Finally got the grind right on my old hand grinder after a week of sour shots

This past week was a real struggle with my morning coffee. I have this little hand grinder I got from a shop in Asheville about two years ago, and I could not get a good shot from it. Every espresso was just sour and thin, no matter what I tried. I was about to give up and just use my regular machine. But yesterday, I decided to go one click finer than I ever had before, and it was like a totally different drink. The shot pulled for about 28 seconds and came out with this nice, dark crema and a rich taste (no sour bite at all). It made my whole morning better, honestly. Has anyone else had a 'one click' moment that fixed everything with their setup?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_brooke2mo ago

My buddy had a saga like @river_wright, but his machine was just filthy.

pipergonzalez21d ago

You said his buddy's machine was "just filthy," but that's usually not the whole story. A dirty machine can definitely cause issues, but it's rarely the only problem unless we're talking about like a solid inch of crust. I'd bet his buddy also had a grinder or technique issue hiding in there too. Filthy just masks the real problem sometimes, you know?

river_wright2mo ago

Oh man, one click? I wish my problems were that simple. I spent like three months chasing sour shots, adjusting everything but the grind. I even blamed my water. Turns out my tamp was just wildly uneven, like a toddler did it. I was basically making coffee soup on one side of the basket. Felt like a real genius when I finally figured that out.