Listen while you dial in
Use a fine starting grind for espresso, a setting suited to your filter recipe for AeroPress, V60, drip or Chemex, and coarse coffee for a Bodum French press. A coffee grind size chart helps you choose where to begin. The useful final setting depends on your grinder, beans and complete brewing recipe.
If a recipe gives a number from another grinder, find a starting point for your own model before brewing. “25” on one dial cannot tell you where to set another. Below, the original Baratza Encore ESP provides a documented six-method example, followed by a way to adjust and save your own settings.
Cover photography: Nathan Dumlao, CC0.
Starting grind by brewing method
Begin with your grinder’s guide for the brewing method, then check the brewer’s instructions. Espresso and filter brewing can use different parts of the same dial. A brewing recipe can narrow that starting point further by specifying the coffee dose, water, filter and pouring method.
| Brewing method | Where to begin | Original Encore ESP starting setting | Recipe check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Espresso | The grinder’s fine espresso range | 15 | Baratza’s example assumes medium roast and an 18 g dose. |
| AeroPress | The setting specified by the chosen AeroPress recipe | 22 | Keep the recipe’s dose, water and brewing sequence together. |
| Hario V60 | A pour-over starting point | 25 | Match the filter, dose and pouring method to the recipe. |
| Automatic drip brewer | A starting point for that brewer and batch size | 28 | Use the brewer’s instructions and the intended coffee dose. |
| Chemex | A starting point for a Chemex recipe | 30 | Keep the filter and pouring sequence consistent. |
| French press | Coarse coffee when following Bodum’s manual | 32 | Follow the press’s instructions; never force a resistant plunger. |
The numbers come from the original Encore ESP owner manual, pages 5–6. Baratza puts espresso in settings 1–20 and filter brewing in settings 21–40. The espresso range has finer adjustment steps. Treat the six listed settings as starting points; the manual says your recipe and taste may call for a finer or coarser setting.
These numbers apply to the original Encore ESP described in the January 2023 manual. Check separate instructions for an original Encore, an Encore ESP Pro or a different grinder. The dial numbers also do not specify a measured particle size in microns.
For a Bodum French press, Bodum’s instructions require coarse coffee. Fine coffee can clog the filter and create high pressure. Press slowly with light pressure, and stop if the plunger resists. That safety instruction takes priority over a recipe recommending a finer grind.
For the brewing differences behind the two pour-over entries, see our Chemex versus V60 comparison. Their filters and recipes need to be considered alongside the grind.
Why grinder numbers do not transfer
Use a grind number with the grinder model and setup it belongs to. A recipe’s dial setting, click count or burr version describes the author’s equipment. Copying the number alone leaves you without a reliable starting point on a different grinder.
In a pour-over discussion, Ode Gen 1 owner zetuss asked how to follow recipes quoting Comandante clicks, Niche settings or an Ode with SSP burrs. The question is familiar when you change grinders: you still have the recipe, but you need to establish a setting for your equipment.
Start with your grinder’s recommendation for the same brewer. Preserve the recipe’s other instructions, make a first brew and record what happens. If a chart offers a cross-model conversion, use it cautiously as a trial starting point. Confirm which grinder generation and burr setup the entry describes before relying on it.
Descriptions such as “salt-like” also need context. Stumptown’s V60 recipe specifies coffee about as fine as kosher salt alongside 21 g of coffee, 360 g of water and a brew finishing at about three minutes. That texture description belongs to the complete recipe. It does not provide a micron measurement or a conversion for every grinder.
A click’s stated mechanical movement should not be multiplied into a claimed coffee particle size without evidence for that relationship. Use the manufacturer’s scale and a brewing comparison you can repeat. If you are choosing equipment, our manual versus electric grinder guide covers the daily work involved in each choice.
Grind adjustment within one complete recipe
Choose one recipe for the brewer you use, make a baseline brew, then change only the grind. Keep the beans, coffee dose, water amount, filter, temperature setting and pouring or stirring method steady. You can then compare the grind change with the result in the cup.
- Make the recipe once. Write down your grinder setting and the recipe quantities. Note the brew time and any interruption, such as stalled drainage or a difficult plunge.
- Check whether you followed the recipe. Confirm the dose, water, filter and sequence before trying to solve every difference with grind. A change in pouring or stirring can make two brews difficult to compare.
- Try a small grind adjustment. Stay within the brewer’s requirements and follow the grinder’s instructions for moving the dial. Record whether you went finer or coarser.
- Compare at a similar drinking temperature. Note what improved, what became less pleasant and whether the brewing behavior changed. Keep the setting you prefer or return to the previous one.
- Repeat only while the comparison is useful. If neither direction helps, return to the baseline and review the beans and recipe before changing another variable.
For the original Encore ESP, Baratza says to change the grind setting while the grinder is running or completely empty of beans. Follow that model-specific instruction when using this grinder. Other grinders may require a different adjustment procedure.
Use taste and brewing behavior together. A sour or bitter description alone cannot confirm the cause of a disappointing cup. A target brew time is also part of the recipe; matching it does not prove that you will like the coffee. Keep the result that tastes better within a safe brewing procedure.
If you switch to an immersion brewer, start again with its instructions. Our Moka pot versus French press guide covers how those methods differ. Avoid carrying an espresso or pour-over setting into another brewer without checking its requirements.
Whole Latte Love’s short video covers choosing a grind setting for a brewing method. Use your own grinder and brewer manuals for the specific settings and operating steps.
Watch Whole Latte Love’s grind-setting video on YouTube.
Settings worth saving
Save the grinder number with the recipe and the result you liked. A note that says only “V60, 25” leaves out the coffee, dose and water needed to repeat the brew. Keep a short record for each brewing method rather than treating one setting as permanent.
In a notebook or phone note, record the grinder model and burr version if relevant, the setting, the coffee, dose and water. Add the filter, pouring or stirring sequence, brew time and a few plain words about taste. “Sweeter than the previous brew” or “drainage stopped near the end” is more useful than an unexplained score.
Recheck the setting after changing beans, the recipe or the grinder setup. Keep the previous successful record so you can return to it. When a new recipe is disappointing, compare what changed before moving the dial repeatedly.
Grind size questions
Can one grind setting work for every brewing method?
Use the starting point for each method. The original Encore ESP manual lists different starting settings for espresso, AeroPress, V60, automatic brewing, Chemex and French press. Check the brewer’s requirements as well, especially where its instructions limit the grind you can safely use.
Should I copy the numbers in this chart onto another grinder?
No. The numbers are from the original Encore ESP manual. Use your grinder’s corresponding recommendation, then adjust within a complete recipe. An original Encore, Encore ESP Pro or another grinder needs its own instructions, even if the dial has similar numbers.
Does a finer grind always make better coffee?
A finer setting does not guarantee a better cup. Baratza’s starting-point guidance allows either finer or coarser adjustments according to the recipe and taste. Keep the brewing procedure within the brewer’s instructions, compare one change at a time and keep the result you prefer.
What should I do if my French press is hard to plunge?
Stop pushing. Bodum’s manual warns that fine coffee can clog the filter and create high pressure, and calls for coarse coffee with slow, light pressure. Follow the instructions for your specific press before using it again; never force a resistant plunger.