The time I tried to dial in a new burr grinder for three weeks straight

Three weeks to get a consistent grind from my new hand grinder, and it took a coworker pointing out I was overtightening the adjustment ring. Has anyone else spent way too long on something that obvious?

3 comments

3 Comments

blair5971mo ago

Three weeks on a hand grinder, man. I actually think you had the right idea even if it took too long. Overtightening is a super common mistake but here's why I push back a little. Most people give up way too early on a new burr grinder, they swap to a different one after a week or just live with bad grinds. You stuck with it and learned exactly how your grinder behaves. That kind of attention makes you better at tasting the difference between a good and bad shot later. I've seen guys burn through three grinders in a month because they never really dial in the first one. So yeah, you wasted time but you also learned more than someone who got it right on day one.

brooke7671mo ago

Really feel for you @blair597, that grind was a tough way to learn.

laura_allen1mo ago

Honestly, three weeks is honestly a speedrun compared to my month-long battle with a grinder that turned out to be clogged with a stray bean hull from day one. Ngl, I took the burrs apart, cleaned them with a toothbrush, even considered a full exorcism before realizing the little plastic flap was just stuck. Tbh, the worst part was buying a second grinder out of frustration, only to find the first one working perfectly after shaking it like a maraca. At least you learned about overtightening, I learned that my grinder just needed a good tantrum.