My buddy the barista called me out on my grind size

I was complaining my espresso was always bitter and he asked what setting I was using. Turns out I was grinding way too fine for my machine, like a 2 on my Baratza when I should be around a 6. Has anyone else been humbled by a coffee shop worker about something basic like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

paulb981mo ago

Wait hold up, a 2 on a Baratza for espresso is basically turning your beans into flour. Those things grind super fine at the low numbers. You probably could have choked out the machine completely. But here's the thing - it's not just about going from a 2 to a 6. The right setting depends on your specific machine and how fresh the beans are. Even the same model can need different settings if one runs at a slightly different pressure. Next time you dial in, start coarse and go finer until you get a decent looking shot in like 25-30 seconds. Bitter usually means overextracted from too fine a grind, but it can also be from water that's too hot or old beans. Just saying, the barista was right about the general direction but don't treat a 6 as some magic number forever.

leohart11d ago

Man people really overthink making coffee huh.

dylanward1mo ago

All this talk about dialing in and perfect settings and 25-30 second extraction times is making my head spin. At the end of the day, it's just a cup of coffee you're going to drink in about five minutes. If the barista gave you some solid advice that fixed your bitter problem, that's great. No need to turn it into a science project with pressure gauges and bean freshness charts.