Grinder newbie - advice please?

kenco

Folks

New to the grinding game and did not want to splash out so I got me one of these;

http://www.krups.co.uk/All+Products/Coffee+Machines/Coffee+Grinders/Products/GVX2/GVX2+Expert+Coffee+Grinder.htm

I have a Gaggia Selecta Deluxe machine and find that the grinder on medium setting is OK. I have tried finer once and found that the machine was not able to pass the steam through the coffee grinds (apparently)

Any advice to improve the experience?

RE*AC*TOR

The machine doesn't pass steam through the coffee grinds. If it does that's your main problem. The problem with that grinder is that it doesn't produce an even fine grind. I have used one of those, and I found it couldn't grind evenly even for French press.
I don't think there's anything can be done. Silk purse / pigs ear etc.

Mr Magnolia

Have you a budget in mind? You need to budget at least €130 for a decent grinder for your espresso machine.

It's water that gets passed through the coffee to produce espresso (not steam), run the machine with no coffee and no portafilter and you'll see what I mean. I think you mean it just got clogged up on a finer grind, which means your current grinder doesn't adjust in small enough increments.

kenco

Thanks Gents

I might play around with it a bit. I have been reading your hints on optimising Gaggias and must spend some time on mine.

I take your point on the cheaper grinder. Its the first time I have tried one as normally I dont have the time and just use Lavazza ground for espressos.

On a medium setting I did get ground coffee that looked similar to the Lavazza ground. It did work ok and tasted fine to my untutored palate. As I grow into this thing I might upgrade and must also play around more with the Gaggia.

Thanks again for your replies and the promptness of same. Hope you have a good coffee day!

Mr Magnolia

No probs. Remember to look for around 23-30 seconds for the pour.

The volume of coffee, the tamp strength and the grind are all variables which affect your pour. If you keep the volume and the tamp consistent then the grind is the only variable. I'd work on this basis to fine tune it to begin if I were you

Gran Hermano

Lavazza ground coffee is slightly coarser than my own grind at home - it's
hard to compare the differences in grind visually.

Try setting the grinder to a grind that is so fine that it nearly clogs the
machine than adjust the grinder to a slightly coarser setting. The level of tamping will also affect the flow of water through the coffee. Try different
grind settings and different levels of tamping. If the coffee is ground too
coarse try a firmer tamp and conversely if it's too fine try a slightly lighter
tamp.

RE*AC*TOR

With the current Sterling conversion rates - you'd be mad not to get the Iberital MC2 from happdonkey.

rockbeer

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news... but the problem with your grinder is that it isn't really a burr grinder and as such won't ever produce a grind suitable for espresso.

Proper burrs have sharp edges which cut the coffee into fine particles:



Your 'burrs' are more like dimpled crushing plates:



This means there's no mod or adjustment that will significantly improve the grind and any tinkering with the espresso machine is likely to have limited success.

Best bet is to stick with the 'OK' setting you have or invest in a new grinder. Sorry there's no miracle cure.

For more discussion of your grinder have a read of this.

hth

kenco

rockbeer wrote: »

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news... but the problem with your grinder is that it isn't really a burr grinder and as such won't ever produce a grind suitable for espresso.

Best bet is to stick with the 'OK' setting you have or invest in a new grinder. Sorry there's no miracle cure.

Thanks Rockbeer, I did a bit of research in advance which suggested it was 'ok' for the price. At this time I think I will stick with it - flawed as it maybe - until I reach a point where I need more. Right now I have a bit of time on my hands which means I can play around