msboo Senior Member Joined: 10 Nov 2012 Posts: 135 Location: Kentucky Expertise: I love coffee
Grinder: Baratza Virtuoso Drip: Bonavita
Posted Mon Feb 25, 2013, 10:05am Subject: New at grinding at home
I've noticed a good amount of chaff in the grounds, is that normal? I wonder how that's effecting the end result in the cup.
I'm also wondering IF I need to get inside my grinder to see if it's set in the 'neutral' position. I don't really want to take it apart BUT. Currently waiting for 4 new feet to arrive since mine were off resulting in a rocking (unlevel) grinder out of the box.
I ask about chaff because when having fresh beans ground at the roaster (before coming home to brew) I never had that---their ground auto drip also looked little finer than I'm getting on my Virtuoso. I'm having a bit of a time getting the right grind with the right amount of coffee----aiming for medium strength but lots of taste without bitterness (using Bonavita brewer).
Posted Mon Feb 25, 2013, 3:13pm Subject: Re: New at grinding at home
I've never noticed chaff to affect the flavor. I suspect the chaff is just more noticeable at home because static makes it stick everywhere. Commercially roasted beans probably have less chaff than home roasted beans but there's always that little bit stuck in the seam of the bean, regardless.
Getting the perfect grind just takes a bit of trial and error. If the filter doesn't drain fast enough or the brew is bitter, you probably need to go coarser. If it drains too fast and the brew is more sour, go finer. It's probably best not to make huge adjustments, especially if you are close. Once you find a good spot, it helps to mark it or write down the number. I used a Sharpie to put a couple of dots on my girlfriend's Preciso for Moka and drip.
msboo Senior Member Joined: 10 Nov 2012 Posts: 135 Location: Kentucky Expertise: I love coffee
Grinder: Baratza Virtuoso Drip: Bonavita
Posted Mon Feb 25, 2013, 3:42pm Subject: Re: New at grinding at home
Jim.... thanks for answering the 'chaff' question. I've not read/heard that it made any difference but I'm so new at all this, learning everyday. You're right about settings.... 1 click up/down can make difference. I started off grinding with Colombian Supremo. Looking for some good Ethiopian now.
Posted Tue Feb 26, 2013, 6:21am Subject: Re: New at grinding at home
I've noticed that darker home roasts seem to have less chaff, FWIW.
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Posted Tue Feb 26, 2013, 11:26am Subject: Re: New at grinding at home
That's strange. I tend to roast more in the medium to medium dark area so wouldn't see that. I suppose longer exposure to heat will shrink the chaff allowing more to be removed from the beans during roasting and cooling.
I've noticed that I get the least amount of chaff from Sumatran and other wet pulped beans.
msboo Senior Member Joined: 10 Nov 2012 Posts: 135 Location: Kentucky Expertise: I love coffee
Grinder: Baratza Virtuoso Drip: Bonavita
Posted Mon Mar 4, 2013, 9:21am Subject: Re: New at grinding at home
Finally found my grind setting, 16 seems to be "it" for my Virtuoso (Bonavita brewer). Want to get a Clever Dripper, know that requires a coarser grind so will be messing with that when the time comes.
Posted Mon Mar 4, 2013, 12:36pm Subject: Re: New at grinding at home
Becky,
Can you describe what the chaff looked like, in terms of shape and color? For example, was it lighter in color and consisted of paper-like shreds? If so, I encountered something similar, but it had more to do with regular cleaning and keeping the grinder exit path clear.
msboo Senior Member Joined: 10 Nov 2012 Posts: 135 Location: Kentucky Expertise: I love coffee
Grinder: Baratza Virtuoso Drip: Bonavita
Posted Mon Mar 4, 2013, 3:34pm Subject: Re: New at grinding at home
Hey BarkingBurro..... the chaff I'm getting is like what you described. However, I keep my grinder pretty clean---sort of OCD with that. I also tap on the sides of the grinder with my hands after grinding (hoping to keep it from building up between wkly cleaning).
Posted Mon Mar 4, 2013, 6:37pm Subject: Re: New at grinding at home
msboo Said:
Hey BarkingBurro..... the chaff I'm getting is like what you described. However, I keep my grinder pretty clean---sort of OCD with that. I also tap on the sides of the grinder with my hands after grinding (hoping to keep it from building up between wkly cleaning).
Excellent, now for the grand experiment! One fine day I noticed a lot of light colored chaff, right after switching from a lighter roast to a darker roast. It really built up, so I cleaned the grinder and it went away only temporarily. It was then that I changed my Preciso side burp slapping to always slapping it from the back while tilting it forward. That, in combination with a quick twirl of a pastry brush up the chute seemed to do a fantastic job of clearing debris. In fact, my measured grounds retention went way down to 0.1 or 0.2 grams after that. Since the only thing I changed was to do back-slapping instead of side-slapping, I recommend that technique to you. The brush is important, too.
And I suck when it comes to cleaning my grinder. My theory is that some of the chaff stays in the grinder and may even lighten-up or change color over time so that it becomes more noticeable. In effect, you're seeing older debris that would not normally call attention to itself if it departed on schedule.
So if you're game, try the same thing and let me know if it works as well for you.
msboo Senior Member Joined: 10 Nov 2012 Posts: 135 Location: Kentucky Expertise: I love coffee
Grinder: Baratza Virtuoso Drip: Bonavita
Posted Mon Mar 4, 2013, 7:03pm Subject: Re: New at grinding at home
BarkingBurro.... thanks so much for the tip. I'll start giving it a back-slap while tilting forward. I've just had my grinder for 2 weeks and had the chaff from the beginning. You're right about using a pastry brush---I have one still packed up somewhere (been looking since ordering) but can't find it so need to pick one up. Until then I'm using a dry paper napkin to 'brush' around then quick clean up with a Dirt Devil.
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