Coffee grind....domestic vs commercial espresso machines

Suzique

Wasn't sure where to post this question.....

At home I have my Sunbeam EM6910 (recently repaired thanks to AM) and matching grinder.

At work they have bought us an Expobar machine to play with (I'm not sure of the model, but it looks like the G10).........no grinder though, so we have to bring in our own supplies.

My question is re coffee grinding.....how different is the grind for home vs commercial machines? 

I've got my grind nicely sorted for home, but just can't get it right for the work one.  I don't get a lot of time to "play" with the work one, but I was wondering if there were any general rules of thumb, ie do commercial machines generally run on a much finer or coarser grind than home machines?   

Or is there no answer to this question, and it's just trial and error? 

Any comments or advice much appreciated....we don't get many work benefits, so I want to make the most of this one!

derrilex

If you're grinding at home then taking the ground to work that could be half the problem. Its probably stale. Then there is the other variables like dose and user. Probably not ideal but can you go in to work on the weekend with your grinder and have a play ?

Koffee_Kosmo

As you need to take in your own ground beans it's best that you use a hand grinder and some beans to grind fresh A little trial and error may be needed to get to the grind to suit the machine Don't over dose or under dose for best results KK

Thundergod

I have an Expobar Leva at home and when I first found a 6910 at work I used to take in coffee ground from home but found (naturally) that it deteriorated during the day. The first coffee was OK though as I'd make it soon after I got to work; So basically no difference in grind. Eventually I purchased a Gaggia MDF and took it to work. Problem solved. These days, having changed jobs a few times due to the economy, I usually take a hand grinder with me.

Suzique

Thanks for the input.... a hand grinder is sounding like a good idea, though I know absolutely nothing about them!!  Any recommendations as to which ones to look at and approx $$$ ?  I guess this topic has been covered somewhere on the Forum before, so will have a search as well. 

Koffee_Kosmo

on 1345531251:

Thanks for the input.... a hand grinder is sounding like a good idea, though I know absolutely nothing about them!!  Any recommendations as to which ones to look at and approx $$$ ?  I guess this topic has been covered somewhere on the Forum before, so will have a search as well.

The easiest ones that work well would be a ceramic blade type like the Kyocera

Suzique

Am onto it...thank you!!

askthecoffeeguy

and the good thing with hand grinders - if the grind is not fine enough first time around - just pop it back in and do it all again!