Espresso grinders

Can the Burr Grinder You Use for Drip Coffee Also Grind for Espresso?

Published · By the Espresso Shortlist editors · Prices and specs as of that date, from the pages under Sources

Summary

Sometimes, and the box usually won't tell you. SHARDOR sells a 48-setting grinder that goes "from the finest espresso to the coarsest french press grind" without saying which settings are the espresso ones, and Cuisinart's discontinued DBM-8 offers 18 levels from "ultra-fine" and never mentions espresso. Counter Culture Coffee, a roaster, says grinders made for filter coffee "are generally not capable of producing a grind fine enough." Your own machine settles it: if the grinder can slow an 18 g dose down to about 36 g of espresso in 25 to 32 seconds, Baratza's starting recipe, it is fine enough.

What the labels promise

SHARDOR's grinder (UL-CG203-BK, $76.99) uses stainless steel conical burrs and says its 48 settings "accurately adjust the gap" between them. The product page gives no number for where espresso starts. The Cuisinart DBM-8 describes its burrs only as providing a "uniform grind," and it doses by cups on a "4 to 18 cup slide dial," and Cuisinart files it under Coffee Makers.

Grinders sold for espresso mark out the range. OXO labels settings 1 to 5 of its 15 as "fine (for espresso)." Baratza tells Encore ESP owners that "small clicks make big differences" and to "stay within the espresso range (1–20)."

Testing the grinder you already have

Baratza's dialing-in guide starts with 18 g of ground coffee, 36 g of liquid espresso, and "25-32 seconds from start to finish." It says to go finer if the shot is sour or quick and coarser if it is bitter or slow, to keep the dose the same while you adjust, and to move "in small increments."

A general-purpose grinder shows its limit at the fine end. If the shot still runs fast with the grinder at its finest setting, the grind is too coarse for that basket. Baratza's own fixes for running out of room at the fine end are calibrating the grinder or raising the dose by a few grams. Fellow's guide for its Series 1 machine goes further and tells owners not to be afraid "to go to the finest option, even if it's outside of your grinder's 'recommended' range for espresso."

When even the finest setting is too coarse, a double-walled basket is the fallback. Fellow ships one with the Series 1 and says it "will create extra pressure if the grind is still too coarse."

Shopping for one? Shop espresso grinders →

Sources

  1. SHARDOR — Coffee Burr Grinder with 48 Grind Settings
  2. Cuisinart — Discontinued Supreme Grind Automatic Burr Mill DBM-8
  3. Counter Culture Coffee — Guide to Espresso
  4. OXO — How to Use the OXO Brew Conical Burr Grinder
  5. Baratza — Dialing in Espresso
  6. Fellow — Pulling Your First Great Shot on Series 1

We have not tested these products. Specs, prices, stock and terms are as published on these pages on the date above and can change; check the manufacturer or retailer before you buy.

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