I've run into some strange issues with my grinder and am hoping to get some advice. I've had my Baratza Vario since April-2013. On average I pull two drinks a day (one for me and the other for my wife). At the most I would say that I've pulled 1500 shots since then. I would guess due to various circumstances it's probably closer to 1000 shots.

The issue I'm having is that my grinder had typically been dosing ~16 grams of coffee into my double basket. It would take ~10 seconds to dose that amount.

One day I noticed the grinder was not dosing as fast and it seemed more clumpy. It literally happened in the middle of grinding. I pushed the button, it started grinding fast and the output slowed down mid grind. So at that point it started dosing ~19 grams at ~12 seconds.

I cleaned out the grinder to no avail. One day I loosened the grind setting to grind some french press and tightened it again for espresso and it seemed to revert back to its old settings of ~16 grams @ 10 seconds but that only lasted a few cups.

Today it was more of the same and I'm getting tired of it. I dosed 21 grams of coffee ~13.5 seconds. I will also add that my shots aren't taking a significant amount of time. Infact if I loosen the setting any more than where it's at, it would pour much faster than I typically do.

So, what is happening? Are my burrs shot? They shouldn't be. Baratza states on the low end for ceramic burrs that I should be able to grind 1000 pounds of coffee. I've not even come close to that. I've cleaned the machine out several times. I'm just at a loss. I miss the fluffy grind that I've come accustomed to. I'll also add in that I roast my own beanas, so I'm not grinding stale beans. I generally roast right to the beginning of 2nd crack. I've been experimenting with roasting not quite to 2nd crack. I never roast much into 2nd crack (I don't grind oily beans).

If your burrs were ever touching that is going to reduce their life dramatically. You can listen without any coffee to them to see if they are currently touching and search the vario calibration video. Replacing the burrs isn't very expensive so it might be something to try? Or there could be a misalignment issue.

Took your calibration advice. I read that 2Q is the factory setting for the burrs touching. I found mine to touch at 3Q. I adjusted the calibration screw and it doesn't seem to make a difference. I nearly had the screw all the way out but the burrs still touched at that setting. I also tightened the screw but that didn't seem to matter either.

Contact Baratza directly -- support@baratza.com. They may not reply instantly, but they're really helpful.

Jack

jjoel wrote:Took your calibration advice. I read that 2Q is the factory setting for the burrs touching. I found mine to touch at 3Q. I adjusted the calibration screw and it doesn't seem to make a difference. I nearly had the screw all the way out but the burrs still touched at that setting. I also tightened the screw but that didn't seem to matter either.

I guess my point was to use the video on how to see if the burrs were touching. If they were touching during normal grinding, which is easy to do if you don't know what to listen to, then it could be your burrs are pre-maturely worn.

Anyway, I don't know if a good way to test that the burrs need replacing, other than the grinder isn't grinding like it used to. Burrs are a consumable item though, just on a really long timeframe.

When I initially adjusted the burrs on my Forté, I was told that the burrs could make contact without causing wear (the actual grinding surfaces don't touch). I don't know if the Vario is the same in that regard. I still say contact Baratza.

Jack

Since you've owned the grinder for 3 years I'm sure you have already noted that changing settings from coarse to fine and vice versa will often result in some inconsistencies for a few days at least. Also not to doubt your home roasting skills but any variance in roast or type of bean, humidity etc will also affect clumping. If you have been experimenting with lighter roasts that could cause faster pour times too. Baratza service is awesome and they can often talk you through trouble shooting.