Too sour or sharp?
FINER
Baratza Encore: one setting lower.
Going finer may help a sour, sharp cup taste sweeter and more balanced. If you preferred the last brew, go one setting coarser—a higher number on the Encore.
How to Dial In Your Coffee Grinder: A Beginner’s Guide
A beginner’s guide · Pour-over / Drip coffee
How to dial in your coffee grinder.
Get to know your grinder. Find what tastes good to you.
Think about your last cup. Try one small change for your next.
Too bitter or drying?
COARSER ↑
Baratza Encore: one setting higher.
Drying means your mouth feels dry after a sip. Going coarser may soften the harshness.
Change only your grind. Same coffee, same roast date, same coffee and water amounts, same water temperature and pouring method.
Adjust one small grind setting per brew, then taste again. Not better? Return to your previous setting.
Tastes good to you? Stay there. These are starting suggestions for pour-over and drip coffee, not rules for every cup.
01 / Keep a recipe
Start with a scale.
Our bold starting point · 1:13
30 g coffee + 390 g water
Prefer a lighter cup? Try 30 g coffee + 510 g water (1:17). Pick a recipe and stick with it through the grind-adjusting step.
Weigh both coffee and water. Scoops make it harder to repeat your recipe—and to tell what your grind adjustment changed.
02 / Learn the direction
Your grinder. Your taste.
We’re using the standard Baratza Encore as our example, starting near a suitable pour-over or drip setting. Smaller numbers mean finer grounds; larger numbers mean coarser grounds.
Different grinder? Check which direction makes your grind finer or coarser. The numbers won’t necessarily match, including on the Encore ESP.
Have enough of the same coffee from the same roast date for several brews. Jot down your setting, what you tasted and whether you liked it more.
Don’t be scared to play.
The goal is to learn what your adjustments do, then take that knowledge to your next brew.
Taste again as the brew cools. You don’t have to love every brew to learn something from it—or appreciate certain characteristics.
It may take a little practice, but you’ll find your rhythm. Get to know your grinder, trust your taste, and eventually you won’t need this guide anymore.
Pass this guide along to someone else who’s just getting started.