Just got mine and could not pour anything close to a decent shot without adjusting the burr to 3, with the digital set to 2. This finally produced a somewhat decent shot
Yeah mine was not even close to being usable at first as well. I don't think the issue is the beans as I've used them for years on the last machine, no worries.
I've had a BBE for about 5 years now. Recently went from a 6 on the burr setting down to a 3, and now it's grinding almost too fine. Might take it back up to a 4.
I got a Sage Dose control Pro last year, I started on internal 6 and external 0-2 at first and all was good. But over time (And regular daily grinding) the cheap metal burrs wear down with use so internal adjustment is required as you mentioned. After hundreds of grinds I am now down to internal 4 /external 2 when brewing on the gaggia classic. I think they are only £109 now which is pretty decent .
hmm - my Sage grinder had to be taken to 3 immediately. On 6, grind setting 10 (advice seems to be to start on between 9 and 12) was giving me a sub 20 second shot. I had to go to 4 before I even got to mid 20s. So to get it to the point where the grinder was giving results in line with the broadly recommended starting points of 9-12, I had to go to 3 having tried various settings in between. I did wonder if there was something wrong with the grinder (and I still do), but a quick google revealed this to be a common experience.
In the user manual there is a page named “Adjusting conical burrs”, where it says it is to provide wider range, so that ideal extraction is done on some types of coffee. With my first try on my new Sage Barista Pro I went down to grind size 1 and still the total time was less than 20 seconds.
Hello Kev, I am so ready to get a Barista Express with your voucher but I have a quick question. By not adjusting internal burr is it possible to ground coffee coarse enough for pour over (v60) As v60 ask for finer coffee than french press do you think it is possible ? Thanks a lot
Thank you for video! I have tried many options for getting 1:2 ratio in 25-30 second with my ExpressImpress but not a chance. The only option made balance is internal setting from 6 to 3… if you have a time I will be happy for a video with more details!
DON'T DO THIS EITHER!! After using my Grinder Pro for about 4 weeks (once per day) it stopped grinding, apparently because of 'wet' ground coffee. I tried cleaning the burrs many times without success, so I contacted Sage and was told to read the instructions 🙄which tell you to use a hairdryer. After trying this for less than a minute, the plastic top where the hopper sits melted!!! To be fair to Sage, they replaced it and I am expecting a new one in the next couple of days, but if you do have to use a hairdryer do not have it too close, have the heat too high or use it for too long - the plastic is not heat tolerant! I hope this is helpful to someone 🙂
Ooh! Were you getting the clicking noise when you tried to grind, is that why it was concluded that this was due to moisture? Were you using light roasted beans, by any chance? Cheers.
I'm on internal setting 1 with my SGP after 9 months of use. Out of the box it was on 6, but this meant that all grind settings within the espresso range were far too coarse, and the finest setting was still too coarse for some beans. I only use fresh beans too, so don't think that was a contributing factor. It just seems like each Breville grinder is different for some reason?
I have a Dose Control Pro and am on internal 3, external 5. I probably could get to internal 4 external 0/1, but wanted to avoid the faff and now have a bit of range to work with.
Even with both internal and external set to 1, I've had beans where that's not fine enough. Granted, they've been on the lighter roast side and are pretty dense beans, but still kinda crazy....
@@turkatronic I'm having this exact problem! My SGP is fresh out the box (in fact I returned one recently for not grinding fine enough straight out the box for espresso) and this replacement is the same. At internal 6 and external 1 it is still far too coarse to pull a shot. Am also using freshly roasted light - med (but still esp roast) beans, and to no avail. I kinda feel like I shouldn't have to adjust the burrs already, unless Sage have now made them so they'll be good out the box for older beans?
I bought a 2 year old barista pro 2hand and I’m at internal 3 already and am down to 1 externally. So I should go to 2 internally but that doesn’t feel right ( hence I googled it and got to this video) I’m not sure what to do now. I’m new to manually making espresso’s so not sure what I’m doing wrong. I just know that the espressos go way to fast and don’t taste as nice. And it’s also pretty inconsistent Any help? 😊
If what you said is true and the intention of the inner burr settings is to allow you to grind finer over time when there is wear and tear, then there is no need to have higher inner grind settings (i.e 6 and above) since there will be no use for that as grinder cannot become tighter over time 😮
It's the main intention for the finer part of the range, so I'm told. I've actually never heard of anyone finding a reason to use any of the higher settings, and I've no clue what they're for to be honest.
You superstar ! Just got my new sage machine and watching your videos really helps! And wifey has just secretly ordered me some of the coffee beans you recommend Keep up the great work and video’s
Well some ppl do not have the Burr Grid adjustment, Like me! I have the Sage BES870UK as supposed to the Newer one BES875UK The BES870UK doesn't have this Adjustment
My sage smart grinder pro was 7 years old when I loaned it to someone (I don't think I'll get it back 😆 ) I'd used it a heck of a lot, and the burrs were absolutely fine.
Great channel. Got a set up with a sage smart grinder pro and isomac Venus. Have been enjoying lots of great coffee. Recently however changed my beans and took the chance to clean the grinder. When I come to pulling a shot find that the grind setting is making no difference to the coarseness. Previously was working with grind setting 9 and burr setting 6. Now even 1 is flying through in seconds. Any ideas? Have checked the top bur is in place. Could such a difference be down to the beans?
I've the opposite my internal grind setting is 6, yet my grind setting has to be at 24 in order to pull a good shot using cworks chocolate brownie blend. Sage barista touch
I'm pissed my burr was set to 6 but no matter how fine I adjusted the grind settings it extracted in 10 seconds. I had to adjust it to 2 so that it works. They should have calibrated the machine from the start.
I've had my barista express for a little under 5 years now and hadn't even considered droppping this setting. After a good clean I dropped my setting down and oh my days, smooth coffee is back on the menu boys!
Just received my Sage SGP brand new from Amazon UK. Could not get a fine enough grind for 1:2 ratio extraction in 25-30 sec until I adjusted the burrs internal setting to 4 from 6 and that is with grind size set to 1 on dial. I'm using Lavazza Crema E Aroma beans.
I adjusted my brand new barista pro internal burr to 4. But was grinding at level 12-14 with decent espresso. Will I have done any damage? I’ve only had it for 3 weeks. I’ve now changed back up to internal setting of 5 at grind setting 8-10. Would you go back up to 6 or stay at 5? Cheers for the decent videos! Would love to see how to clean and maintain grinders on sage machines!
I got my sage barista pro second hand and, after much struggle with dialling in (I confounded for every other possible factor - fresh beans, warming up the machine, manual extraction etc) I’ve had to change the internal grind to 1. Now I can extract espresso at a grind setting of ~10 whereas before I’d have to dial right down to 1 for all the other internal burr adjustments
I have a refurbished Sage Barista Pro and I had a very similar experience and now struggling to get it fine enough. Will just replacing the external burrs improve or are there other things to try first?
I tried keeping it at 6 on my new machine, but couldn't for the life of me find a way to get a well-timed shot until I set it to 3 on the internal setting and the external set to 1. Any higher setting produced shots that were too fast and would rattail throughout, and taste sour.
I don't know what the tolerance is in the manufacturing process, but I've seen that most people's internal setting differs greatly. I'll bet that, beyond the longevity benefits, this setting exists to help mitigate errors induced by the manufacturing tolerance. Within the first couple of weeks I've had to set my internal setting to 3 as well, even with medium roasts. I can now say, about a year later, it grinds as consistently as when it was new.
I also can only just grind just fine enough or too coarse with my new Barista express’ built-in grinder. I have the internal burr on 1 and the wheel from about 7 to 1 depending on the beans. Wasted a bag of beans dialling in the burr from factory 6 setting.
Own a Barista Pro. Placed internal burr at 3. Outer burr at 6. I’m pulling great shots at this setting using a medium roasted bean. YMMV but I’ve had very good results Tried internal factory setting of 6 and went down from there. 6 and 5 were just too course.
I had to add to this. I was wrong. I am wrong. Wanted to check this out so I reset my inner burr to factory setting of 6. My dial is set to 7 I pulled 2 consecutive shots and they actually tasted better than what I was previously brewing😂😂. I know my beans are good ( I buy them from 2 different roasters here in SF Bay Area.) Maybe my tamping was not right before? I don’t know. Thanks Kev ! I am learning a lot from you and this channel.
I have a sage dose control pro, cannot say this matchs with my grinder. At 0 with the intal at 5 the shot pulls in 10 seconds but at 4 it pulls in around 25 to 30 with my indean monsoon melbar.
Just me being daft ;-). I was looking for a term to use to refer to my coffee loving friends, I don't like "coffee snobs", and none of the other terms "coffee geeks", "coffee nerds", etc., seemed right, so I came up with "coffee botherers".
Hello, I have a 875 device and unfortunately I have a big problem and the problem I have is that I set the internal mill settings to 1 and the external mill settings to 1 as well but I still can't do proper extraction. I mean the extraction that should be done with 18 grams of coffee and 36 grams of extract between 20 and 30 seconds is less than 20 seconds for me and I have to make the mill finer but there is no possibility of getting smaller and I even tried several models of coffee and it still didn't work and even my friend's device that is like me and we bought together also has the same problem
Hi. If you've set the internal and external to 1, you're probably grinding with the burrs locked together. I'd recommend setting the internal to 5, and start at about grind size 10, go from there. You're using the single wall baskets? What beans are you using? This video may be helpful: ua-cam.com/video/gnA467zUuDY/v-deo.html Ta, Kev.
@@Amateurbarista ok thanks. Try running your grinder empty from the most coarse to the finest setting and listen to the motor, do you hear it start to strain? If so, at what number? Cheers
I have a Gastroback 42612 that is about 9 years old. i really like it and would like to resolve the most recent problem. It jams a lot. When I say that I mean the clutch disengages when it grinds beans. At first, I thought it was the beans but I have tried several brands from super markets and from private roasters and the result is the same. Alot of these beans I have used in the past with no problem. I have been hand feeding the beans instead of loading the bin. I was thinking the grinder blades were worn and that I would replace them? BTW we make 4 cups per day on the average except when we have visitors. Any suggestions?
My Sage Barista Pro grinder (bought 2nd hand) appears to have a worn grinder. I had to remove the endstop of the top part and set it to -5 to get near an espresso gind. I am now experimenting with shimming it . I tried a new top part and made no difference. I cannot get a new lower part. Also changed the felt washer.
Hi Charles, you don't need to shim the Barista pro, changing the internal adjustment does the same thing, it's basically an adjustable shim on a thread.
@@Coffee_Kev I adjusted it to 0 and still too coarse. I removed the end stop and at about -5 it started to grind fine enough. I can only assume the previous owner tried grinding concrete !
Hi Charles, so you changed the internal setting from 6, down to 5? This did the trick or you're still not able to grind fine enough? What kind of beans are you using, are they a light roast? Cheers, Kev.
I have Breville Barista Express and the grinder is not working. It keeps spinning but there was no grind beans falling. The beans just keep on jumping and still over the burr. Do I need to replace the upper burr?
Hi kev, brilliant video as always. My new impress machine grinds too finely with internal setting of 5. Even on 6 the external grind setting is set to 24! Thats with high quality beans roasted this week.
Thanks for this video. I thought I wasn't getting a good shot because my coffee was not ground enough. I've set my grinder back to '6' and I think the problem was that coffee was getting jammed in the machine because the blades were too tight. I've increased the pre-infusion time and my last shot ws delicious!
Still after 2+ years of owning my Smart Grinder and Bambino Plus combo I am finding I’m still on the coarse end of espresso. I’m usually at grind 16-18 depending on what bean my roaster sends me. I’ve used the same roaster for this time but anytime I try to go finer than 16 the bambino just clogs. Odd one.
@@Coffee_Kev Standard non-pressurised basket (it's a Barista Pro Portafilter as I like it over the Banbinos) The top Burr was standard at 6. It's an odd one as I do get decent results. 1 to 2 ratio and usually 25-30s manual.
I have a 54mm bottomless portafilter and I'm on internal six and outside is on (one fine) I still find I get a little bit of splashing. Do you think that changing the internal Burr to 5 will give me just that bit of a Finer coffee that it should stop splashing slightly from the bottomless portafilter..? Thanks 👍🏻 Great Vid 😎
Thanks Adam :-). Going to setting 5 should allow you to grind slightly finer, whether it'll stop the issue you're seeing in the shot, not sure, but only one way to find out 🙂. Cheers, Kev.
Sounds like you need to refine your tamping skills. perhaps. Just a thought as I have also been using a bottomless portafilter with a coffee distributor and a tamper and have hardly any random spraying.
I bought one of these about 7 months ago, and i didnt know about this my coffee was pouring waaaaayy to fast and when i configured the grind settings it needs 1! Wtf!? Haha
@@Coffee_Kev Yes, crazy, I actually just pulled it out to clean and dry, before trying a new bean, then when I started the grind it just started literally "screaming" like a sound a gear would make if all the teeth were stripped, although these are not visibly, and it has never worked again. I had to replace it. Breville said tough luck....user error....
@@Coffee_Kev By the way, that link only shows spare parts for main machines, Ihave the dual boiler with separate grinder. They do not offer parts for the grinder anywhere I can find, they made me purchase the whole thing again - dissaponted in Breville.
I have a Sage Barista Pro and it takes around 45 secs to grind 18g beans - machine is 2 months old. This can't be right can it? No issues with the extraction.
I have the same issue, not a problem but its a bit annoying to have to grind twice to get the full 18g. My machine is about a month old. Could this issue be limited to new machines? -I've seen other video of breville barista all in ones and they could grind 18g in about 18 seconds or so...
I Just got my Breville from goodwill for $12.99. I had no idea that they go for $200.00 until later. I'm truly happy with my small investment. It really does improve the flavor with a more even grind.
I recently purchased a new Sage SGP coffee grinder, but no matter what I try, the coffee grounds always turn out too coarse for my Sage Bambino Plus. Many others seem to have the same issue in the comments. I'm starting to wonder if Sage produces faulty grinders. The machine has 60 grind settings, with 1-18 designated for espresso. I select 1, the finest setting, but the grind is consistently too coarse (flow rate 1:4 in 28 seconds) for my fresh specialty beans. Adjusting the upper burr helped a bit but didn't solve the problem
Do you make sure when u install back the inner burr, the wire is properly placed & when install it back, you need to make sure you rotate until it has click sound. Apart from that, try vacuum it first before installing it back. It happened to me too before because of these 3 factors. Now, i'm happy with inner burr 3 & grind size 10 for my fresh bean.
I may well have changed it to 4 on an earlier video, I've done a lot more testing with this recently and I can't see any benefit in taking it finer than 5. Not that setting it lower will cause any problem, it just appears to be that going any finer than 5 (with brand new burrs) doesn't have any positive impact, it just appears to push the zero point further up the range.
Hi. I have owned the Sage smart grinder for 2-3 years, which I use for normal coffee. I recently purchased another from fleabay for decaff beans. The latest grinder is significantly louder during the grinding process than the older one. Both are set top the exact same settings. Old one is about 94dB and the recent purchase 100+dB. It grinds just fine but is incredibly noisy. Any thoughts on why or any adjustments I could make to resolve this? Thanks!
I had tried a number of beans from medium to dark roast, from 1 day from roasting to several weeks from roasting and could not get a shot where the pressure in my Breville Dual Boiler got above 3 barr. But if I used the same beans ground at my roaster's shop with their commercial grinder, shots were as expected...18 gms in 36 gms out in about 30 seconds with the extraction around 8 barr the entire time. I worked the internal setting all the way down to 3, and now my shots are as if this grinder is purpose built espresso grinder at an external setting of 5. Still way off the company's suggestion of starting at external setting around 14 with an internal setting of 6 for espresso, but it does work.
I took the grind to 5 internally and on the 1 setting, I still cannot get the machine dialled in. I am able to get a 22 second shot (18g) but only with a pressurised basket. I'm using good quality beans. So so confused. Where do I turn for help?
I jumped in with my new Sage machine and chose the same settings in your recent video and it was too fine to the point very little liquid came out. The dialled in setting was somewhere between that and the factory original. Thanks for the update.
To be honest the grinder in my oracle doesn’t seem to be able to produce consistent coffee. The dose is always up and down by 10% and I often get channelling. The only reason I put up with it is because we drink Americano which makes less impact on drink quality as long as I get the initial ratio around the right amount. I find as the beans dry out a little in the hopper it under extracts for example. It’s a constant hassle to keep it consistent
Hi Matt. The dose being up and down, this is just when you're adjusting the grind, or even when staying at the same grind setting? Some of the issues you're having may be to do with keeping beans in the hopper. See: ua-cam.com/video/EER3JYjEIto/v-deo.html
@@Coffee_Kev i don’t change the setting until it under extracts. But it can still vary by a gram. I do fill the hooper up because I’m lazy but we do get through the hopper quickly. Channeling might be the actual issue more than anything which seems just luck of the draw. I also smooth and tamp again which seems to help a little
I've had my grinder for 1 week, I set the burr setting to 3 and I set it to grind 05 and still my espresso is coming out in 12 seconds. I don't know if it's the pressurized filter or the old coffee. My machine is a compact oster.
If it's a pressurised basket shot time doesn't matter. I wouldn't recommend putting the internal setting as low as three, most will be fine at 5, with pressurised baskets you should be fine at the factory preset of 6 internal, and around 10 external. Ta, Kev
@@Coffee_Kev I was using 03 internally, I'm going to switch back to 6 then, but with pressurized it's impossible to make espresso then? Because it flows water very quickly, you make 50ml in 12 seconds, then subtract the coffee and it becomes acidic. Should I let more water flow? I already ordered a depressurized one, which configuration do you recommend for it?
Thank you very much. Recently purchased the Grinder Pro and have had this issue. After a while i realised that i can adjust the burr but wasn't sure how much adjustment, this answers that question, thank you.
my dose control is barely 2 months old, internal was at default (6) extrenal at lowest (0) - and it's just not fine enough (compared to my hand grinder). So i ignored Kev's suggestions and adjusted the internal to 4. Started external around 4 and went down to 0 and it's just still not fine enough....
moved internal to 3 and played around with external in the 1 range - but i think i hear metal clashing - its quite concerning and i don't want to wear the burrs out, well if that's what is happening??
ok upped it back to 5 internal, 3 external and increased the dose - and although it's not super fine (as in handgrinder's finest setting) it did fix the initial too fast run time, zero crema, and sourness issue. Conclusion: i'm a noob and shouldn't even comment here, but maybe there are others as dumb as me:)
@@xav_B What espresso machine are you using, what dose size are you grinding, dual or single wall basket, how dark a bean roast? Generally I'd set ext to 1 then adjust internal down fine enough to block your portafilter with some month old beans then work up bit by bit to set your finest grind point, but in general I find my dose control pro I have to go really, really low ever since I got it (to work well with a Bambino Plus). Other thing is, are you sure you're getting a consistent amount out of the grinder? It can retain a fair amount of grounds, meaning you can easily end up 0.5g-1g out either way. I just tried grinding 1g less than usual (17g rather than 18g), and that alone radically speeds up the flow rate for me. There's a grinder mod on Etsy by Fusedline that's expensive (replacement hopper, bellows & weight) but I can't recommend it enough, it almost totally removes one inconsistency at least.
Kev, I made this mistake and went lowest internal and lowest internal - can't seem to get super fine grind anymore. Will I need to get get a new internal adjuster or have I created more damage?
@@Coffee_Kev i'm in the same position. I've had a smart grinder pro for around 7 months (1st hand). I moved the actual burr hoop pin adjustment to 1 (of 10), pretty much from purchase, because i didn't feel i was getting a sufficiently fine grind (and wanted to have plenty of adjustment available via the 60 step setting knob). NOTE: tbh i can't remember the exact details of why i changed from 6/10 to 1 but do recall wanting to have more +/- in the 60 step to play with. I'm now finding that i'm having to edge finer and finer on the 30 step control to hit 1:2 in approx 30s extraction. Have i worn my burrs out? EDIT: i did your 'run on empty' burr audio test and can hear a drop in machine note around knob step 10 (of 60). This is reproducible. I've no idea when i should be hearing this change in note i.e. which step setting. Have i damaged or prematurely worn the burrs?
It's not that it can't, but lighter roasts can be a real challenge for any entry level espresso grinders, depending on the profile and also the bean, how pourous (or not) it is. Some high grown speciality coffee beans are rock hard, and a smart grinder pro for example (one of the newer machines, from the past couple of years, with a slipper clutch) will engage the clutch at finer grinds, as the torque required is just too much. On other grinders that don't have this failsafe, it could quite easily lead to stripped gears, so I'm not putting down the SGP for this, I just don't think it's the appropriate grinder for lighter roast speciality single origins especially if some of them will be less pourous, more dense, higher grown beans. Ta, Kev.
@@Coffee_Kev Hiya, are there any machines that you reccomend for this? I just got the SGP and we love single origin, light/medium roasts. I bought it just because we have the Sage duo temp machine and thought it would be a good idea to get a matching grinder for the machine! our SGP is second hand but allegedly only a couple of years old. tried it with medium roast beans from el salvador. heard lots of noise but nothing coming out the shute at all. Do you think it was in clutch the whole time?
I did the same and it seems fine. How are your pucks looking after tamping? I find a lot of times some more coffee will fall on top before I take it out and it looks messy. So I started to take it out after the first tamp, use the lever once without anything in it and tamp the puck a second time. not sure if my machine has a little defect or it is meant to be like that.
@@krankenkassenwechselfrist7838 I notice that it grinds more than 9 GM of beans. For single cup filter. When I use the razor and remove any excess it says under dosed. Say I grind. And machine shows over dosed. I remove the extra with razor. Then machine says under dosed. The gap in the puck must be same as the depth of the razor I thought.
Just got mine and could not pour anything close to a decent shot without adjusting the burr to 3, with the digital set to 2. This finally produced a somewhat decent shot
About a year in, had it on 4 internal an 1 external. At 2 i finally arrived at baldes touching. I guess it really depends on the machine
Yeah mine was not even close to being usable at first as well. I don't think the issue is the beans as I've used them for years on the last machine, no worries.
I've had a BBE for about 5 years now. Recently went from a 6 on the burr setting down to a 3, and now it's grinding almost too fine. Might take it back up to a 4.
Your jokes about Liking get me every time!
I got a Sage Dose control Pro last year, I started on internal 6 and external 0-2 at first and all was good. But over time (And regular daily grinding) the cheap metal burrs wear down with use so internal adjustment is required as you mentioned.
After hundreds of grinds I am now down to internal 4 /external 2 when brewing on the gaggia classic.
I think they are only £109 now which is pretty decent .
hmm - my Sage grinder had to be taken to 3 immediately. On 6, grind setting 10 (advice seems to be to start on between 9 and 12) was giving me a sub 20 second shot. I had to go to 4 before I even got to mid 20s. So to get it to the point where the grinder was giving results in line with the broadly recommended starting points of 9-12, I had to go to 3 having tried various settings in between. I did wonder if there was something wrong with the grinder (and I still do), but a quick google revealed this to be a common experience.
Honestly you just saved me getting another Grinder ! Thank you
In the user manual there is a page named “Adjusting conical burrs”, where it says it is to provide wider range, so that ideal extraction is done on some types of coffee. With my first try on my new Sage Barista Pro I went down to grind size 1 and still the total time was less than 20 seconds.
Hello Kev, I am so ready to get a Barista Express with your voucher but I have a quick question. By not adjusting internal burr is it possible to ground coffee coarse enough for pour over (v60) As v60 ask for finer coffee than french press do you think it is possible ? Thanks a lot
It does depend on how coarse you want to go, but generally speaking I'd say yeah, should work OK. Cheers, Kev.
Now you tell me!
On my Breville pro I'm down to 1 internally and 3 externally grind is s too coarse ( less than 12 months old 😢) any thoughts?
Thank you for video! I have tried many options for getting 1:2 ratio in 25-30 second with my ExpressImpress but not a chance. The only option made balance is internal setting from 6 to 3… if you have a time I will be happy for a video with more details!
DON'T DO THIS EITHER!!
After using my Grinder Pro for about 4 weeks (once per day) it stopped grinding, apparently because of 'wet' ground coffee.
I tried cleaning the burrs many times without success, so I contacted Sage and was told to read the instructions 🙄which tell you to use a hairdryer.
After trying this for less than a minute, the plastic top where the hopper sits melted!!!
To be fair to Sage, they replaced it and I am expecting a new one in the next couple of days, but if you do have to use a hairdryer do not have it too close, have the heat too high or use it for too long - the plastic is not heat tolerant!
I hope this is helpful to someone 🙂
Ooh! Were you getting the clicking noise when you tried to grind, is that why it was concluded that this was due to moisture? Were you using light roasted beans, by any chance? Cheers.
Hi @@Coffee_Kev I don't remember a clicking noise - the burrs were rotating, but there was no grinding going on. It was an espresso roast.
I'm on internal setting 1 with my SGP after 9 months of use. Out of the box it was on 6, but this meant that all grind settings within the espresso range were far too coarse, and the finest setting was still too coarse for some beans. I only use fresh beans too, so don't think that was a contributing factor. It just seems like each Breville grinder is different for some reason?
I have a Dose Control Pro and am on internal 3, external 5. I probably could get to internal 4 external 0/1, but wanted to avoid the faff and now have a bit of range to work with.
Even with both internal and external set to 1, I've had beans where that's not fine enough. Granted, they've been on the lighter roast side and are pretty dense beans, but still kinda crazy....
@@turkatronic I'm having this exact problem! My SGP is fresh out the box (in fact I returned one recently for not grinding fine enough straight out the box for espresso) and this replacement is the same. At internal 6 and external 1 it is still far too coarse to pull a shot. Am also using freshly roasted light - med (but still esp roast) beans, and to no avail. I kinda feel like I shouldn't have to adjust the burrs already, unless Sage have now made them so they'll be good out the box for older beans?
Very true, mine is 6 month and I am currently on 4 inner and 2 outter
I bought a 2 year old barista pro 2hand and I’m at internal 3 already and am down to 1 externally. So I should go to 2 internally but that doesn’t feel right ( hence I googled it and got to this video) I’m not sure what to do now.
I’m new to manually making espresso’s so not sure what I’m doing wrong.
I just know that the espressos go way to fast and don’t taste as nice. And it’s also pretty inconsistent
Any help? 😊
If what you said is true and the intention of the inner burr settings is to allow you to grind finer over time when there is wear and tear, then there is no need to have higher inner grind settings (i.e 6 and above) since there will be no use for that as grinder cannot become tighter over time 😮
It's the main intention for the finer part of the range, so I'm told. I've actually never heard of anyone finding a reason to use any of the higher settings, and I've no clue what they're for to be honest.
I've got breville Express impress and had to take mine internal burrs down to 3 so I could use lavazza caffe crema beans
You superstar ! Just got my new sage machine and watching your videos really helps! And wifey has just secretly ordered me some of the coffee beans you recommend
Keep up the great work and video’s
Ok, well explained. I’ll adjust it back then, grinder only a few weeks old…hardly used. Still learning to dial in an espresso ☕️
Great idea for a video... Those Sage grinders are very prolific.
Well some ppl do not have the Burr Grid adjustment, Like me! I have the Sage BES870UK as supposed to the Newer one BES875UK The BES870UK doesn't have this Adjustment
How long do burrs last… one year? I have a sage impress, family use heavily on weekend but just a few cups in the week
My sage smart grinder pro was 7 years old when I loaned it to someone (I don't think I'll get it back 😆 ) I'd used it a heck of a lot, and the burrs were absolutely fine.
Great channel. Got a set up with a sage smart grinder pro and isomac Venus. Have been enjoying lots of great coffee. Recently however changed my beans and took the chance to clean the grinder. When I come to pulling a shot find that the grind setting is making no difference to the coarseness. Previously was working with grind setting 9 and burr setting 6. Now even 1 is flying through in seconds. Any ideas? Have checked the top bur is in place. Could such a difference be down to the beans?
I've the opposite my internal grind setting is 6, yet my grind setting has to be at 24 in order to pull a good shot using cworks chocolate brownie blend. Sage barista touch
Brand new Barista Pro, now at inner 4 and machine 3, still not a very good shot, flow is way too fast. Tried with 3 types of beans already 🙄
Can you suggest a better burr as a replacement?
I'm pissed my burr was set to 6 but no matter how fine I adjusted the grind settings it extracted in 10 seconds. I had to adjust it to 2 so that it works. They should have calibrated the machine from the start.
I've had my barista express for a little under 5 years now and hadn't even considered droppping this setting. After a good clean I dropped my setting down and oh my days, smooth coffee is back on the menu boys!
Fantastic :-0
😊
Just received my Sage SGP brand new from Amazon UK. Could not get a fine enough grind for 1:2 ratio extraction in 25-30 sec until I adjusted the burrs internal setting to 4 from 6 and that is with grind size set to 1 on dial. I'm using Lavazza Crema E Aroma beans.
I use the same settings and it is spot on! I use fresh beans from a Costa Rican coffee farm 😍
I adjusted my brand new barista pro internal burr to 4. But was grinding at level 12-14 with decent espresso. Will I have done any damage? I’ve only had it for 3 weeks. I’ve now changed back up to internal setting of 5 at grind setting 8-10. Would you go back up to 6 or stay at 5? Cheers for the decent videos!
Would love to see how to clean and maintain grinders on sage machines!
Without a doubt one of the best videos on the Sage grinder adjustment, thank you!
Thanks :-)
I got my sage barista pro second hand and, after much struggle with dialling in (I confounded for every other possible factor - fresh beans, warming up the machine, manual extraction etc) I’ve had to change the internal grind to 1. Now I can extract espresso at a grind setting of ~10 whereas before I’d have to dial right down to 1 for all the other internal burr adjustments
Yeah this is really what the internal setting is for, for adjusting as the burrs wear.
I also got mine 2nd hand and have the exact issue. I have to set internal to finest and the outer one to 2 for espresso.
Also know the burrs are available online on the sage/breville sites if u need to replace it due to wear and tear
@@Coffee_Kev does the regular dose control have internal settings??
I have a refurbished Sage Barista Pro and I had a very similar experience and now struggling to get it fine enough. Will just replacing the external burrs improve or are there other things to try first?
I tried keeping it at 6 on my new machine, but couldn't for the life of me find a way to get a well-timed shot until I set it to 3 on the internal setting and the external set to 1. Any higher setting produced shots that were too fast and would rattail throughout, and taste sour.
I don't know what the tolerance is in the manufacturing process, but I've seen that most people's internal setting differs greatly. I'll bet that, beyond the longevity benefits, this setting exists to help mitigate errors induced by the manufacturing tolerance. Within the first couple of weeks I've had to set my internal setting to 3 as well, even with medium roasts. I can now say, about a year later, it grinds as consistently as when it was new.
I also can only just grind just fine enough or too coarse with my new Barista express’ built-in grinder. I have the internal burr on 1 and the wheel from about 7 to 1 depending on the beans. Wasted a bag of beans dialling in the burr from factory 6 setting.
Own a Barista Pro. Placed internal burr at 3. Outer burr at 6. I’m pulling great shots at this setting using a medium roasted bean. YMMV but I’ve had very good results
Tried internal factory setting of 6 and went down from there. 6 and 5 were just too course.
I had to add to this. I was wrong. I am wrong. Wanted to check this out so I reset my inner burr to factory setting of 6. My dial is set to 7 I pulled 2 consecutive shots and they actually tasted better than what I was previously brewing😂😂. I know my beans are good ( I buy them from 2 different roasters here in SF Bay Area.) Maybe my tamping was not right before? I don’t know.
Thanks Kev ! I am learning a lot from you and this channel.
I have a sage dose control pro, cannot say this matchs with my grinder. At 0 with the intal at 5 the shot pulls in 10 seconds but at 4 it pulls in around 25 to 30 with my indean monsoon melbar.
It could be that your burrs are slightly worn, going lower than 5 will make a difference with burrs that have seen some action. Cheers, Kev.
@@Coffee_Kev I only just got it. But take the point. Thanks.
Brand new
@@strikergamescallan hmm, interesting! Ta, Kev.
Paka
What's the story behind "coffee botherers"?
Just me being daft ;-). I was looking for a term to use to refer to my coffee loving friends, I don't like "coffee snobs", and none of the other terms "coffee geeks", "coffee nerds", etc., seemed right, so I came up with "coffee botherers".
Hello, I have a 875 device and unfortunately I have a big problem and the problem I have is that I set the internal mill settings to 1 and the external mill settings to 1 as well but I still can't do proper extraction. I mean the extraction that should be done with 18 grams of coffee and 36 grams of extract between 20 and 30 seconds is less than 20 seconds for me and I have to make the mill finer but there is no possibility of getting smaller and I even tried several models of coffee and it still didn't work and even my friend's device that is like me and we bought together also has the same problem
Hi. If you've set the internal and external to 1, you're probably grinding with the burrs locked together. I'd recommend setting the internal to 5, and start at about grind size 10, go from there. You're using the single wall baskets? What beans are you using? This video may be helpful: ua-cam.com/video/gnA467zUuDY/v-deo.html Ta, Kev.
@@Coffee_Kev I use a non-pressurized basket and 100% arabica coffee with a fresh roast and I bought my machine 3 months ago
@@Amateurbarista ok thanks. Try running your grinder empty from the most coarse to the finest setting and listen to the motor, do you hear it start to strain? If so, at what number? Cheers
I had to go one notch finer to get fine enough for most coffees or else I could only get 8 bars of pressure
I have a Gastroback 42612 that is about 9 years old. i really like it and would like to resolve the most recent problem. It jams a lot. When I say that I mean the clutch disengages when it grinds beans. At first, I thought it was the beans but I have tried several brands from super markets and from private roasters and the result is the same. Alot of these beans I have used in the past with no problem. I have been hand feeding the beans instead of loading the bin.
I was thinking the grinder blades were worn and that I would replace them? BTW we make 4 cups per day on the average except when we have visitors. Any suggestions?
My Sage Barista Pro grinder (bought 2nd hand) appears to have a worn grinder. I had to remove the endstop of the top part and set it to -5 to get near an espresso gind. I am now experimenting with shimming it . I tried a new top part and made no difference. I cannot get a new lower part. Also changed the felt washer.
Hi Charles, you don't need to shim the Barista pro, changing the internal adjustment does the same thing, it's basically an adjustable shim on a thread.
@@Coffee_Kev I adjusted it to 0 and still too coarse. I removed the end stop and at about -5 it started to grind fine enough. I can only assume the previous owner tried grinding concrete !
Hi Charles, so you changed the internal setting from 6, down to 5? This did the trick or you're still not able to grind fine enough? What kind of beans are you using, are they a light roast? Cheers, Kev.
@@Coffee_Kev no I changed it to minus 5. Or 5 past the end stop.
I have Breville Barista Express and the grinder is not working. It keeps spinning but there was no grind beans falling. The beans just keep on jumping and still over the burr. Do I need to replace the upper burr?
Hi kev, brilliant video as always. My new impress machine grinds too finely with internal setting of 5. Even on 6 the external grind setting is set to 24! Thats with high quality beans roasted this week.
Like others from new mine needed internal set at 3 and external at 2 to get any bean fine enough for 25 seconds plus
Thanks for this video. I thought I wasn't getting a good shot because my coffee was not ground enough. I've set my grinder back to '6' and I think the problem was that coffee was getting jammed in the machine because the blades were too tight. I've increased the pre-infusion time and my last shot ws delicious!
Fabulous :-)
Still after 2+ years of owning my Smart Grinder and Bambino Plus combo I am finding I’m still on the coarse end of espresso.
I’m usually at grind 16-18 depending on what bean my roaster sends me. I’ve used the same roaster for this time but anytime I try to go finer than 16 the bambino just clogs. Odd one.
Standard baskets? Have you looked on the top burr to see what the internal setting is set to? Ta, Kev.
@@Coffee_Kev Standard non-pressurised basket (it's a Barista Pro Portafilter as I like it over the Banbinos) The top Burr was standard at 6. It's an odd one as I do get decent results. 1 to 2 ratio and usually 25-30s manual.
I have a 54mm bottomless portafilter and I'm on internal six and outside is on (one fine) I still find I get a little bit of splashing. Do you think that changing the internal Burr to 5 will give me just that bit of a Finer coffee that it should stop splashing slightly from the bottomless portafilter..? Thanks 👍🏻 Great Vid 😎
Thanks Adam :-). Going to setting 5 should allow you to grind slightly finer, whether it'll stop the issue you're seeing in the shot, not sure, but only one way to find out 🙂. Cheers, Kev.
Sounds like you need to refine your tamping skills. perhaps. Just a thought as I have also been using a bottomless portafilter with a coffee distributor and a tamper and have hardly any random spraying.
I bought one of these about 7 months ago, and i didnt know about this my coffee was pouring waaaaayy to fast and when i configured the grind settings it needs 1! Wtf!? Haha
Mine simply broke removing the grinding wheel to clean and putting it back in, what a pos.
Wow I've never heard of that happening, where which part broke? If it's out of warranty you can get them here: coffeeclassics.co.uk/parts/
@@Coffee_Kev Yes, crazy, I actually just pulled it out to clean and dry, before trying a new bean, then when I started the grind it just started literally "screaming" like a sound a gear would make if all the teeth were stripped, although these are not visibly, and it has never worked again. I had to replace it. Breville said tough luck....user error....
@@Coffee_Kev By the way, that link only shows spare parts for main machines, Ihave the dual boiler with separate grinder. They do not offer parts for the grinder anywhere I can find, they made me purchase the whole thing again - dissaponted in Breville.
I have a Sage Barista Pro and it takes around 45 secs to grind 18g beans - machine is 2 months old. This can't be right can it? No issues with the extraction.
I have the same issue, not a problem but its a bit annoying to have to grind twice to get the full 18g. My machine is about a month old. Could this issue be limited to new machines? -I've seen other video of breville barista all in ones and they could grind 18g in about 18 seconds or so...
Takes about 14 seconds on my new machine.
Bough a refurb unit from ebay and even at 1 internal and 1 external its not reached the zero point. Experimenting with shims is next.
I Just got my Breville from goodwill for $12.99. I had no idea that they go for $200.00 until later. I'm truly happy with my small investment. It really does improve the flavor with a more even grind.
I have adjusted the internal burr to 1 and the external to 1 and still my shots are too fast..
thankyou i am about to buy. one and my first task was going to be to adjust the inner grind like i have seen others do. now i won't.
GREAT advice on this video By the way. I'm glad to know it's only for normal wear. Doubt I'll ever use it.
I recently purchased a new Sage SGP coffee grinder, but no matter what I try, the coffee grounds always turn out too coarse for my Sage Bambino Plus. Many others seem to have the same issue in the comments. I'm starting to wonder if Sage produces faulty grinders. The machine has 60 grind settings, with 1-18 designated for espresso. I select 1, the finest setting, but the grind is consistently too coarse (flow rate 1:4 in 28 seconds) for my fresh specialty beans. Adjusting the upper burr helped a bit but didn't solve the problem
Do you make sure when u install back the inner burr, the wire is properly placed & when install it back, you need to make sure you rotate until it has click sound.
Apart from that, try vacuum it first before installing it back. It happened to me too before because of these 3 factors.
Now, i'm happy with inner burr 3 & grind size 10 for my fresh bean.
Nice, that takes off my worries of having had to go finer and finer over the years
Just got my new breville express impress and when I press dose it turns off after few seconds can’t figure it out please help
You said on an earlier video to set it to 4??
I may well have changed it to 4 on an earlier video, I've done a lot more testing with this recently and I can't see any benefit in taking it finer than 5. Not that setting it lower will cause any problem, it just appears to be that going any finer than 5 (with brand new burrs) doesn't have any positive impact, it just appears to push the zero point further up the range.
On my Barista Express Impress I set the internal setting to 4 and that works great in combo with an external setting of 6 for the beans I use.
my barista express is for some reason incapable of grinding fine enough, external and internal grind settings are at their finest possible settings.
I think £25 for a replacement upper burr is better option for me
Balls, I changed this setting as per your first video on the express impress
Hi. I have owned the Sage smart grinder for 2-3 years, which I use for normal coffee. I recently purchased another from fleabay for decaff beans. The latest grinder is significantly louder during the grinding process than the older one. Both are set top the exact same settings. Old one is about 94dB and the recent purchase 100+dB. It grinds just fine but is incredibly noisy. Any thoughts on why or any adjustments I could make to resolve this? Thanks!
What version did you get. The new pros and touch are with baratza knives.
Hi, can I use my Barista Pro to grind beans for regular filter brew coffee? If so, do you have to change internal settings a lot to achieve this?
I had tried a number of beans from medium to dark roast, from 1 day from roasting to several weeks from roasting and could not get a shot where the pressure in my Breville Dual Boiler got above 3 barr. But if I used the same beans ground at my roaster's shop with their commercial grinder, shots were as expected...18 gms in 36 gms out in about 30 seconds with the extraction around 8 barr the entire time. I worked the internal setting all the way down to 3, and now my shots are as if this grinder is purpose built espresso grinder at an external setting of 5. Still way off the company's suggestion of starting at external setting around 14 with an internal setting of 6 for espresso, but it does work.
PS Thank you also for the free bag of coffee with recent 1kg order, very kind of you, great service also, arrived in 2 days from ordering.
I took the grind to 5 internally and on the 1 setting, I still cannot get the machine dialled in. I am able to get a 22 second shot (18g) but only with a pressurised basket. I'm using good quality beans. So so confused. Where do I turn for help?
hey have gotten this problem solved? :)
I jumped in with my new Sage machine and chose the same settings in your recent video and it was too fine to the point very little liquid came out. The dialled in setting was somewhere between that and the factory original. Thanks for the update.
Any hack for the Wilfa svarn?
To be honest the grinder in my oracle doesn’t seem to be able to produce consistent coffee. The dose is always up and down by 10% and I often get channelling. The only reason I put up with it is because we drink Americano which makes less impact on drink quality as long as I get the initial ratio around the right amount. I find as the beans dry out a little in the hopper it under extracts for example. It’s a constant hassle to keep it consistent
Hi Matt. The dose being up and down, this is just when you're adjusting the grind, or even when staying at the same grind setting? Some of the issues you're having may be to do with keeping beans in the hopper. See: ua-cam.com/video/EER3JYjEIto/v-deo.html
@@Coffee_Kev i don’t change the setting until it under extracts. But it can still vary by a gram. I do fill the hooper up because I’m lazy but we do get through the hopper quickly. Channeling might be the actual issue more than anything which seems just luck of the draw. I also smooth and tamp again which seems to help a little
More effect and just brought the coffee and the machines is awesome.
I've had my grinder for 1 week, I set the burr setting to 3 and I set it to grind 05 and still my espresso is coming out in 12 seconds. I don't know if it's the pressurized filter or the old coffee. My machine is a compact oster.
If it's a pressurised basket shot time doesn't matter. I wouldn't recommend putting the internal setting as low as three, most will be fine at 5, with pressurised baskets you should be fine at the factory preset of 6 internal, and around 10 external. Ta, Kev
@@Coffee_Kev I was using 03 internally, I'm going to switch back to 6 then, but with pressurized it's impossible to make espresso then? Because it flows water very quickly, you make 50ml in 12 seconds, then subtract the coffee and it becomes acidic. Should I let more water flow? I already ordered a depressurized one, which configuration do you recommend for it?
Thank you very much. Recently purchased the Grinder Pro and have had this issue. After a while i realised that i can adjust the burr but wasn't sure how much adjustment, this answers that question, thank you.
Just got myself a breville impress, what grind setting would you suggest?
Hi Jonny, please see my series on the Impress:ua-cam.com/video/DQiRzgV-3gc/v-deo.html&pp=gAQBiAQB
Happy viewing
Cheers
Kev
my dose control is barely 2 months old, internal was at default (6) extrenal at lowest (0) - and it's just not fine enough (compared to my hand grinder). So i ignored Kev's suggestions and adjusted the internal to 4. Started external around 4 and went down to 0 and it's just still not fine enough....
moved internal to 3 and played around with external in the 1 range - but i think i hear metal clashing - its quite concerning and i don't want to wear the burrs out, well if that's what is happening??
ok upped it back to 5 internal, 3 external and increased the dose - and although it's not super fine (as in handgrinder's finest setting) it did fix the initial too fast run time, zero crema, and sourness issue. Conclusion: i'm a noob and shouldn't even comment here, but maybe there are others as dumb as me:)
@@xav_B What espresso machine are you using, what dose size are you grinding, dual or single wall basket, how dark a bean roast? Generally I'd set ext to 1 then adjust internal down fine enough to block your portafilter with some month old beans then work up bit by bit to set your finest grind point, but in general I find my dose control pro I have to go really, really low ever since I got it (to work well with a Bambino Plus). Other thing is, are you sure you're getting a consistent amount out of the grinder? It can retain a fair amount of grounds, meaning you can easily end up 0.5g-1g out either way. I just tried grinding 1g less than usual (17g rather than 18g), and that alone radically speeds up the flow rate for me. There's a grinder mod on Etsy by Fusedline that's expensive (replacement hopper, bellows & weight) but I can't recommend it enough, it almost totally removes one inconsistency at least.
Kev, I made this mistake and went lowest internal and lowest internal - can't seem to get super fine grind anymore. Will I need to get get a new internal adjuster or have I created more damage?
Hi, drop me an email
kev@coffeeblog.co.uk
and I will try and help you,
Cheers
Kev
@@Coffee_Kev i'm in the same position. I've had a smart grinder pro for around 7 months (1st hand). I moved the actual burr hoop pin adjustment to 1 (of 10), pretty much from purchase, because i didn't feel i was getting a sufficiently fine grind (and wanted to have plenty of adjustment available via the 60 step setting knob).
NOTE: tbh i can't remember the exact details of why i changed from 6/10 to 1 but do recall wanting to have more +/- in the 60 step to play with.
I'm now finding that i'm having to edge finer and finer on the 30 step control to hit 1:2 in approx 30s extraction. Have i worn my burrs out? EDIT: i did your 'run on empty' burr audio test and can hear a drop in machine note around knob step 10 (of 60). This is reproducible.
I've no idea when i should be hearing this change in note i.e. which step setting. Have i damaged or prematurely worn the burrs?
Now you tell me 😂
Bought my sage with your discount it’s great I did as u said do one cup at a time
No need to alter number 11 is perfect
Thank you yet a again
Hi Barry,
Thanks for the update :-)
Cheers
Kev
So can the grinder pro do light or specialty espresso grind?
It's not that it can't, but lighter roasts can be a real challenge for any entry level espresso grinders, depending on the profile and also the bean, how pourous (or not) it is. Some high grown speciality coffee beans are rock hard, and a smart grinder pro for example (one of the newer machines, from the past couple of years, with a slipper clutch) will engage the clutch at finer grinds, as the torque required is just too much. On other grinders that don't have this failsafe, it could quite easily lead to stripped gears, so I'm not putting down the SGP for this, I just don't think it's the appropriate grinder for lighter roast speciality single origins especially if some of them will be less pourous, more dense, higher grown beans. Ta, Kev.
@@Coffee_Kev Hiya, are there any machines that you reccomend for this? I just got the SGP and we love single origin, light/medium roasts. I bought it just because we have the Sage duo temp machine and thought it would be a good idea to get a matching grinder for the machine!
our SGP is second hand but allegedly only a couple of years old. tried it with medium roast beans from el salvador. heard lots of noise but nothing coming out the shute at all. Do you think it was in clutch the whole time?
Fantastic video and content, well done mate 🎉
Thanks :-)
Really informative thank you 😊
Thanks :-)
I got express impress and changed the grind setting to 4 as per your earlier video. Should I now change it back to 5? Or even 6?
Don't worry about it, if it's working for you at 4, that's great.
I did the same and it seems fine. How are your pucks looking after tamping? I find a lot of times some more coffee will fall on top before I take it out and it looks messy. So I started to take it out after the first tamp, use the lever once without anything in it and tamp the puck a second time. not sure if my machine has a little defect or it is meant to be like that.
@@krankenkassenwechselfrist7838 I notice that it grinds more than 9 GM of beans. For single cup filter. When I use the razor and remove any excess it says under dosed. Say I grind. And machine shows over dosed. I remove the extra with razor. Then machine says under dosed. The gap in the puck must be same as the depth of the razor I thought.