How to Adjust Hario Coffee Grinder Settings - Mazzer Grinder Coarseness Adjustment Guide

Hario Grinder Adjustment Guide

Forty percent of visitors to our site come searching for information about Hario grinders, with most wanting to know how to adjust the settings. I've created this simple comparison to help those considering purchasing this machine understand what to expect.

Test Subject

Today's test subject: FrontStreet Coffee's specialty espresso blend beans.

Adjustment Process

First, remove the grinder handle, leaving only the bottom gear.

Adjust the gear height, then place the pawl back on.

Once the handle is reinstalled, you can start grinding beans.

Counting carefully, I found this gear has eight settings with a significant adjustment range. However, at the highest setting, beans can fall through, which isn't practical. Therefore, I tested only five settings starting from the lowest point.

Testing Results

Unroasted beans.

Five groups of ground beans.

At the lowest setting, the gap is extremely narrow, making it nearly impossible to grind beans. It feels like peeling coffee beans rather than grinding them. I gave up after a few attempts, but you can see the resulting powder is very fine. Those with patience might want to try this setting.

Grind Settings Comparison

Lowest setting plus one click:

Lowest setting plus two clicks: The particles begin to become coarser.

Lowest setting plus three clicks:

Lowest setting plus four clicks: The beans are crushed to approximately quarter-sized pieces.

I couldn't find suitable reference markers, so these photos don't include scale indicators, but you should still be able to discern the differences in powder coarseness. The gear pawl design allows for fine adjustments with 1/6 click precision. Using a siphon brewer, I typically grind at the lowest setting plus 1 2/3 clicks. Most manual grinders work on similar principles. Everyone can adjust the settings based on their brewing method and taste preferences. The Espresso Roast I tested this time is a blend with rich fruit notes. Initially, there's a distinct earthy flavor, but the aftertaste on the tongue is pleasantly sweet, which I quite enjoyed.

Additional Factors Affecting Grind Settings

How to adjust Hario grinder grind settings - Mazzer grinder coarse/fine adjustment.

Humidity factors don't just affect performance on rainy versus sunny days; different times throughout the day also require consideration. Generally, morning and evening humidity is higher than at noon. Therefore, considering humidity effects, you should use coarser settings in the morning and evening, and finer settings at midday.

Many other factors affect grind settings, including coffee bean roast level (although espresso beans should use darker roasts, different roast levels might be used for blend beans to pursue richer flavors), blend formulations, and more. What I've described above are the most common basic factors that baristas can control. The previous sections all assume understanding good espresso flavor (see my blog post on espresso tasting) and adjusting basic factors in the brewing process to achieve that flavor standard. There's much about the espresso world we don't fully understand, and we're happy to explore this fascinating coffee world with everyone.

Therefore, my final suggestion is: with fixed beans, first determine the dose amount, then find the appropriate grind size, and then use a relatively consistent pressure to find the right feel - this approach should yield the best results.

Remember that settings are just reference points. Different brands and different grinders have different settings. Even grinders of the same brand and model won't perform identically at the same settings. It's better to understand this: settings only tell you which direction is coarser and which is finer. The setting's purpose only becomes slightly meaningful when you've found the grind size that suits you. This applies only to your specific grinder, with unchanged beans, unchanged dose amount, and unchanged tamping pressure.

Remember a useful tip: when you find the right grind size, occasionally pinch and rub it between your fingers. Use your body to perceive this coarseness and remember it as much as possible. This way, even if you change grinders, you won't need to rely solely on settings. If you can feel it's obviously coarser with your fingers, adjust it finer - this can greatly improve efficiency.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473