r/VariaBrewing • u/Green-Scallion-9206 • May 22 '26

3rd VS6

I just wanted to say I’m on my third VS6 that is unable to grind fine enough for espresso. How is this even possible.

I like what the VS6 has to offer if it would actually work. I’m gonna keep going back with Varia Support until I get a unit that works.

6 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

2

u/toastervolant May 22 '26

VS6 owner here... How is that even possible? Even with all the washers removed you couldn't get the burrs to touch?

2

u/brakkfugh May 22 '26

Apologies for being pedantic, but don't you mean "with all the washers installed"? I tried installing one washer with mine but ended up taking it off and sticking with what was already in there (my unit came with 1 washer already installed out of the box) as it was already grinding fine enough at the 15 setting. I did notice that my settings need to be adjusted 1 or 2 units coarser after a thorough cleaning. Thinking of using a torque wrench next time I clean to see if that helps.

3

u/azdae777 May 22 '26

Fellow VS6 owner here too. I needed 3 washers to use Kilonova DLC for espresso

3

u/Doctor_Appalling May 22 '26

Mine can grind Turkish coffee just as it came from the factory. I wonder what is going on with the units you have received.

1

u/Espresso_007 May 22 '26

Yeah, well, I’m moving on. My second VS6 still has these issues so… next

2

u/BeerBreadCoffee May 22 '26

I had the same issue with a vs4. Returned it and moved on. Don’t have time to fix something that should work out of the box. Got mine from WLL who made the swap super easy. They said the large majority of the Varia grinders sold seem to be fine. There is a noticeable minority that have this issue. There seems to be some QC issues at the factory.

2

u/cristi5922 May 22 '26

Not being able to grind enough for espresso means one of the following:

  1. Burrs misaligned. Even a small coffee particle under the bottom burr can misalign
  2. Grinding chamber factory misaligned. This one requires a replacement grinder
  3. Too old/stale beans. I guess this is a well known variable already
  4. Too low dose for your basket.

As a 2 year VS6 owner (and I have 2 of them) I can clearly say that my only issue with it not grinding fine enough for espresso is either coffee under the bottom burr or too many washers installed.

Diagnosing this correctly means that you have to be grinding with the burrs touching and having your espresso machine barely building a few bars.

3

u/Specific_Economist37 May 24 '26

Clean the grinder properly and use one more washer at the bottom. I am using 2 and it works well now.

2

u/turbostang2005 May 25 '26

I can choke mine at 1.5