Astr
a Ope
ration Manu
al: E
spre
sso Mach
ine
s & Ste
ame
rs
p.
30
Start by adding a few cups of coffee beans into the hopper. Make sure the gate at the bottom
of the hopper is open. Look for crema and flavor quality - test the shot quality by making large
(2oz) espresso shots.
Crema (golden colored coffee) should cover the top of espresso (1-2oz) in the cup upon
first pouring. The crema should take 30-60s to fully dissipate. If it dissipates faster than this,
the grind is too coarse and the grinder needs to be adjusted properly. For regular and decaf
grinders, clockwise adjustment tightens the grind (finer) while counterclockwise loosens the
grind (coarser). Espresso requires a fairly tight grind.
To adjust: turn the adjustment collar clockwise for finer product by pressing down and
holding the locking button (on the top left of the grinder). Turn counter-clockwise for coarser
product. Note: numbers on the adjustment surface are for reference only.
The grinder has been pre-set by the factory for proper grinding, it is not recommended to
adjust these settings.
Never tighten the grinder with beans present in the chamber.
U S E T H E R E M A I N I N G S T E P S TO C O N F I R M:
1
. Open the main door and pull back on the white pressure switch to operate the machine
with the door open. Check the coffee that is being kicked out after extraction. It should be
sticking together, making a uniform puck.
If it is very loose and crumbly, your grind is too coarse. If it is sticky, watery, or muddy, your
grind is too fine. Adjust clockwise/ counter-clockwise a couple of notches at a time to find
the best setting, making 2-3 espresso shots after each adjustment. Discard the previous
grinds.
2
. Never tighten the grind more than 1 notch without clearing the grinder of beans.
Tightening with beans in the grinder can lock it up. If this happens, loosen the grind
several notches and run again.
One easy way to clear the grinder for adjustment is to close the bottom of the hopper and run
about 3 shots. Tighten to the desired setting and then open the gate. Run 2-3 espresso shots
to see the full change of each grind adjustment.
DIALING IN THE COFFEE GRINDER
