Hi everyone,
I’ve enjoyed reading this thread since April, and particularly since I placed an order for a Duo (with both burr sets) in August. I’ve had it for about one month now (only using the espresso burr so far), so I wanted to check in and ask for some help. I apologize for the long post, but I’m feeling very stuck.
First, the workflow/retention/cleanliness have been wonderful. I’m not having any static issues like some others have reported. Coming from a 1Zpresso J Max, grinding with the Duo is very enjoyable.
Unfortunately, that’s where my luck has ended. I’m making espresso on a Flair 58, and so far, I haven’t been able to pull a shot for longer than 15 seconds. This has been consistent across four different coffees (3 Columbia, 1 Ethiopia, all medium roast within 5 days-3 weeks off roast) with doses ranging from 18g (what I typically used with the J Max) up to 22g (about the most my basket can hold) at ratios ranging from 1:2-1:2.5. This is with WDT and a force-calibrated tamper. Every shot I’ve made has been sour and under extracted due to the short contact time.
I know the typical advice would be to grind finer, but that’s where I’m feeling confused and frustrated. The espresso burr came from the factory with the “set” sticker at 12 o’clock. In this position, after cleaning the grinder I can hear burr chirp at around 3 on the dial. The 4 o’clock and 8 o’clock positions both produce burr chirp at around 0.5 on the dial (again, when the grinder is freshly cleaned), so based on what I’ve read in this thread, these should be better positions, correct? Grinding at 3 or above with the burr in the 12 o’clock position or at 0.5 or above in the 4/8 o’clock positions all produce gushers that start flowing when I reach just 2 bars on the pressure gauge and give me my desired output in about 10 seconds.
The confusing part is that after grinding a few doses, the burr chirp completely disappears even when going down to and below zero on the dial. Going below 0.5 marks (where a clean burr chirps), there is no change in the sound until about 5 marks below zero, and at that point, there is a deepening in the pitch of the sound (like the motor is working harder), but there is never a clear burr chirp. Is this normal? Grinding around 5 marks below zero (where the pitch starts to change) is the only way I’ve gotten shot times close to 15 seconds. This change (clean burrs chirping at +0.5, followed by no burr chirp and a deepening pitch at -5 after a few doses are ground) has been very repeatable.
My J Max can easily choke the Flair (with a full rotation, or about 90 clicks, left on the dial before burr rub), so it’s been frustrating not being able to grind fine enough with the Duo and also not knowing exactly where the lower limit is due to the disappearing burr chirp. Should I just keep grinding finer (more than the 5 marks below zero I’ve already tried, and then recalibrate my zero point) even though a clean grinder gives burr chirp at +0.5 marks? Do I need to align the burrs with the marker test and shims (something I was really hoping to avoid by purchasing the Duo)?
My morning routine the past two weeks has been to first pull a shot with the J Max to enjoy, and then pull a (inevitably sour) shot with the Duo to experiment, so I really appreciate anyone who reads this long post, and especially anyone who can provide some guidance. It seems like this forum is where all the Duo experts hang out online, so I’ve included as much info as possible about my process. I really hope someone can help me get on the right track. Thanks!
