Just had my first good brew from the Espro using a finer grind. Thanks, dmw101! Still working on perfecting and using the Chemex.

Glad to hear it!

I think a grinder upgrade is in your future. The one you have is going to be tough (read: impossible) to get consistent results from, but will probably work better for the Espro press than for the Chemex. I suggest spending some time in the Grinder forum if you haven't already. You can get a grinder with better burrs and alignment for consistency and stepless adjustment to get the grind just right.

First, those beans look rather dark and generic - I would start with possibly sourcing some higher quality, single origin beans.

I would also really suggest you to get a scale, sensitive to 0.1g or so if possible - this will allow you to be far more consistent and repeatable in your brews. Start with a specific amount of coffee in grams, and specific amount of water for both methods - this will remove one variable and make your brews more repeatable.

For Chemex (or any other drip), you'll need a coarser grind than the Espro. I'm not sure what size chemex you are using and how much water you are pouring? Brew time of 6-7min sounds on the longer end, if you are making ~500ml I would aim for 3-3:30 or so and try to pour in several stages rather than all at once.

I was using a grinder with similar burrs (Hario) for about a year with french press with satisfactory redults, as it's a most fool proof method. It should work with aeropress as well.

Don't waste your time with drip until you get a better grinder

Thanks to all for ideas. I have not posted b/c I am spending time on grinder forum. Since my one good espro brew, I have had two more which were both bitter/ harsh. Am looking at other beans as well as grinders.

When you say Espro Press, I assume you mean a french press type of brewing method. Using french press is somewhat challenging and it's taken me a bit to get it right. I've watched videos and read lots and have finally settled on an approach that makes me consistently good coffee. First, I try and buy beans that have been roasted within the past week to two weeks. I've been using dark roasts mostly but am beginning to try some medium roasts.

First, you have to dial in your grind. I looked into the recommendations provided by the manufacturer of my grinder and went just a little finer than they recommended. I measure out only enough beans for how much I intend to drink. Since it's just me, I'll have two cups in the morning. I use a 1:15 ratio. so that means I'm using 20g of coffee to 300g of water. I bought a food scale to be able to weigh the coffee and then the water. I make sure the temperature of the water is just off the boil. That means I wait until there is no more sound coming from the tea kettle that I boil the water in. I then pour the water in to the grounds until it weighs 300g. I don't bloom the grinds first. Some people like to add just enough water to cover the grounds and let them sit for about 30 seconds before adding the rest of the water. I don't bother with that as I found it doesn't make a difference. I stir or swirl the water and coffee to ensure it is incorporated and set the timer for 4 minutes. When the timer goes off, I then scoop off the "crust" of grounds that are floating on top along with any "crema" and throw it away. This stops the extraction process. The grounds that have sunk to the bottom apparently are no longer extracting, at least that is what I've been told. I try not to disturb the rest of the coffee mixture while doing this. I then set the timer again for 5 minutes. Once the five minutes are up I am ready to drink. Again, I have been told that this 5 minutes allows the brew to mellow. But, very important. DO NOT PRESS THE PLUNGER DOWN. I have found from others and from my own experience that plunging only makes the coffee in the cup bitter. I simply leave the press at just above the level of the coffee in the carafe. I only use the plunger as a filter. When I pour the coffee into a cup I do so very gently and slowly. This keeps from disturbing the brew and keeps the fines in the carafe and not in your cup. I drink my coffee with steamed and frothed milk.

This process works really really well for me. Before I found a video that showed this approach, I was drinking some bitter coffee. This all may seem anal and a little geeky but it made a huge difference in the quality of my coffee. Good luck.