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DF64 Grinder - keep needing to grind finer..

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  • DF64 Grinder - keep needing to grind finer..

    Hi all,

    I've had my DF64 grinder for over a year now, with just home use where I would usually make 1 coffee a day.
    However, the last couple of months, I have noticed that with the beans I usually buy, I have had to set the setting finer and finer. It is almost at the point where I cannot make it any finer or it will go past the zero point.

    Is this a sign that my burrs are worn out?

    I haven't done much maintenance to my DF64 to be honest, besides the occasional brushing off of old grounds from the burr surface.

    If I am at the point I need replacement burrs, what would be the most suitable replacement, given I use my grinder for both espresso and filter?

    Thanks!!

  • #2
    I should mention also that, even with the finer and finer settings, I'm still pulling espresso shots much faster.
    For example, I usually grind 18g for 25-30seconds and get 40g yield.
    Now, it only takes around 20seconds max to get the same 40g yield.


    Comment


    • #3
      It would be unlikely you would wear burrs out in 1 year, it is more likely something else causing your issues.

      Have you pulled apart the top burr assembly to have a look? If you haven't this is pretty simple (I have pulled mine apart a few times to clean and change burrs) and it would be worth pulling apart and cleaning/vacuuming out any grinds. I think you just remove the marker ring if you have one and turn the top assembly counter clockwise until the top burr carrier comes off.

      The other possibility is your roaster or source have beans might be stale etc. Stale beans can be hard/impossible to tune in.

      Comment


      • #4
        Have you manually set your zero point - as opposed to going off the "bean" zero mark on the grinder? My zero point is past the marked zero point on the grinder and every grinder is slightly different. See this video on how to set it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJp7mtjZ2dw.

        Another thing to check is whether you are grinding too fine resulting in serious channelling - this can result in faster pours but usually only happens with older beans. Maybe try 5 shots at different, stepped grind settings to make sure pour times are moving in the expected direction.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by roosterben View Post
          The other possibility is your roaster or source have beans might be stale etc. Stale beans can be hard/impossible to tune in.
          +1 for this.
          Make sure you're starting with known fresh coffee when troubleshooting a grinder else you'll chase your tail

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by roosterben View Post
            The other possibility is your roaster or source have beans might be stale etc. Stale beans can be hard/impossible to tune in.
            I'll add that you can't assume beans bought from a roaster are fresh, especially at this time of year. Beans roasted in early Dec can still be sitting on the shelf in early Jan due to drop in sales and staff taking leave this of year, resulting in less roasting, etc.

            I had an experience buying beans from a reputable roaster around this time of year and when I got them home, they were obviously stale. Next time I went in, I told the staff there about the stale beans and lamented the fact they didn't put the roast date on the packaging like some other roasters do. I got an earful from the boss (Atilio) about how he didn't need to put the roast date on and that their beans are always fresh. Needles to say I never bought beans from there again - this was about 10 years ago.

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by roosterben View Post
              It would be unlikely you would wear burrs out in 1 year, it is more likely something else causing your issues.

              Have you pulled apart the top burr assembly to have a look? If you haven't this is pretty simple (I have pulled mine apart a few times to clean and change burrs) and it would be worth pulling apart and cleaning/vacuuming out any grinds. I think you just remove the marker ring if you have one and turn the top assembly counter clockwise until the top burr carrier comes off.

              The other possibility is your roaster or source have beans might be stale etc. Stale beans can be hard/impossible to tune in.
              Yeah today I took the top burr assembly out and thoroughly cleaned out old grounds. I re-aligned the springs with the silicone sleeves, and I also did the marker pen test (but im still not sure what exactly I'm looking for here?).

              The shot is tasty (to me), but they are still grinding very fine and the shot running quicker than normal (20 seconds vs 25-30seconds).

              I will get a new bag of beans, but I am pretty sure the beans are not the issue.

              Comment


              • #8
                Is it possible that I've moved the assembly (rotated) the last time I took it apart when cleaning, thus throwing the alignment out?
                I've now put a mark on the north point, and will try rotate it clockwise and pull a shot to see if it's any better

                Comment


                • WhatEverBeansNecessary
                  WhatEverBeansNecessary commented
                  Editing a comment
                  Quite possibly. But unless your alignment is absolutely horrid it's likely to be pretty minimal. Marker test will tell you if it's okay or really bad.

                  I'd give everything a good clean out. Get super fresh beans (less than a month from roast date).
                  See if that makes a difference.

              • #9
                It could be something as simple as burr seasoning causing particle distribution to drift coarser as the the burrs break in. https://coffeeadastra.com/2019/05/27...ind-quality-2/

                Comment


                • #10
                  Originally posted by NonSmocha View Post
                  It could be something as simple as burr seasoning causing particle distribution to drift coarser as the the burrs break in. https://coffeeadastra.com/2019/05/27...ind-quality-2/
                  But I've had the grinder for over a year, and the issue only started a couple months ago..

                  Comment


                  • #11
                    Are you on stock burrs or ssp burrs? I have a df64 with ssp burrs and the zero point is an extra quarter of a turn from the printed zero. Try calibrating your zero point by turning it clockwise all the way (make sure your machine is off) and see if it matches with the printed zero mark.
                    As others have mentioned it could be a beans problem, what type of beans and how old are the beans you're using?
                    Another thing I could think off is retention, if you haven't modded your df64 and it's still using the silicone declumper you could have quite a bit of grounds stuck there, have you measured your input and output?

                    Hope this helps.

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