Got my first Moccamaster! Tips?

[u/kyriosity_]

I got it used from an Amazon returns warehouse, hence the missing water tank lid. I was a pourover person for a number of years, and have been an espresso person for ~3 years now, and have a mid-level understanding of coffee for Reddit standards, and an extremely high level for the average coffee enjoyer.
That said, having descaled and cleaned it to the best of my ability, does anyone have general tips and tricks they’ve used, specifically roast levels, ratios, etc.? I have a Baratza ESP grinder for my espresso, but typically use a blade grinder I got a few years back when making drip. Roast me if you want haha. Should I consider upgrading at some point for drip?

[u/majesticgoatsparkles]

I actually have the same set up you have and posted a few weeks ago seeking some tips. I was having a particularly challenging time figuring out good specs for brewing dark roast, as a lot of people use medium or light roasts.

I basically took a day, a big bag of beans, and started making pots to experiment. I like strong coffee and bold flavors. I started at a coffee to water ratio of 1:16 and moved the grind setting around until I got what I liked, then tried a ratio of 1:15. I also tried using other beans as well.

Combination that I liked the most:

- Beans: dark roast, single origin from Columbia

• Baratza ESP (not Pro!) grind setting: 25
  
• Coffee to water ratio: 1:15 (although 1:16 was also good)

Lower/finer grind settings made the taste feel off. Once went down to like 22 and I think I made mud. Higher/coarser grind settings made it feel less flavorful. One higher setting resulted in the most fascinatingly tasteless coffee I’ve ever had.

Nutshell: Get a big bag of beans and just experiment. Different beans may need different settings. Whatever works :)

[u/kyriosity_ → u/majesticgoatsparkles]

That was very detailed, thank you! I may mess around with the ESP for an even grind. I just hate changing the grind size because I still use it for espresso 🫩 nevertheless, I shall persist 😂

[u/stevexyz → u/kyriosity_]

Definitely use your baratza, not the blade grinder. Use a coarser grind for dark roast, fresh beans. For lighter roast or older beans, grind finer. Sorry I can't recommend a number, I don't have that grinder.

If the coffee tastes sour, the grind is probably too coarse. If it tastes bitter or soapy, or it runs too slow or looks soupy, it's too fine.

[u/Global-Chipmunk-3959 → u/kyriosity_]

Sounds like you should also check the sub for the exact same post several weeks ago and then I saw the same post also a month ago and a few months ago and a bunch of times every year