I finally pulled the trigger on a dedicated French press grinder. A refurb Virtuoso as I have seen recommended here and elsewhere.

I'm satisfied with the build quality of the machine for the price, and the coarse particles look nicely uniform. However, there are a lot of fines. A half-inch layer of visible fines settle at the bottom of the press during the steep time. When I serve it I pour gently and leave the last bit behind... and yet there is still plenty of sludge in the bottom of the cup as well.

I'm not trying to bash the Virtuoso -- just looking for feedback. Are other Virtuoso users getting a cleaner cup than this?

0.5 INCHS of fines for a single preparation!

Yes I am certainly not seeing this. I get some sludge as this is an inevitable part of french press coffee. When I bring a Zojirushi thermos to work I generally let it sit upright and pour all but the last oz or so and that very clean with remaining sludge left behind. Otherwise, at home I just drink it and make do with the bit of fines in the bottom of the cup. As I said earler the virtuoso is way way better then the Capreso Infinity and visually pretty uniform under a dissecting microscope. My FP setting is 25-26 where 7-8 is espresso sized grinds and 13-15 for drip.

Does the refurbished units come with new burrs?

portamento wrote:. . . the coarse particles look nicely uniform. However, there are a lot of fines.

You might find it helpful to compare one of your grind samples to the photograph of a grind sample on this page, presumably ground using one of the Ditting shop grinders at George Howell's establishment.

GC7 wrote:0.5 INCHS of fines for a single preparation!

Well, I completely eyeballed it but there was a very visible layer at the bottom of the press.

GC7 wrote:As I said earler the virtuoso is way way better then the Capreso Infinity and visually pretty uniform under a dissecting microscope. My FP setting is 25-26 where 7-8 is espresso sized grinds and 13-15 for drip.

Interesting, my drip setting is around 22 and press around 35. This despite the fact that this grinder was calibrated for press, and not for espresso. I haven't even tried an espresso grind on it but I do know the motor starts to sound more stressed as I approach the < 10 settings. I'm used to the Mazzer which has a clear and sudden point on the dial where the burrs touch... does the Virtuoso have a mushier zero point?

GC7 wrote:Does the refurbished units come with new burrs?

According to Baratza, they only change them if they believe they are worn. I don't think my grinder has new burrs.

I don't know if this suggestion will help but perhaps you might consider re-calibrating the unit even more towards a french press bias so that you use a setting in the 20's. The extremes of any calibration setting can sometimes be the least accurate. FWIW I had to re-calibrate towards espresso to get where it is currently. It's an easy adjustment to make and couldn't hurt to try.

Good luck

If you dont mind the extra minute of work, you could sift the grinds. Fines arent needed for presspot, and too much are bad.

Head to walmart, target, shoprite etc etc.. and pick of a Sieve. Metal mesh works the best. Something you would use for a delicate sauce, not something like a pasta colander. Add the grinds, sift out the fines, and you're good to go.

I used to do this, but the PeDe does a fantastic job, very little fines. SO when I do make FP, I grind pretty fine, and do a 90 second steep. Works for me, give it a try.

Hi guys,

I totally forgot about this thread, but I actually finally got a decent FP/drip grinder:



compared to my Macap there's almost no fines:



I'm guessing it's all down to the burr design, which is quite different from your typical espresso grinder.

Re sifting it works rather well, I tried it a few times, but in the long run I ditched it as it was time consuming, especially in the mornings.

Regards,
dsc.

Looks nice, what is it?

Hi Karl,

forgot to add, it's a Mahlkonig Guatemala, it has the bean hopper taken off, otherwise it wouldn't fit under the cabinets.

Regards,
dsc.

JmanEspresso wrote:If you dont mind the extra minute of work, you could sift the grinds. Fines arent needed for presspot, and too much are bad.

Head to walmart, target, shoprite etc etc.. and pick of a Sieve. Metal mesh works the best. Something you would use for a delicate sauce, not something like a pasta colander. Add the grinds, sift out the fines, and you're good to go.

I used to do this, but the PeDe does a fantastic job, very little fines. SO when I do make FP, I grind pretty fine, and do a 90 second steep. Works for me, give it a try.

I wasn't happy with the French Press grind produced by my Mazzer Mini. No surprise there; fines production is engineered into the burr set of an espresso grinder. So the purpose of buying the Virtuoso was to have a grinder that is designed to produce coarse particles with more consistency. Unfortunately the Virtuoso I have creates a very wide distribution of particle sizes with a large percentage of fines. I know it's not a Ditting; but still it is performing way below my expectations.

I agree with you that a sieve can help mitigate this problem, but I was hoping it wouldn't be necessary. I've actually been searching for a sieve that is both convenient to use for coffee and has a fine enough mesh. Can you recommend one?