So, maybe the last update of my Vario aligning career:

Everyone's paying attention to the upper burr, but while you're at it, take a look at the lower one. At least before you start using significant time on aligning. I've had the thing apart maybe 5 times, and thought i had decent alignment until i pulled some shots again yesterday.

The lower burr's wear pattern at first touch is just one edge, maybe 5-10% of the circumference. Combine that with the upper burr's 5-10% and you've got everything from fine powder to boulders, perfect for a shot of 18g 5s half a mug of delightful yellow bourbon. Can't choke my Silvia even if i really step on the levers, and that wouldn't make it a decent grinder anyway.

Someone said it sounds like there's something more wrong with the unit, and i guess so too. What really bugs me is that i asked the vendor about this when the damn thing was new, and got no real reply. Outta luck since I'm in Europe, no chance of getting the renowned baratza rebuild.

I needed to re-align the macro burr adjustment mechanism. Before I put everything back together, I want to check if the looseness I observe in the mechanism is normal. Here is where everything is:
- both levers in the coarsest position
- macro adjustment slid forward for coarsest
- micro adjustment turned in a few turns
- upper and lower burrs in place
- belt NOT in final position

When I pull the belt tighter, the macro burr adjustment mechanism is a little loose. When I adjust the levers, it gets tighter. However, with the levers in the coarsest position, the lower burr floats a little. Will this go away when everything is assembled? I fear the macro adjustment mechanism is not in the correct position.

EDIT: I realized the levers should be in the FINEST before tightening the macro mechanism. It worked. I was able to calibrate at 2Q when I wasn't before.

Here is a pic:

Hi all,

I've stumbled across this thread and noted that my Baratza Forte (with steel burrs) produces relatively clumpy grounds (with a full hopper attached, not single dosing) when dialled in for espresso.

I've performed the flap flip mod which seemed to alleviate some of the clumps, but not all. It's worth noting I don't perform RDT, but plan to when my single dosing hopper arrives.

I thought I'd check the alignment using the ink test (with factory alignment, no intervention from me) with the following results:

Judging by these photos, do my burrs look correctly aligned? Do I need to perform the modification detailed by Jake to improve the alignment further?

Thanks!

Vee.

Before:





After:

You need to perform the wipe test with only the marker on the upper burr. It wipes much more easily with marker applied on both. With that said, the steel burrs need to be fairly well aligned to grind fine enough for espresso.

If it does grind for espresso, I would call it a day and consider it's aligned well enough.

Nothing much you can do about clumping, Just WDT with a tool that uses thin needles below or equal to 0.4 mm diameter and you're good to go.

Thanks for the prompt response! I performed the test twice, once placing the ink on the lower burrs only, and again placing the ink on the upper burrs only.

Great, I'll give WDT a crack

Could be the choice of beans and humidity as well. I get very fluffy, clump-free grinds with mine.

Hope I'm not crushing this thread
I'm using my Vario since 2011, not a single fail (touch wood, touch wood, touch wood!).
Came here to see, if i'm missing something in the market, and still see that its Titan class rated.
Now, I'm mainly doing Espresso/Cappuchino, should I even consider replacing the burrs from the Ceramic to Stainless Steel ?
Thinking of doing this super alignment, however, I cant even open the burrs chamber, where do I get this Baratza burr opener tool ?

Except for early production, the tool came with the grinder. (IIRC, Orphan Espresso developed the tool, and Baratza thought it was a great idea and an agreement was made to include the tool with the grinder.) Maybe Baratza will send you one?

I wouldn't recommend the steel brew burrs for espresso with a Vario chamber that old. The steel burrs appear to put more stress on the grind chamber than the ceramics in the espresso grind range. I couldn't use my Vario with steel burrs for espresso until I upgraded to the metal Forte grind chamber - the grounds from the original grind chamber and steel burrs could not be ground fine enough; I would just espresso gushing through the portafilter basket.

In addition, the flavour profile is different. Just my opinion, but I would prefer the ceramic burrs for medium and darker roasts that I use for milk drinks. The lighter roasts that I prefer to pull with the steel burrs are "brighter" and I do not like how they taste with milk.

There's no need for a special tool. I use the soft rubber grips of a pair of pliers - it's enough to push on two lugs firmly.

Thanks.
If I'm not replacing the burrs, should I do this alignment for the ceramic burrs ?