Espresso Grind Size: The Complete Guide & Grind Chart

Espresso is one of the trickiest coffee brew methods to get right, and most of that challenge comes from nailing the correct grind size. If you’re here, you might have all of the right equipment, great beans, and a practiced tamp, but you just can’t quite get that magical shot. We get it, it’s tough! Dialing a grind in for espresso is a big skill to learn, but it’ll serve you well for a lifetime. Many guides will tell you that you should “grind at a level like table salt” but this is actually too coarse - the correct size is closer to powdered sugar. We’re here to help you get there!

What Grind Size Should You Use for Espresso?

The grind size for espresso is fine, really fine. As noted above, it’s finer than table salt, and almost at the level of powdered sugar or flour. If you pinch some coffee ground for espresso you should cause it to clump a bit and get stuck to your fingers, not run off loosely. All of this is helpful framing, but it’s it’s not actionable when looking at your grinder - what you need is whatever grind results in a 25-30 second shot at a ratio of 18 grams of coffee grounds “in” the portafilter and 36 grams of water (brewed espresso) “out”. The tricky part is that there’s just no universal setting you can hit on your grinder to get the right grind size. While many grinders offer some labeling of their settings for a starting point, the reality is that you’ll need a different setting based on so many factors, from the specific grinder to the specific beans, and a dozen other variables in between. The rest of this post will present a chart that should help, then talk you through putting the knowledge into action.

Coffee Grind Chart: Grind Size by Brew Method

Here’s a handy coffee grind chart:

Brew Method	Example Image
Cold Brew (very coarse, sea salt)
French Press (coarse, table salt)
Pour-Over/Chemex (medium-coarse, coarse sand)
Drip (medium, regular sand)
AeroPress (medium-fine, can vary depending on recipe)
MokaPot (fine, not quite as powdery as espresso)
Espresso (very fine, powdered sugar)

Why Grind Size Matters So Much for Espresso

Grind size is a key variable in brewing any coffee, but it’s especially important in espresso because of the mechanics of the brew method. When you flip on the brew lever of an espresso machine it pumps water through the coffee grounds in the portafilter at 9 bars of pressure. This high brewing pressure requires a fine, packed puck to provide backpressure in order to ensure the water has time to properly bond with the coffee molecules as it passes through the portafilter. Finer grinds provide this backpressure by introducing more surface area, and thus more resistance. A coarser grind will not present enough resistance, causing under-extraction. Other brew methods are much slower, so grind levels need to be less precise, as the water has more time to bond with the coffee when there’s a paper filter or longer steep time helping extraction. Another issue for espresso grounds is consistency. When some of the grounds are slightly coarser than the rest it can lead to water carving paths through the less resistant parts of the puck, harming extraction further, this is called channeling. All of these variables and issues are just part of the challenge, and with a bit of knowhow you can overcome them, we promise!

How To Tell If Your Espresso Grind Is Wrong

Signs Your Grind Is Too Coarse

The easiest way to spot a grind that’s too coarse is fast extraction. The coffee will come out looking thin and pale, and will likely brew in under 20 seconds (or faster if it’s very coarse). When you taste it, the shot will be watery and sour, with little to no crema. Fixing this involves taking your grind a few steps finer and trying again!

Signs Your Grind Is Too Fine

An over-fine grind will result in a very long extraction time, with the shot taking 35-40 seconds or more to brew. In extreme cases, grinds that are too fine can end up fully blocking the water flow and you won’t get anything more than a few drops. A good rule of thumb here is to just shut the machine off if you’re only getting droplets after 12-15 seconds. These shots will taste bitter and burnt, and will often tip over into a deep black color instead of the rich brown that you’re looking for. To fix this, we take the grind size a little bit coarser.

What a Dialed-In Shot Looks Like

The perfectly dialed in shot will differ a bit in appearance, so if it tastes good, then congratulations! That said, typically a well-dialed-in shot will start producing drops of espresso after 5-8 seconds, then resolve into a steady flow with a warm, brown color striped with tan crema. Your shot should pull in 25-30 seconds, and taste sweet, with a bit of acidity and a clean finish.

How To Use a Coffee Grinder To Dial In Espresso

Start With a Recipe, Not a Grind Setting

Before you worry too much about grind size you’ll want to ensure you set your other variables. Start with a 2:1 water to coffee grounds ratio (we like 18g of coffee in, 36g of water out) and aim for a brew time of 25-30 seconds. You may find that other ratios and shot times work better for certain coffees, but it’s good to get used to dialing in with this baseline to start. Keep in mind that a scale is absolutely necessary here - you need to get your measurements right to isolate grind size as the only variable. It’s worth pointing out here that tamp and water temp are additional variables to try to solidify before you start making extensive grind adjustments. We know that tamp can be tricky to learn, so do your best, it’ll become second nature eventually and as long as you try to stay consistent in packing the grounds you will find that grinder adjustments can do the rest. Your machine should handle the water temps, but it’s worth noting that this is another key variable. It’s also very important that you only adjust one variable at a time so that you can track your progress to the perfect shot.

Make the Adjustment

To start, set your grinder somewhere on the fine end of its settings (different grinders will have different sweet spots, labeling and the manual should help) and grind your dose. Weigh the shot and pull it! If it’s watery and sour, go a bit finer, if it’s too bitter, move a bit coarser. Use small adjustments (a click or two on a stepped grinder or a millimeter or two on a stepless) so that you don’t overshoot the right size. You’ll also want to grind a few grams after each adjustment to make sure you’re not getting any of the old setting’s grinds in your dose. This will also help to clear any retained grounds. Don’t get discouraged if you end up taking a few shots to dial in a new bag of beans, this happens to the most experienced baristas too.

Stepped vs. Stepless Adjustment

Stepped grinders use gears to create fixed grind settings. This can make it easy to recall settings and log them, but you are also limited in your potential precision on a grinder like this. A stepless grinder has an adjustment similar to a screw, which rotates nearly infinitely as the burrs move closer and farther away. This can be tricky to work with, as the dial usually doesn’t have a clear starting point, and you can’t recall a setting easily, but these grinders are more precise. Our trick is to carefully bring the burrs together until they almost touch (you can hear where this is when the grinder is running) and then rotating the dial back a rotation and a half or so. This doesn’t work on every stepless grinder, but it can be a good starting point on many. Once you’ve found the right setting you can document your grind size along with the coffee it worked for so that you can get back to that setting in the future.

What Changes Your Grind Size (Even When Nothing Changed)

So why doesn’t anyone design a fixed grinder for that espresso grind level? Well, different beans and conditions do require some significant adjustments to grind size. Darker roasts usually need a slightly coarser setting than light roasts due to their brittle, porous nature. Beans also degas over time, so the same coffee might need a finer grind after a few weeks. Humidity and temperature play a role here too, damp air leads to more clumping, which may mean you have to go a bit coarser during a rainy week. Machine, dose, basket type, and puck prep all have an impact as well. Because of all of this dialing in is an ongoing process, not a one time task. The good news is that once you find the right grind you can make micro adjustments as other conditions change without totally tossing multiple shots.

Can Your Grinder Actually Grind Fine Enough for Espresso?

Here’s the fact many users don’t want to hear: your coffee grinder might not actually be suitable for espresso. Many grinders simply don’t grind fine enough, or don’t have enough fine adjustment at the finer settings. Not that blade grinders are completely insufficient for espresso, as they chop the beans and produce completely uneven mixes of dust and chunks. Burr grinders are a necessity here, but if the grinder isn’t built for espresso it may not have that precision control on the finer side of its range. You’ll also want to use a grinder with low retention and a high level of consistency. Importantly, many “all purpose” grinders are actually not built for espresso, and still lose consistency on the finer end. It’s best to ensure that you pick up a grinder that’s marketed as being appropriate for espresso (which may mean losing the ability to grind coarse enough for methods like cold brew and press).

Featured Gear: Espresso Grinders We Recommend

If you’re in need of an espresso grinder, we can help. These three grinders are each fully capable of grinding in the espresso range, but are designed for different users. The Fellow Opus Gen 2 presents an exceptional value for new users, as it can handle espresso fineness while also working well for drip and pour over. This grinder does use a stepless adjust, so keep in mind that switching back and forth will be tricky. It is also built for single dosing - the practice of weighing out your beans before grinding, then only adding those to the hopper. The Baratza Encore ESP Pro is a bit more expensive, but its digital display will give you a number for the stepless setting you select, making it easier to find the right starting point for espresso or return to a setting that worked for you in the past. Finally, the Eureka Mignon Zero is an excellent selection for the user seeking a single dose option that is higher end. With large flat burrs and a canted design, this grinder offers exceptional consistency and grind speed while maintaining ultra-low retention.

Espresso Grind Size FAQs