Unpopular opinion: The 'perfect' grind setting is a moving target

I keep seeing people online act like there's one magic number on their grinder for each brew method. They'll say 'use 18 for V60' like it's a law. I spent three months dialing in a new bag of Ethiopian beans from a roaster in Portland, and what worked on day three was way off by day ten. The beans degas, the humidity in my kitchen changes, even the water from my tap seems different after it rains. I was getting sour, weak cups chasing that 'perfect' setting I wrote down, until I started adjusting a tiny bit every morning based on the shot time or draw down. It's not about finding the right number, it's about reading the coffee in front of you. How do you all deal with this without wasting half the bag?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_kim2mo ago

My grinder's favorite number is "a little finer than yesterday.

jamie_carter872mo ago

Oh man, that's the eternal struggle right there. I swear I spend more time chasing that tiny change than actually making coffee. It feels like you finally get it perfect, and then the next morning it's like the beans are a whole different thing. You just want one good, repeatable number.

-1

willowh202mo ago

Lost a whole bag dialing in my grinder once.