Heard someone at the shop say their espresso shots taste the same with any grind setting

I was grabbing beans at my local roaster last week and overheard a guy telling the barista he just uses the pre-ground stuff from the grocery aisle because he can't tell the difference when he adjusts his burr grinder. It made me stop and think about how I used to be exactly like that until I burned through a bag of single origin Ethiopian beans by grinding way too coarse and got a sour, watery mess. That one bad cup pushed me to actually dial in my grind size shot by shot, tracking each change in a little notebook I keep by my machine. Now I can spot a two click difference on my Baratza Encore just by the way the crema looks and how fast the first drops hit. It's not about being snobby, it's more about realizing how much flavor you leave on the table when you skip that tiny bit of effort. Has anyone else had that moment where a single bad cup made you rethink your whole routine?

2 comments

2 Comments

hannahw301mo agoMost Upvoted

Oh man, that's so true... that sour Ethiopian cup is exactly what got me too.

eva9081mo ago

Ngl I was one of those people who swore up and down that grind size didn't matter. I had this old Blade grinder I'd just buzz some beans in for like 10 seconds and call it good. Then my buddy brought over some fresh roasted stuff from a shop downtown, ground it properly on his Encore, and pulled a shot that tasted like berries and chocolate. I was legit mad that my lazy routine had been cheating me out of that flavor for months. Now I'm the dude with the little notebook and a scale, measuring out 18.5 grams every single time.