a "drip" grind is more or less where you get that blue peak above, so I'm not buying the claim (#3) that these grinders should be devoted exclusively to full-immersion brewing. Whether or not you should ditch your Chemex is another issue.

Interesting idea.

However, there are a lot of brewers out there that allow you brew small amounts of coffee without grinding excessively fine. I grind drip or coarser on my Kalita 155 to brew 10 oz of coffee, and the same with smaller amounts of coffee with Kalita's disposable drippers. I believe the real affirmation you have found is that for drip brewing you need to have the right sized cone to acheive adequate brew bed depth.

jbviau wrote:Maybe I've missed something, but a "drip" grind is more or less where you get that blue peak above, so I'm not buying the claim (#3) that these grinders should be devoted exclusively to full-immersion brewing. Whether or not you should ditch your Chemex is another issue.

+1. The green "fine" setting on the plot has a large particle size peak of ~120um, which is very small. (For reference: espresso grind has a large particle size peak of ~400um.) For burr grinders, the finer the grind setting, the more fines you will produce.

I use a Baratza and LIDO AND Rosco Mini for pourover a in 5-12oz sizes and they are absolutely delicious. I see no reason to change grinders for immersion and drip. My taste buds are quite happy!

Very interesting and worth considering.
The one thing you haven't considered is the fact than more than few folks like me (speculating here) don't really like the flavor characteristics of immersion brewed coffee. I find it, in general too oily.
I realize this has nothing to do with your hypothesis, but as the Clever uses a paper filter, that brewer could be taken out of the equation. Yet, to me, even the Clever has that taste component i personably don't like.
I do believe when you have grinders of the quality of the Preciso and Vario/Vario-W, the differences might be less. However, I'd have to think someone with a more discerning/experienced palate than mine WOULD favor conical over flat, and vice versa depending on the brew method.

FWIW, I've brewed VERY small amounts in my Brazen, with long pre-infusion, using my Preciso/Esatto, and find the brew delightful. Same when doing a 10oz yield in my Hario.
Speaking of which, the 1 cup Hario prolly makes the grind variability moot. At 16grams, I just can't see a few more fines (Vario v Preciso) makes much difference.

Sorry for the slight left turn!

The one thing you haven't considered is the fact than more than few folks like me (speculating here) don't really like the flavor characteristics of immersion brewed coffee.

Good point. I've been experimenting with a variety of immersion methods. My wife strongly dislikes the results, and does so with remarkable consistency. (I don't tell her how the cup was brewed.) I'm learning to appreciate it, in part because I think doing so can improve my pourover brewing or at least my understanding of how changing different variables impacts taste.