Is it just me or does the K10 need a good WDT in order to make the extraction "look" satisfactory. I've so far found it a little tricky to work with. Oddly, compared to the Vario, even the weird looking extractions are very pleasant so what's in the cup isn't really an issue.

In my little experience with the k10 it's not just a grind, tamp and go. Is that the same as everyone else's experience? I've been pining for this grinder for a while so I want to make sure what I'm doing is about as effective as I can get to tame this titan at home.

Also, if someone 'bumps' what exactly are you doing? When I bump my grinder it doesn't move, nor do grinds shift. It's one heavy piece! So, all I've been able to do is the sweep and grind routine. It's worked to get the grinds, but maybe there's a more efficient way to get those grinds out.

Any long-time user help would be great. There is a fair amount of info on the K10 in the forums, but most of it is very old and other bits are in pieces in random threads.

Well, there is no super efficient way, its just tedious. By bump and brush its meant grind and sweep, so same

Here are routines from Jackson and Nicholas:

I get a little clumping so I use a little metal skewer to stir the grinds in the basket. It only takes a few seconds but usually eliminates any spritzers from my bottomless portafilter.

I haven't used the WDT in years. For the K10, I thwack the doser handle while it grinds and "pay attention to the landing" so very little redistribution is necessary. A simple shake-shake to the side works, or a quick modified Stockfleths Move (video). Operationally, the K10 is similar to the Mazzer Robur, albeit slower. Since the K10 grinds more slowly, you have more time to finesse the dose landings.

Note that I don't single dose, i.e., the mini hopper is usually half full. I sweep the throat of old grinds before starting a new session, but don't bother in between shots. Single dosing may save 2-3 grams of coffee over my routine, but I'm willing to sacrifice that for a more streamlined routine since I usually pull 4-6 espressos in succession when taste-testing and 3x to 4x that when we have guests.

Since I sold you my K-10, I feel I should reply! I found the grinder didn't need any WDT at all. My method was to weigh out xx gm of beans, put them in the throat, put the Spice Islands jar in, turn on the grinder until it finished grinding all the beans, then I would make sure the last bean wasn't stuck on the top bolt, then I would take my spoon handle that I bent to get straight access to the chute ceiling and I would insert the handle then pivot the handle to scrape out as much grinds as possible. Then without any tools in the chute I would turn on then off the grinder (pulse). Then I would use a small paint brush and sweep out the chute. I would repeat that last step twice more. At that point, I would start thwacking the doser into the basket. I start slow to control the grinds landing then as the doser emptied, I would increase the energy of thwacking to get the stuck grounds off the doser parts (you can also sweep with the brush instead).

Then I would level the grinds using Stockfleth's for dummies technique (using my pinky) being careful not to lose any grinds. Tap the basket on the counter 3-4 times, nutate, tamp and go!

That sounds like alot but when you get good at it, it happens quickly.

I do what is the 'standard' prep work for a k10. So, like what Mitch, Dennis, Jackson and Nicholas have shown or described. And not completely dissimilar to what Dan has described due to the fact that a hopper is being used.

I'm thinking..
If I'm dialled in and I KNOW I'll be pulling successive shots, I should use the hopper and just weigh my dose. I'd put about 3-4 shots worth of beans in the hopper, obviously depending on how many shots I KNOW I'm going to pull in succession, or relatively close... I'm talking minutes not hours.

I have the GIANT HOPPER! Too bad Mitch didn't spring for the short hopper. So it looks completely stupid and useless, but I'm not putting it under any cabinets so it doesn't actually matter.

I'm really liking Dan's prep so I'll see how that works for me.

Once you've seen the monster in action, it becomes apparent how unfortunate it is that they didn't think through the top dosing section. Like, why didn't compak make a mechanism that ensures ALL coffee that is ground actually gets pushed out. I think it's extremely lazy even if "that's not how cafes use them" not to design a grinder dosing flow that pushes ALL GRINDS out the chute. With a full hopper and used as intended (in a commercial environment), all grinding does is push earlier ground coffee out. If the chute doesn't get cleaned out, you need to grind about 2x what you need with an empty doser to get what you need. For busy cafes this is ok, but are most cafes THAT BUSY? I'd hazard a guess that most are not busy enough to ALWAYS be dosing fresh coffee. /rant

Anyway... doesn't matter.

Really liking my k10 and I'm happy for all the responses!

Actually, if you are using the hopper and not single dosing, I would still use the bent spoon handle to scoop out the chute after grinding. That way, you won't be getting more than a gram of old grounds for the next shot.

If you decide to go the single dosing method (and I strongly recommend you do), you will find that you can just weigh the beans going in and add .25-.50 gm to your dose and just grind and pull. It will be close enough to your final dose. Single dosing makes adjusting the grind so much easier and the hassle is minimal.

Sorry about the hopper. I knew I wouldn't need it and so, didn't care which version I got.

I'm not using WDT or any distribution technique on my K10F. Tamp the mountain shape & pull. I don't care about how pretty looks a naked extraction as long as the cup taste good. And it tastes great. I heard sometimes some comments about "conical automatic extractions" and now I see it's true; this baby pulls optimal 19.5%-20% TDS shots without doing anything.

mitch236 wrote:Actually, if you are using the hopper and not single dosing, I would still use the bent spoon handle to scoop out the chute after grinding. That way, you won't be getting more than a gram of old grounds for the next shot.

If you decide to go the single dosing method (and I strongly recommend you do), you will find that you can just weigh the beans going in and add .25-.50 gm to your dose and just grind and pull. It will be close enough to your final dose. Single dosing makes adjusting the grind so much easier and the hassle is minimal.

Sorry about the hopper. I knew I wouldn't need it and so, didn't care which version I got.

Oh, I would for sure still be doing the same kind of prep. I'd dose and clean even if I had a little in a hopper. Bumping and grinding is my life with the K10.

Viernes wrote:I'm not using WDT or any distribution technique on my K10F. Tamp the mountain shape & pull. I don't care about how pretty looks a naked extraction as long as the cup taste good. And it tastes great. I heard sometimes some comments about "conical automatic extractions" and now I see it's true; this baby pulls optimal 19.5%-20% TDS shots without doing anything.

That's a pretty damn good point. I did mention my shots taste great. I guess I have to get over looks. There was just this expectation of everything not only tasting GREAT but looking SWEET also.