Test your grind instead of guessing: a comparison exercise for better espresso
The espresso is not quite right, and the first instinct is to adjust the grinder. But if coffee dose, beverage yield and preparation change at the same time, it becomes difficult to tell which adjustment helped. A small comparison exercise makes the decision clearer. It works for café teams, training sessions and conversations between a roastery and its hospitality customers. The goal is not a universal ideal number. It is to find a setting that produces a convincing flavour with this coffee, this recipe and the equipment already available.
1. Define the question first
Ask something specific: does a small grind adjustment make this espresso more balanced? Start by describing what the current drink seems to lack. Is it perceived sweetness, a pleasant finish or balance in a milk drink? This description is an observation, not yet a diagnosis. One flavour word does not prove that grind size caused the problem. Check that the coffee, basket and working method are clearly established before starting the comparison.
2. Establish a useful starting point
Use the same coffee and basket. Choose a coffee dose and target beverage weight that already suit your operation. Keep these quantities as consistent as possible throughout the comparison. Use the same scale, the same starting point for timing and comparable preparation of the coffee bed. If your machine has adjustable parameters, leave them unchanged for this exercise. You are then comparing grinder settings within an established recipe rather than changing the whole preparation at once.
Numbers on the grind adjustment dial are reference points for that particular machine. Record your own grinder and setting instead of adopting somebody else’s number as a target. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions whenever you make an adjustment. How much coffee needs to be discarded after a change depends partly on the grinder’s design and retained grounds; a universal purge quantity would not be helpful here.
3. The coffee bed matters too
Grind size and coffee-bed preparation work together to influence how water flows through the coffee. Barista Hustle explains that uneven flow can occur even without an obvious visible channel. For your comparison, careful, repeatable distribution and level tamping are therefore part of the preparation. They cannot remove every source of variation, but they reduce avoidable differences in working technique. An unusual shot time should not automatically be treated as a certain diagnosis of the grind setting.
4. Compare small adjustments consistently
Start with the current setting as your reference. Then change only the grind in one small, identifiable step. Prepare the next espresso to the same target beverage weight and record the shot time. Taste the drinks under comparable conditions. A change in time alone does not demonstrate an improvement; what matters is whether the flavour moves in the desired direction. If a result seems contradictory, repeat the preparation before making another adjustment.
Consider a practical example: your house espresso seems to lack presence in cappuccino. Compare the reference with a slightly finer setting while keeping coffee dose and beverage weight unchanged. The second shot behaves differently but does not taste more convincing. Finer is therefore not an automatic solution. Return to the reference or assess another small adjustment. If the desired result requires a different beverage recipe, explore that in a separate exercise rather than mixing the two questions together.
5. A compact checklist for the exercise
Identify the coffee, grinder and basket clearly.
Set the coffee dose, target beverage weight and timing method.
Keep distribution and tamping as consistent as possible.
Make only one grind adjustment for each comparison.
Record measurements and a specific flavour observation.
Repeat unusual results and explain why you prefer the chosen version.
6. Check the result in the served drink
Assess the espresso in the form your guests actually drink. A convincing straight espresso is not automatically your preferred base for every milk drink. Where possible, ask the same people to compare the samples and record their impressions separately before deciding together. This turns a quick assumption into a traceable test. Once an adjustment works, make the new reference available at the workstation; the next comparison should begin from a clear starting point again.
For coffee businesses, this approach also helps when discussing customer feedback. Ask about the recipe used and the actual comparison before judging the coffee or equipment. If you would like to discuss your café workflow, contact Kühne Kaffee through the website’s contact page. Bring the coffee details, the equipment name and one specific flavour question. These give the conversation a much more useful starting point than a general request for the “correct grind setting”.
Comments