Convenience of Stepless vs. Stepped Grinders

Grinders are one of the keys to exceptional espresso. Discuss them here.
Canuck
Posts: 31
Joined: 17 years ago

#1: Post by Canuck »

I currently have a rocky DL that I use for espresso and aeropress. When I use it for aeropress, I grind a little coarser (not much, say from 5 for espresso to 9 for aeropress). If I was to go between 'settings' like this on a stepless (say a Mini or M4), is this really annoying (like how much turning is required...I only have experience with the rocky grinder)?

Thanks.

User avatar
buzzmccowan
Posts: 31
Joined: 18 years ago

#2: Post by buzzmccowan »

Hey Jason,
I go between settings on my mini all the time. Mostly between drip/french press and espresso on my VBM. I clean out the doser between switching which means you lose a bit of coffee. You want to make sure that you run the grinder while you make the adjustment, especially going from coarse to fine...otherwise beans can get sandwiched in the grinder and prevent the motor from starting (and can burn it out). If you are doing it everyday, you might want to consider using two grinders or getting a zassenhaus to use for the aeropress. Otherwise, having an excellent grinder like a mini dedicated for espresso is a good thing. I upgraded a few years ago from a rocky to a mini and noticed a it made a huge improvement in consistency and control (less clumping too). I saw a mini listed on craigslist in T.O. a few weeks ago, price was high but if it didn't sell, you might get it at a good price.
Cheers,
Kaelin

Advertisement
User avatar
cafeIKE
Posts: 4703
Joined: 18 years ago

#3: Post by cafeIKE »

Canuck wrote:I currently have a rocky DL that I use for espresso and aeropress. When I use it for aeropress, I grind a little coarser (not much, say from 5 for espresso to 9 for aeropress). If I was to go between 'settings' like this on a stepless (say a Mini or M4), is this really annoying (like how much turning is required...I only have experience with the rocky grinder)?

Thanks.
There's a post on CoffeeGeek Easy Mod for Stepless Macap M4/Upgraded w/return spring 2/26/08 about adding a spring loaded adjuster to a Macap that makes large adjustments a doddle.

That being said for drip, a $90 Capresso Infinity does just fine.

The problem is not just the adjustment. You need to grind and discard ~5g to clean out the detritus from the previous grind setting.