Ranges, because settings are not portable

Coffee grind size chart

Every figure here is a CupTune planning range. No two grinders agree on a number, and none of them is calibrated to this table.

Particle size drawn to relative scale. The span from espresso to cold brew is roughly a factor of five, which is why a single grinder dial covers so much ground.

My grinder

Starting ranges in your grinder’s own units

My grinder

Starting ranges come from your grinder maker’s own guide. Burrs, beans and calibration vary, so treat them as where to begin. Your choice stays on this device.

Choose your grinder and every method appears here, each with a link to the maker’s own guide. Grinders whose makers publish no numbers are not listed.

Reading the numbers: on the electric grinders listed a lower number is finer, while on hand grinders a higher click count is coarser. A hand grinder counts clicks from its zero point, so calibrate that first or the same number lands somewhere else.

Every maker range behind this picker (13 grinders, read 15 October 2026)

Each line is a starting point the maker published, not a setting for your beans. Where a grinder is missing a method, its maker published no number for it and CupTune does not guess one.

Baratza Encore

Baratza publishes a starting setting of 23 for Baratza Encore pour-over (V60 guide). Source
Baratza publishes a starting setting of 12 for Baratza Encore AeroPress. Source

Baratza Encore ESP

Baratza publishes a starting setting of 25 for Baratza Encore ESP pour-over (V60 guide). Source
Baratza publishes a starting setting of 22 for Baratza Encore ESP AeroPress. Source
Baratza publishes the whole espresso band, 1–20, for Baratza Encore ESP and says to start at the coarse end (20). Source

Baratza Encore ESP Pro

Baratza publishes a starting setting of 50 for Baratza Encore ESP Pro pour-over (V60 guide). Source
Baratza publishes a starting setting of 44 for Baratza Encore ESP Pro AeroPress. Source
Baratza publishes the whole espresso band, 0–40, for Baratza Encore ESP Pro and says to start at 40. Source

Baratza Virtuoso+

Baratza publishes a starting setting of 23 for Baratza Virtuoso+ pour-over (V60 guide). Source
Baratza publishes a starting setting of 12 for Baratza Virtuoso+ AeroPress. Source

Fellow Ode Gen 2

Fellow publishes a starting setting of 5 for Fellow Ode Gen 2 pour-over. Source
Fellow publishes a starting setting of 4 for Fellow Ode Gen 2 AeroPress. Source
Fellow publishes a starting setting of 10 for Fellow Ode Gen 2 cold brew. Source

1Zpresso J-Ultra

1Zpresso publishes a starting range of 100–170 clicks for 1Zpresso J-Ultra espresso, read from the maker’s chart image to about ±5 clicks. Source
1Zpresso publishes a starting range of 200–270 clicks for 1Zpresso J-Ultra moka pot, read from the maker’s chart image to about ±5 clicks. Source
1Zpresso publishes a starting range of 200–270 clicks for 1Zpresso J-Ultra AeroPress, read from the maker’s chart image to about ±5 clicks. Source
1Zpresso publishes a starting range of 270–330 clicks for 1Zpresso J-Ultra pour-over, read from the maker’s chart image to about ±5 clicks. Source
1Zpresso publishes a starting range of 400–440 clicks for 1Zpresso J-Ultra French press, read from the maker’s chart image to about ±5 clicks. Source

1Zpresso K-Ultra

1Zpresso publishes a starting range of 80–90 clicks for 1Zpresso K-Ultra pour-over. Source

Comandante C40 MK4

Comandante publishes a starting range of 7–13 clicks for Comandante C40 MK4 espresso. Source
Comandante publishes a starting range of 14–20 clicks for Comandante C40 MK4 moka pot. Source
Comandante publishes a starting range of 18–35 clicks for Comandante C40 MK4 pour-over. Source
Comandante publishes a starting range of 25–35 clicks for Comandante C40 MK4 French press. Source

Timemore Chestnut S3

Timemore publishes a starting range of 1–15 clicks for Timemore Chestnut S3 espresso. Source
Timemore publishes a starting range of 5–20 clicks for Timemore Chestnut S3 moka pot. Source
Timemore publishes a starting range of 50–80 clicks for Timemore Chestnut S3 pour-over. Source
Timemore publishes a starting range of 80–90 clicks for Timemore Chestnut S3 French press. Source

Breville Smart Grinder Pro

Breville publishes the whole espresso band, 1–30, for Breville Smart Grinder Pro and says to start at 12. Source
Breville publishes a starting range of 46–54 for Breville Smart Grinder Pro pour-over (paper filter). Source
Breville publishes a starting range of 55–60 for Breville Smart Grinder Pro French press. Source

Breville Barista Express grinder

Breville publishes a starting setting of 5 for Breville Barista Express grinder espresso. Source

Niche Zero

Niche’s own guides overlap at 10–20 for Niche Zero espresso. Source
Niche publishes a starting range of 30–35 for Niche Zero AeroPress. Source
Niche’s own guides overlap at 35–45 for Niche Zero pour-over. Source

OXO Brew Conical Burr

OXO publishes a starting range of 1–5 for OXO Brew Conical Burr espresso. Source
OXO publishes a starting range of 6–10 for OXO Brew Conical Burr pour-over. Source
OXO publishes a starting range of 11–15 for OXO Brew Conical Burr French press. Source
OXO publishes a starting range of 11–15 for OXO Brew Conical Burr cold brew. Source

CupTune authored planning ranges by method
Method	Indicative size	Brewers	Why
Espresso	200–400 µm	Pressure brewers	A short, pressurised contact needs a large surface area and a bed that can hold resistance.
Moka pot	300–500 µm	Stovetop moka	Finer than filter and coarser than espresso: the pressure is real but modest, and the basket is not tamped.
AeroPress	400–800 µm	AeroPress and short immersion	The range is wide because the recipe, not the brewer, decides whether it behaves as immersion or as filter.
Pour over	500–800 µm	V60, Kalita, Chemex	Fine enough to extract inside three or four minutes, coarse enough that the bed still drains.
Batch drip	600–900 µm	Filter machines	A basket with a fixed flow rate tolerates less fine material than a hand pour.
French press	900–1300 µm	Immersion behind a mesh filter	A mesh filter passes fines directly into the cup, so the grind carries the sediment decision.
Cold brew	1000–1500 µm	Long cold immersion	Hours of contact do the extraction work, so surface area can be traded for a cleaner cup.

Why a grind is a distribution

Grinding does not produce one particle size. A Scientific Reports study of grinding roasted coffee found an approximately bimodal distribution: a coarse population plus a persistent population of fines. Research on the role of fines in espresso extraction shows those fines materially affect espresso extraction dynamics, which is why "grind size" is shorthand rather than a measurement.

What to do with this

Use it to move in the right direction between methods, then dial in by taste with the dial-in guide. If you are choosing hardware rather than a setting, the grinder guide covers what actually differs.

Grind settings without a brand chart

What grind size should I use for pour over?

CupTune's authored planning range is roughly 500 to 800 microns. It indicates a direction rather than a dial number, because grinders are not calibrated to any shared scale.

Can I convert a grind setting between grinders?

Not reliably. Settings are specific to the burr set and its alignment, which is why this chart gives indicative particle sizes and asks you to dial in by taste.

Why is a grind a range rather than a size?

Grinding produces a distribution, not one size. Research finds an approximately bimodal spread with a persistent population of fine fragments that no grinder eliminates.

How fine should I grind for a moka pot?

Finer than filter and coarser than espresso — CupTune's planning range is roughly 300 to 500 microns — and it should never be tamped into the basket.

Find a starting range

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