Grind setting for espresso and cappuccino

#1: Post by **lesafir** » February 23rd, 2022, 11:27 am

Hi everybody

I have a Rancilio Silvia + Eureka Specialista + 1 single dose filter + 1 double dose filter.

Need :
I want to set up my grinder just once to get my espressos or sometimes my cappuccinos.

Problem :
Is it possible to permanently set the grinder for my espresso (single dose 9g) and no longer touch the grinder to make my cappuccino (double dose 18g). Can we keep the same grinder settings regardless of the dose of coffee used in the filter holder?

Thanks !

#2: Post by HB » February 23rd, 2022, 11:45 am

lesafir wrote:Can we keep the same grinder settings regardless of the dose of coffee used in the filter holder?

That would be convenient, but no. There's a lot of past discussions that expand on this answer; I searched on "grind setting single versus double". Here's a good sample:

The TL;DR answer is that dose and grind adjustment are arguably the most important factors a barista can "tune". Jim's Adjusting Dose and Grind Setting by Taste (and to a lesser degree, Newbie Introduction to Espresso - Grinders) are my go-to answers.

#3: Post by **henri** » February 23rd, 2022, 12:01 pm

If you mostly drink single espressos and only rarely need that double (and especially, if that double goes into a milk drink), then you should be able to dial the grinder for the single and find a double dose that yields the same brew ratio in a reasonable extraction time. Note my use of the indefinite article there. That single-equivalent double dose is most probably not going to be twice the dose of the single espresso, but is likely to be something smaller (could be 16g, could be 15g). However, this is a compromise. That single-equivalent double espresso won't taste the same, and it very likely won't be the best possible extraction that can be done with the double basket. In other words, dial in for one basket, and you lose the optimum for the other, and vice versa. However, it might work if it goes into a milk drink.

Or you could just make smaller cappuccinos, with less milk? I believe traditionally they used to come with a single espresso always.

February 28th, 2022, 2:40 pm

Hello, ok thanks. Do you recommend using two different filters (single dose for espresso and double dose for cappuccino) rather than using the double dose for both uses (9g for espresso and 18g for cappuccino)?