# Adjusting a Hario hand grinder



## Bob Skeleton (Nov 28, 2009)

Hi everyone. Long time no post - I have been lurking though









I finally got myself a burr grinder to accompany my espresso machine. I don't have the money or the space for an electric grinder but I'd read good things about the Hario Skerton hand grinder, so I plumped for that instead. I believe it is similar to the Kyocera or Porlex grinders, also from Japan.

My results so far have been catastrophic. Has anyone else used one of these grinders? Can anyone pass on any advice that would help me to adjust my grind setting? I've never used a hand grinder before so am unfamiliar with the diagnostic process required to get a decent shot.


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## DonRJ (Apr 3, 2010)

Can you give more detail on what you mean by "catastrophic", eg choking machine, pouring too quickly etc, what espresso machine are you using and the type/source of beans.

I have not used a hand grinder since I was a kid but the principles of getting it right are the same and another forum member may well have advice, but please give more details this will help the forum members to answer.

Don


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## Bob Skeleton (Nov 28, 2009)

I have a Dualit Espressivo. It's not a great machine but I've had drinkable shots from it using a fresh can of Illy in the past. I'm not using quality beans just yet as I'll only waste them. Just trying to find my feet with a new bag of cheap Taylor's Italian blend for now.


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## ChiarasDad (Mar 21, 2010)

I use a hand grinder, though a different one (mine's a Zassenhaus). Here are my tips, for what they're worth. They may not all apply to the Hario, which I haven't seen close-up.

1. Find some way to mark the adjustment knob so you can repeat your settings as needed. The Zass has no calibration markings at all, and I used a Sharpie to mark the knob such that I could assign some kind of a number, even if only mentally, to whatever grind I had just pulled. This improved my shots enormously. I'm looking at pictures of the Hario and although it has a stepped adjustment that can't slip (Zass is unstepped and slips away from its setting easily), I don't see a marking that lets you say to yourself, "this is grind setting #6." Though setting and adjusting the Hario looks easier than the Zass, I'd still say it wouldn't hurt to make a mark on the adjustment thingy so you can keep notes of where you've been and what the results were.

2. Get a feel for properly ground coffee, by which I mean grab a pinch in your fingers and feel the particle size. Feel is hard to convey in words, but for me the right grind feels like powder if I just touch it, but when I take a pinch between two fingers I can feel the powder resolving into a gritty feeling with a pressure of, oh, say a couple grams. A freshly opened tin of preground Illy, for example, will have the feel that you want (and you can enjoy a few shots of it while you practice your grinding







).

3. Do some test grinds and try to get your particle size to feel about the way that freshly-opened preground Illy espresso feels. (I'm assuming that you have something decently fresh to grind, since grinding old beans will never give good results and won't give you the feedback you need to get your grind right.) No need to pull shots at this point, might as well wait until your own grind feels to the touch like it's within shouting distance of the professional/commercial grind.

4. (This step is unnecessary for your Hario but I include it here for the benefit of any newbie Zass users who may read it some day) Ensure the grind adjustment does not slip while you are grinding. For Zassenhaus, this means developing a technique of holding the grinder so that you've got a finger against the adjustment knob throughout your grind (easy enough for me but could be a problem for people with much smaller or much larger finger sizes than mine).

5. When you've found a grind that feels approximately right, pull a shot. Adjust your grind finer or coarser depending on your results, and that should be all it takes.

6. Well, not all it takes, of course. You also need to be fairly consistent with your dose and tamping. Presumably you already have those reasonably well under control, but FWIW a hand grinder gives you the luxury of dosing by exact weight, so you may as well take advantage. I use an Admetior spoon scale to weigh out the exact dose I want before it goes into the hopper.


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## Glenn (Jun 14, 2008)

Use the thread as your guide for judging fineness with a Hario

The same applies to the Ceramic Slim Coffee Mill, however the thread adjustment is at the opposite end for the Skerton

I have managed to choke a number of machines when dialling in a grind with the hand grinders, but usually a good grind is only 1 thread turn less than a choking grind.

I have put together a *manual in English* based upon the Hario Ceramic Slim Coffee Mill. Does this help at all?


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## Bob Skeleton (Nov 28, 2009)

Mostly I'm choking the machine. I'm guessing the grind is therefore too fine, and I'm maybe over-dosing. But then, I'm using two level scoops of beans so it should be just about right, leading me to think again that the grind is too fine.

I wouldn't rule out the possibility that the Dualit is a piece of junk and will never produce an amazing coffee, but surely by keeping my tamping consistent I should be able to make a drinkable cup with this setup? I've wasted half a bag trying today, and still haven't had my morning coffee! It's almost 7pm!


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## RisingPower (Dec 27, 2009)

As chiaras said, particle size is what you should be looking at. It should feel like coarse sand, if it feels like fine powder, think ristretto (but I think it's more likely you'd choke the dualit).


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## marbeaux (Oct 2, 2010)

Well, I've finally managed to try my Kyocera Hand Grinder today for French Press brewing. Purely by luck and reading the instructions I produced a nice coarse grind.

Almost no fines were left in the cup.

Now I just need to adjust the quantity of coffee and brewing time for a better taste.

But generally pleased with my novices progress.


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## ian3193 (Nov 21, 2008)

Hi,

I have a Hario Skerton and although I only use it for making drip I think you may be grinding to much. Are you using the white Hario scoop as a measure? 2 level scoops will be way more than 15/16g needed for a shot, more like 25g in my experience. Try a scale to accurately measure the dose. As previously posted the Skerton isnt calibrated very acurately, so i use a perment marker as a guide. Here are a couple of links you may want to look at,






Hope this helps

Ian


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## eddthedoc (Jan 22, 2011)

I think the Dualit is likely to be he problem. I bought one in a pre-Christmas panic when my Gaggia baby class packed up. I thought the Dualit was the most robust on the market. I also thought about the Cuisinart but there were too many scary stories about the Cuisinart leaking water on the switches!

Anyway, after so much experimentation over the festive period I've never really made what I would call a proper shot. The problem with the Dualit is it has one of these single hole 'crema perfetta' portafilters which clogs really easily so you can't use really properly fine grounds unless you use filter papers which in my mind isn't really in the spirit of espresso. So you have to coarsen the grind and then you get uneven flow through the coffee as it heads straight for the single hole.

The balance between too coarse and blockage is very close. I've had a few mini explosions at the end of the brew!

Can't wait until the Gaggia's back!


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## Hairy_Hogg (Jul 23, 2015)

Epic newbie bump - been looking for a suitable thread to ask this question and this was the best I could find...

I have had my Skerton for a while and been using it with nice beans but have reached the point where I want to start being a little more exacting with my variables. Using 12g/200g coffee/water and trying to get a good cup.

I have realised my ground beans were coming out too course so have marked the Skerton nut up and started it on a 1/2 turn (180 degree from touching), this I think is too fine (using with a Hario V60 or Kalita Wave) so next attempt will be at a full turn from touching. I have a Hario slim at work in my draw, so may bring that back home for the ease of adjustment it brings over the Skerton

Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions on what has been a sweet spot for them, 2 turns etc?

Also, is the only recommended mod for the Skerton going to a nylon nut, and is that more relevant for people using it for espresso?


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## MWJB (Feb 28, 2012)

It'll depend on your pour regime...if brews take too long add the water in bigger pulses. If brews are too fast, break up the pour into more & smaller pulses. The "right" grind setting will give you a drip brew time around 2:15 (+/- a few seconds, plus any static bloom time) for 12:200.

There might be a couple of settings where the brew time is in the ball park, but one setting will probably taste better than the other? So experiment a little based on taste, even after you hit an ideal brew time. I'd get that dialled in, then experiment with sieving out the boulders with a fine-ish kitchen sieve (0.5mm to 1mm mesh?)


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