The Kuissential Guide Using Your
Manual Coffee Grinder
Introduction
First off, congratulations on entering the vast world of customized coffee. No longer will you be a slave to hours old, coffee pot sludge. You are now on the road to becoming a coffee connoisseur. You are now part of a tradition that dates back to the 15th century and has been with modern man throughout our history. Coffee is meant to be enjoyed and you now possess a tool to unleash the true potential of the powerful coffee bean. In this guide we aim to teach you the basics of Fresh Ground Coffee, such as: Which Coffee Beans to Buy, What Size Coffee Grinds To Use and How To Use Your Coffee Grinder. Feel free to ask any specific questions using the form below. Enjoy!
The Benefits of Fresh Ground Coffee
Coffee Shops all over the world have known one of the secrets to making the best cup of coffee is to use freshly ground coffee beans. Making delicious coffee from freshly ground beans is possible in your home by using Kuissential's Manual Burr Coffee Grinder, or the new Slim Manual Burr Grinder. Coffee flavor is extremely dependent on the consistency of the coffee grind. A consistent grind ensures even brewing and great taste. A Manual Burr Grinder is an affordable way to achieve a uniform grind and get the best flavor possible. If money isn’t a deciding factor, you could spend more and purchase a heavy duty electric burr grinder, more commonly found in coffee shops. Now that you are equipped with your grinder of choice, it is time to buy some beans…
What Coffee Beans to Buy
In order to get the best tasting coffee, try and find recently roasted whole beans. Most packaging will have a “roast-on” date. Make sure to use the freshest roast you can find, at the most within a few weeks of the roast date. The freshly roasted coffee should have a thin film of the coffee oil still on the bean. You can find fresh roasted beans in specialty food stores, coffee shops, and you can even buy them online.
Check out our Guide to Selecting Coffee Beans for more information.
What Size Coffee Grind to Use
Now that you have your grinder and your beans ready, it is time to learn about the right grind size. Choosing a grind size depends on your method of brewing.
| How to Decide Grind Size | |
| Drip coffee makers (flat bottomed filters) | Medium |
| Drip coffee makers (cone filters) | Fine |
| French press | Coarse |
| Percolator | Coarse |
| Espresso machines | Extra fine |
| Espresso moka pots | Fine |
| Vacuum coffee pot | Coarse |
| Ibrik | Turkish |
| What Grinds Looks Like | |
| Coarse | Similar size to kosher salt. |
| Medium | Similar size to sand. |
| Fine | A little finer than sugar or table salt. Smooth feel. |
| Extra Fine | Smaller size than sugar, but not powdered. |
| Turkish | Similar to flour. Powdered. |
Setting Up Your First Grind
Okay, so you know your grind size, and what it looks like. It’s time to adjust your grinder to the right size setting, here is how…
- Remove the top nut, handle, and locking ring. (If you are using the slim grinder, there is no top nut)
- Hold the central shaft and turn the adjust ring. Turn clockwise for a finer grind, and counter-clockwise for coarse.
- Place the locking ring back in position to keep your grind setting steady.
- Place the handle back on and secure it with the top nut.
If you tighten the burr all the way, you can loosen the adjusting ring a half turn for a Fine sized grind. If you loosen it 1-1.5 turns it will be a Medium grind. And if you loosen it 1.5-2 turns it will be a Coarse grind. This is a good general starting point and you can find tune your preference based off of that. (See below for choosing which size is best).
Put some beans in the hopper and test your setting with a few cranks of the handle. It may take a few adjustments to get the perfect size, but once it is set you can use the same setting daily without fluctuation.
Care, Cleaning and Cautions
You will want to clean your grinder about once a week. Coffee oil can stick to the mill and you can remove the oil by immersing the mill in a weak, neutral detergent, and then thoroughly rinsing it. Let it dry completely. The glass portion is dishwasher safe and can be treated with bleach if it becomes dirty, however, do not use a rough mesh cleanser as this may damage the glass.
This is NOT a toy, keep out of reach of children. Do NOT use this product if the glass portion becomes cracked or breaks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the grinder missing a spring?
There is a diagram on the box that shows a list of parts. Some of the boxes accidentally used the image from an old design that included a spring. This was a silly mistake on our part because the new improved design does not have a spring and does not need one to grind delicious coffee. Sorry for the confusion here. We will make sure to change this image on our next production. Sorry!
How do I adjust my Manual Grinder to the proper grind size?
In order to adjust your manual grinder’s grind setting, the first thing you need to do is remove the top nut, handle, and locking ring. After you remove the locking ring, hold the central spindle and turn the adjusting ring. Turn the ring clockwise for a finer grind and counter-clockwise for a coarser grind.
Place the locking ring back in position to keep the adjust ring locked at your grind setting, then place the handle back on and secure it with the top nut.
It may take a few adjustment attempts to get the perfect grind size, but once it is set, you can use the same setting daily without it fluctuating.
How do I remove the top nut if it becomes stuck?
Sometimes the top nut can get stuck when you turn the handle to grind. Hold the locking pin so that the grind shaft won’t move around, from there turn the handle counter clockwise to try and loosen the nut. The handle only needs to move a little bit to loosen the nut and make it easier to turn by hand. If it is hard to hold down the locking pin with your bare hands, you can use a paper towel to get a better grip.
How do I choose the right grind size?
There are several different ways to brew coffee and each method has an optimal grind size for the best tasting coffee. Use the guide below to help you decide what grind size to use based on brew method:
- Medium – Drip Coffee Makers (flat bottom filters)
- Fine – Drip Coffee Makers (cone filters)
- Coarse – French Press, Vacuum Coffee Pots and Percolator
- Extra Fine – Espresso Machines
- Fine – Espresso Moka Pots
- Turkish – Ibrik
How do I know if my grind size is correct?
Once you know what type of grind size works best for your method of brewing, you will need to know how to get to that size. Use the following tips to know how large/small of a size you need:
- Coarse – Similar size to kosher salt
- Medium – Similar size to sand
- Fine – A little finer than sugar or table salt. Smooth feel.
- Extra fine – Smaller size than sugar but not powdered
- Turkish – Similar to flour. Powdered.
How do I clean my Manual Grinder?
You will want to clean your grinder about once a week. Coffee oil can stick to the mill and you can remove it by immersing the mill in a weak, neutral detergent, and then thoroughly rinsing it. Let it dry completely. The glass portion is dishwasher safe and can be treated with bleach if it becomes dirty.
That’s all for now. We hope you love your grinder! If you have any questions or need help please feel free to reach out to us and we will respond ASAP.
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