Baratza Preciso Coffee Grinder 685

Feb 2015, Update: After switching to the Bezzera BZ10, I did the grinder calibration shown in this video and set it all the way to finest setting.  Now, the Bezzera machine is significantly more powerful than the Delonghi AND it’s using a commercial 58mm portafilter.  So, after several tests, I’m actually now grinding at 2D with the same Revolution Roasters beans.

June 2014, Update:  Original article below for reference, but here’s my current settings.  I am now using Revolution Roasters Smooth Operator blend.  My grind setting is 8D AFTER calibrating my Preciso to use the second finest calibration.  I pull a double by grinding for 10 sec, tapping the portafilter down twice, then grinding for an additional 8 seconds, distributing, then tamping.


After a significant amount of reading various reviews, I decided on a Baratza Preciso Coffee Grinder 685.  Yes, spending $300 on a coffee grinder seems insane.  But, if you have been looking, you are well aware that you can spend MUCH MUCH more than that.  But, being that proper grinding is one of the single best things you can do to make a better shot, you’ll make this back pretty quickly because of the trips to Starbucks you WON’T be making anymore.

The instructions say settings 1-14 are for espresso, so I started with 5, and my first shot choked my De’longhi EC-155!  I eventually worked my way up to 10-D (major setting 10, micro adjust D) and then back down to 8-D, and then back up to 9-D.  This, with a nice tamp produced the shot you see here.

A nice shot of espresso
A nice shot of espresso

I was very happy with this.  I repeated this setting and tamp pressure 5 times and got the same result every time.  So, I’m gonna stick with this!

The portafilter holder makes grinding right into the portafilter a breeze, and really cuts down on the mess too.  And, the weight of the machine keeps it nice and stable while you are grinding.

What I do for a double shot is start grinding and shake the portafilter a little to shake down the grounds.  When grounds reach almost up to the top of the exit hole, I stop.  The timer on the side of the grinder is too hard to get the same result every time, but just using my eyeballs is working out great.

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