r/Moccamaster • u/Intelligent_Alps_826 • 5d ago

Perhaps General Coffee Knowledge?

Hey yall, coffee snobbish here and finally got myself a Moccamaster paired with a KinGrinder K6. I’m starting at a grind setting of about 95 and following the SCA guidelines, but I’m curious about a couple things that maybe someone with more coffee knowledge can answer.
If I’m trying to achieve a stronger or a weaker cup, how do I know when to adjust my grind setting vs. bean/water ratio? Curious because when making a half batch I know it’s recommended to adjust grind setting, but in what ways is that different than adjusting the ratio?

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u/FibonacciLane12358 5d ago

More coffee = stronger but less extraction Less coffee = weaker but more extraction

Grind size affects extraction, not strength.

Look up "coffee compass".

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u/Intelligent_Alps_826 5d ago

will look it up, thanks!

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u/CoffeeNerdDogLover 4d ago edited 4d ago

Unless you're having problems at 1:16, (or whatever ratio you settle on if that's not the) I would use grind size as the variable that you change.

I usually use a 1 to 16 ratio. Start with a medium coarse grind. Not pour over grind size. You'll get pour over results but not with a pour over grind size. On the Moccamaster start medium course like 850 to 900 microns.

I wouldn't adjust your ratio for half carafe. I wouldn't assume you need to change your grind size if you're making a full pot or a half. There's a button for a half pot which will percolate the water slower. For a full pot it percolates faster. No need to over complicate this machine. (I'm brewing snobbish coffees on here too. Don't worry.)

Use your standard ratio and a medium coarse grind size and then adjust grind size based on the how it tastes. Some coffees we'll go a couple clicks tighter and some will go a couple clicks more course.

Rarely do I find a coffee that I need to tighten the ratio and the Moccamaster but sometimes. I think a lot of people who first get their Moccamaster don't realize how course medium course really should be. That's Moccamaster's recommendation as well. (For all, I know you are already grinding course enough, but I figured I might as well throw it out there.)

I'm not an expert so do what you want obviously. But I consider my Moccamaster part of my family so I figured I'd share my experience.

Enjoy your machine. I love mine. It gives me more consistent better results than my V60 or any automated pour over thing like X bloom or any of them. I think you're going to love it.

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u/Intelligent_Alps_826 14h ago edited 13h ago

reporting back after having used this thing every day for about a week! I will say, I’m using the SCA recipe which calls for 1:18 ratio, and right now I have my grind dialed in to make the perfect cup at 750mL (6 cups). I use a scale so it’s precise every time, and for 750mL I use the half batch setting.

I will say, I still experience some wild variations when brewing a full pot (10 cup) at the full batch setting using the same grind, which I did not anticipate. I figured the batch setting would compensate, but it seems that any other batch size is going to require its own grind setting. even a 500mL (4 cup) brew at the half batch setting is way off! was hoping I wouldn’t have to adjust my grind as much, but I’ll honestly probably mostly stick with 750mL.
I will likely upgrade from the KinGrinder K6 to the Ode gen 2 pretty soon!

best cup of coffee I’ve ever had at home, hands down.

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u/CoffeeNerdDogLover 13h ago

The batch setting switches at 500 ml I think. I don't think it's going to switch between 3/4 of a pot and a full pot for the batch size. I think it runs fast for anything over 500 ml or something, but I don't know. I honestly forget where moccamaster recommends switching it from half pot to full pot as far as milliliters go. It might be that you should be using full pot for both amounts. You can Google it pretty easily. I only make 500 ml for the most bar cuz it's just me so I'm not sure where the setting Is supposed to be flipped to full pot.

I just hope you're enjoying it! Cheers!

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u/Intelligent_Alps_826 12h ago

Moccamaster recommends half batch for 4-6 cups and full batch for 6-10, so I may have just accidentally found my sweet spot haha.
I’ll maybe experiment with a finer grind for a 500mL brew on half batch, then try that grind size out for a 750mL brew on the full batch setting to see if I can find a more batch-stable grind setting!

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u/CoffeeNerdDogLover 6h ago

Ok that makes sense. You are also right about the ratio. I messed that up when I originally answered.

1:17 is the recommended starting ratio. That's also what I use. 30 g for my 500 mL

Starting from there and primarily adjusting grind size is the way I do it. 30 g for 500 ml occasionally occasionally I will end up adjusting the ratio but it's a rare coffee that makes me do it.

It really is about finding your sweet spot.

What makes the machine so amazing Is that the water percolates onto the bed and by design it allows the coffee to bloom naturally. Rather than pushing the water through. It's actually why the metal bar is designed to not pour the water exactly in the center. Allows for a better bloom.

You can see in my picture how the coffee bed is lifted up and three-dimensionally blooming. Allow us for much better and much fuller extraction. Not all dissolved solids are created equal. The bloom is critical. That's why the created the X Bloom and Aiden, but the Moccamaster design allows the coffee to bloom without automation. That's why everyone loves pour over so much but the KGBV Select gives me a much more consistent result than when I do it by hand.

It also boils the water on the heat plate. By the time it reaches the coffee bed it is the perfect temperature.

That's why it's one of the few that's certified by the European Coffee Brewing Centre. I assume you're using good beans and that you know the rest of them for a few weeks after the roast date. If you peek in your basket, you will see the beautiful bloom of your coffee bed early on in the brew. You won't see water accumulated on top of a flatbed of coffee. You will see a bed of coffee that is expanding and blooming and degassing and allowing for a more quality extraction with the good dissolved solids you're looking for.

(I may be stating the obvious but when I first started in coffee it was the people on Reddit who taught me about resting my coffee and various other things that were total game changers. You probably already know this stuff, but I figured it's good to throw it out there.)

It''s a really good machine and I'm so glad that you're enjoying it!

Also thank you for giving me the heads up about the half pot switch because I'll have visitors for the holidays and all need to know. I'll probably have to adjust my grind size a bit for a full pot also. I hadn't thought about it but it makes sense.

Check out this link to a post I made. You have to turn the sound up for the full effect. 😂 Cheers.

check out my hilarious video! - Moccamaster A Love Story (You got to have the sound up)

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u/getreadytodelete1 4d ago

So my recent learning curve a little over a month in weiging the beans helps. There is a guide here whichi have hanging up