Baratza Vario Super Alignment owner experience - Page 47

September 10th, 2021, 5:51 pm

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

Once you get the upper burr mount loose, then I'd do the marker test first to see what the alignment is like - your grinder may be fine.

I haven't had ceramics in my Vario for years - others with ceramics seemed to have felt benefits, although I think that most of them had also switched to the Forté burr chamber.

#462: Post by **Carneiro** » September 11th, 2021, 4:47 pm

smt wrote: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:
image

Hi all!

Finally I tried this alignment on Mahlkonig Vario, one of first units back in the days they launched the grinder together.

The macro adjustment part doesn't stay put after I screw everything back to place. Am I doing something wrong? The whole part is loose, although the brass is firm when I tight the screw.

#463: Post by **Jonk** » September 12th, 2021, 2:50 pm

So I went through the alignment for a second Vario today. Even though I knew all the steps it still took a couple of hours to get it right. Mostly trial and error for me to get the chamber in position and good belt tension. More than a dozen tries, so the battery is crucial.

This one has ceramic burrs (and the nylon burr chamber). I had no luck confirming the alignment with a marker test, there's no way I can see my red marker properly on the brown background. The sound is perfect anyway so that'll have to do.

Only pulled shots with a failed roast so far so can't really comment on flavor. But I did notice the extremely fluffy grinds others have written about. I'm a little bit surprised that I had to dial it in at a lower setting than the calibrated touch point - could this be the nylon chamber's fault or is this always normal with the ceramic burrs? Got a perfect fill on the bottom of the Robot basket, not something I'm used to.. So to answer Chura's question - yes it does seem to be worth trying, just be aware that it's a bit of work to get it right.

Carneiro: perhaps you need to shim the levers now?

I didn't need to do it on either the 2011 or 2013 Mahlkönig Vario that I've aligned, but perhaps it's worth a try.

September 12th, 2021, 3:32 pm

Jonk wrote:... I'm a little bit surprised that I had to dial it in at a lower setting than the calibrated touch point - could this be the nylon chamber's fault or is this always normal with the ceramic burrs? ...

I'd guess the chamber.

#465: Post by **Jonk** » September 12th, 2021, 3:50 pm

It's weird, because like a few others have reported it does seem to work pretty good anyway. I wonder what's happening - perhaps the upper burr mount is flexing against the 3 nylon tabs?

Visually, coarse grounds look more even now, but pour over performance is still sub-par with the ceramic burrs it seems. Didn't really expect any different.

September 12th, 2021, 4:19 pm

I suspect that it has something to do with the hardness of the beans (roast levels). The ultra-light roasts of today's specialty market were not very common in the USA when the Vario brew chamber was developed.

If someone is grinding coffee that is at traditional espresso roast levels, then they're not going to have the same experience as someone grinding lighter roasts.

As for the brew performance of the ceramic burrs - well, there's a reason Baratza introduced Ditting steel burrs

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#467: Post by **Jonk** » September 14th, 2021, 12:39 pm

Of course, the steel burrs are in my other Vario and they're one of my favourite burrset for brew. Just wanted to state the obvious since I think there were some inquiries about the aligned ceramic burr performance way back in this thread. The steel burrs will do better even without alignment as far as I can tell.

As for light roasts and grinding for espresso with either choice of burrs, I think you're absolutely right that the nylon chamber doesn't cut it. I did get a few good shots actually but it's not really consistent and makes strange noises. Even filling up the hopper doesn't help much. I'm thinking that the weakest points are the nylon tabs that only support about 25% of the upper burr carrier.

October 5th, 2021, 5:10 am

I have just upgraded to the Vario and discovered the mods I can do. I found a local retailer and bought the forte metal Grind chamber + upper burr carrier assuming that was all in needed. But it didn't come with the 4 metal M3x12mm Philips head screws found here (#16, 8029 Phillips Screw M3x12) https://baratza.com/wp-content/uploads/ ... d-View.pdf

Does anyone have a photo of these so I can match them, im still on page 12 of this killer thread but haven't seen any pics yet.

I can see the supplier has Baratza screws but the photo doesn't appear to be 12mm and they don't look like Pan-head screw in the diagram https://www.coffeeparts.com.au/bt-8214- ... head-screw.

My local Bunnings have M3 screws, not sure if there will be thread misalignment though? https://www.bunnings.com.au/zenith-m3-x ... lsrc=aw.ds

For reference I bought: https://www.coffeeparts.com.au/bt-1024- ... nd-chamber
& https://www.coffeeparts.com.au/bt-1067- ... rter-wings.

#469: Post by **Cwilli62** » October 5th, 2021, 3:14 pm

Some excerpts from a DCN article on the Vario+. It seems as if Baratza is fully aware of us nerdy coffee enthusiasts and it is showing in their product/marketing.

Chief among the upgrades for the plus (+) models are solid metal grind chambers and upper burr carriers - the same as were previously standard only inside Baratza's commercial-grade Forte model grinders.

While theoretically more durable than the plastic parts of the original build, the new parts also open the door to what some gear enthusiasts have referred to as "hyper alignment," a modification that involves disassembling and carefully reassembling Baratza Forte or Vario grinders.

"We're not saying that people should go out and 'hyper align' their burrs, because from the factory, they're great," Baratza Marketing Manager Joyce Klassen told Daily Coffee News, adding that blind taste tests among Baratza's staff of brews made from coffee ground by hyper-aligned machines found either imperceptible or subtle, subjective differences. "It was just more, in the Baratza way, to say that if you want to do more, we're making it possible for you to do more."

Other internal parts that have been upgraded are the shafts and pulleys driven by the motors, which went from sun gears to more durable D-shaft systems. On the outside, the plus-model adjustment knobs feature heftier metal construction, and the LCD screens pop more with backlighting and white numerals.

LED lights by the exit chutes illuminate the output of both plus models in the same manner as in Baratza's Virtuoso+, while the Vario+ ships with the improved shut-off hopper that has been standard on the Forte and Vario-W for some time.

October 8th, 2021, 11:46 pm

I pulled my Vario apart today for the flapper mod, it worked a charm. Can anyone confirm if the forte lower chamber has different Phillips head screws to the plastic Vario one? I don't want to get to the point where its in pieces to find out im missing 4 small screw