Grind size changes how much of the coffee touches the water. Finer grounds give up flavor more readily. Coarser grounds give up less. That is the usual account of extraction. This guide is a starting point for each brew method. This site has not measured particle size. The look-and-feel comparisons below are descriptions people commonly use. They are not measurements from this site.
The grinder I use every day is the green Timemore Chestnut S5 Pro, mostly for pour-over. I have not written a tasting log that compares French press, cold brew, espresso, and moka pot side by side.
Choosing the grinder itself — burr size, weight, and whether it stays at home — is covered in how to choose your first hand grinder. This page is about where to set the dial on the grinder you already have. A coffee scale is what keeps the dose matched to that setting.
A starting point for each brew method
From fine to coarse, the order people usually give is espresso, moka pot, pour-over, French press, then cold brew. The borders move with the beans and the brewer. The table is a guide to that order. The cells are not measured micron values.
| Brew | Where it sits | How it is often described | Where it tends to drift |
|---|---|---|---|
| Espresso | The finest end | Often described as finer than sugar | Too coarse and the cup tastes thin. Grinding this fine by hand takes time and effort |
| Moka pot | Fine, often described as one step coarser than espresso | On the finer side of granulated sugar | Too fine and the pot clogs — a warning that shows up often on the brewer side |
| Pour-over | Medium-fine to medium | Often compared to granulated sugar | Finer tends to taste bitter. Coarser tends to taste thin |
| French press | Coarse | Often compared to raw sugar | Too fine and silt stays in the cup |
| Cold brew | Coarse, the same as press or coarser still | Raw sugar, or coarser than that | Too fine and the brew can come out overly strong. That is general guidance |
If you are deciding whether to grind espresso-fine by hand at all, read hand vs electric grinders and the electric grinder guide. This site does not list French press, moka pot, dripper, or espresso-machine models.
Click numbers do not transfer to another grinder
"Setting 6" is not automatically a medium grind. When the burrs and the size of each step differ, the same number can be a different particle size.
The only hand grinder whose official recommended range for each brew method this site has checked is the Chestnut S5 Pro. Espresso, moka, pour-over, and French press ranges are copied in the S5 Pro review as a record of the official page: espresso 0–2.0, moka 1.0–3.0, pour-over 5.0–8.0, French press 8.0–9.0. Copying those numbers onto another grinder will not line up.
For the EPEIOS Essence Go, the published data this site has stops at 0–80 steps, with the scale readable from the outside. This site does not have a recommended number for each brew method on that grinder.
Setting the dial on a hand grinder
- If the maker publishes a range for that brew method, start there. If it does not, make the first pour-over a little finer than the middle of the dial, and make the first French press or cold brew on the coarse side.
- Move one step, or a small width of the dial, at a time. Watch the taste and, for pour-over, how fast the brew finishes.
- Going finer means more turns, and it usually takes more effort. What I have written about the S5 Pro is how the weight feels for pour-over at home. I have not timed grinding in the extra-fine range.
- Do not crank the adjustment all the way to zero. On the S5 Pro, Timemore says the burrs still do not touch at the zero setting, with a gap of about 0.075mm. Uneven force can cause a rubbing sound, and the maker says that sound does not mean the grinder is broken. For any other grinder, check that model's manual for where the burrs meet.
- Write the setting on the bag. A new roast moves the taste even when the number stays the same.
Grounds left in the burrs mix into the next setting. Brush the old grounds out before you change coarseness.
The two hand grinders on this site
Keep the Chestnut S5 Pro at home if you want a pour-over setting you can leave in place. Choose the Essence Go if you want the lightest turning feel, or a grinder you can take apart and carry. The side-by-side is Timemore S5 Pro vs EPEIOS Essence Go. How the four buying criteria line up is in how to choose your first hand grinder.
The price guides published for both sit above about ¥10,000. Prices change, so confirm them on the store page.