Sometimes adjusting grind size can be quite frustrating, especially when your grinder is not properly calibrated. Here are some tips to help you adjust your grind size efficiently. 1. Make sure to grind as you adjust finer As you adjust finer, the burrs inside the grinder get closer to each other. As there are always some residual coffee grounds inside the grinding chamber, there is a chance that these fine coffee grounds can cause the burrs to get stuck. To avoid this, always remember to switch on the grinder as you adjust to a finer grind size so that the remaining coffee grounds are purged, thereby allowing the grinding burrs to spin freely (make sure to close the hopper during purging to prevent waste). 2. Purge the grinder after adjusting the grind size No matter how low the retention of your grinder, there is always some residual coffee grounds left in the grinding chamber. As these coffee grounds are from a previous shot, it is always a good idea to purge them from the grinder to ensure that your next shot has an entirely consistent grind size. This is especially important for finding the correct grind size as it prevents inconsistent results from affecting your adjustment. 3. Use a WDT distribution tool A WDT tool is a coffee tool that utilizes the Weiss Distribution Technique to achieve better coffee quality through even coffee distribution. With the WDT tool, simply stir the coffee grounds until clumps are removed and all the coffee grounds are fluffy. Distributing coffee grounds properly helps improve coffee ground density and prevents issues like channelling, ensuring that you get a stable and consistent coffee flow for each shot. 4. Make sure the grinder is properly calibrated While most grinders are calibrated from the factory, it is always a good idea to know how to check if your grinder is properly calibrated. Especially with drinks like espresso or Moka, which require extremely fine grind sizes, your grinder must be properly calibrated to its zero point. Otherwise, you may experience faster flows, which can cause improper extraction of your coffee, causing it to taste flat. 5. Always use fresh coffee beans When you open a bag of coffee, the coffee beans are exposed to oxygen and quickly lose carbon dioxide. This oxidation process is called degassing and causes the coffee beans to become more brittle over time. As the coffee beans become more brittle, they become less capable of retaining water. It is this reason why old coffee beans are particularly difficult to dial in and usually result in fast-flowing shots with weak crema. © 2026 Ultimate Coffee. All Rights Reserved