Adjusting the grind on an Iberital MC2

Mr Magnolia

Have any of you adjusted the grind on an MC2 between espresso and French Press grinds and back again.

If you count the turns and reset it will it return back to it's original grind setting?

I want to try out the cold french pressed coffee. I also want to grind some for a friends press.

Am I looking for a headache trying this?

Gran Hermano

Mr M, you're a braver man than I !

Whilst you know it's feasible you'll end up tweaking a fair bit to
get it back to the espresso grind you want. I doubt you'd waste
as much as you do when first 'dialling-in' a new grinder but think
of all those freshly roasted beans you'll waste. Might be worthwhile
to hang on to some badly roasted beans for just this purpose.
Other option is to tell your mates to get a moka-pot, least the grind
would be similar !

Mr Magnolia

Hmmm, I was hoping you'd come in and tell me it's a piece of piddle.

I have some beans in the press that I can use to fine tune the settings, might give it a whirl on friday. I'll do a bit of searching too.

Gran Hermano

Rockbeer highlighted this very issue with all step-less grinders
when I was debating purchasing mine (back before we even had this
forum) and I passed on his wisdom to Reactor.I believe it was a
reason why Reactor went for the Gaggia MDF grinder as he wanted
the ability to switch easily between coarse and fine grinds. Must say
that I find the infinite number of grind settings on the MC2 ideal for me
but I stick to espresso based drinks and like the fine tuning ability even
more so now as I can adjust for my own roasts - as well as the usual
variables like bean age and humidity.

If you count the number of turns from espresso to coarse it should
decrease the work in reverting back as you suggested yourself.

tom frost

Sorry now I know that I am not answering the OPs question but I have a query regarding the MC2 which I purchased about two months ago. I have certainly noticed that as the beans age I do need to change the settings slightly. However, on occassions I do seem to get a gusher for no apparent reason....the next shot may be fine. I also notice that the time of day makes a difference but I suppose that is the humidity. Other than bean age and humidity is there any other variables. What about how long the machine (Gaggia Classic) has been warming up? I usually try to leave in half an hour.

PS I took the turbofrother (not the whole thing just the bottom part) off my Classic about a month ago and have never looked back. Produces a nice shiny foam consistenly not the meringue-like foam that the turbofrother produced.

Gran Hermano

The main variables I'd consider would be bean age, roast, bean type, grind, tamp and humidity.

Are you happy that your tamping is consistent? It appears that the other
variable are held relatively constant (bean type/roast) in your situation.
(You seem to be adjusting the grind in a similar manner as I do to allow
for humidity and age).

I find I have to grind finer as the beans age; although I don't seem to
have this problem as much since I now only roast enough beans for
several days at a time. I've noticed that several people have mentioned
on various fora that their particular machine gives much better results
on the 2nd shot from warm-up. Having to leave your machine 30 mins
to heat up sounds a tad excessive. I normally leave mine on for 5-10 mins
and then draw about half a cup through the empty portafilter to warm up
the internals before pulling the first shot. Maybe try this or pulling a
single shot first.

As with all things in life where there are several variables involved there
is no exact science to espresso making. Sometimes you can follow your
usual routine to the letter and still end up with a shot only fit for the
plug-hole

rockbeer

Just as a footnote to Gran Hermano's typically comprehensive replies, can I just say I would rather eat razor blades than adjust my Ascaso I-2 stepless for French Press... life's just too short.

Also, tom frost, do you find your 'gusher' is ever the first shot of the day? I find that grounds left in the grinder overnight (either stuck between the burrs or in the top of the dispenser chute) will go really stale and make a horrible shot. I always dump the first shot as a matter of course, then adjust the grind depending on how the second one turns out.

Of course, there's always the odd time something strange happens - perhaps the tamp is all wrong, or a big clump of stuck-together grounds ends up in the basket, which can lead to a ridiculously fast pour occasionally. Nothing to worry about - espresso is at least as much art as science.

Mr Magnolia

rockbeer wrote: »

Just as a footnote to Gran Hermano's typically comprehensive replies, can I just say I would rather eat razor blades than adjust my Ascaso I-2 stepless for French Press... life's just too short.

LOL. I'm beginning to think it would be a lot of hassle alright.

Gran Hermano

Mr Magnolia wrote: »

LOL. I'm beginning to think it would be a lot of hassle alright.

Now you know why some people end up with more than one grinder

Mr Magnolia

I pondered this last night. Not going to happen though*












*at the minute anyway