Modify a Cuisinart Coffee Grinder Burr For Finer Espresso
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ก.พ. 2017
- This video demonstrates how to modify the inexpensive Cuisinart coffee grinder, so that it grinds fine enough for good espresso. Out of the box, the finest grind setting on this grinder is not fine enough for espresso (made in an unpressurised basket).
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SO glad I found this tutorial! My coffee grinder now grinds fine enough for espresso and even finer if I needed it! Thank you SO much for posting! Saved me a ton of money! My husband is very happy about that!
I can't thank you enough for this I did this with three pieces of thin wax paper and it works flawlessly. The grinds not clump and are perfect for my macihine. I can't afford a new grinder right now so this was such an amazing solution thank you!!!
are you still using this grinder with this modification? how has it worked for you long term?
To prevent the warming of the wheels from producing unwanted emanations from the glue of the aluminum foil, plain foil without glue should be used.
Your suggestion has already been mentioned, maybe you posted before you read the other ones..
Brilliant hack. I added three layers of shims and FINALLY I get a grind fine enough for expresso. Without the hack this grinder is only good for regular coffees. A value grinder now upgraded to a more expensive level. Thank you so much.
Hi, are you using 3 layers of aluminum foil instead of 1 layer as suggested in this video? Does it work well over 1 year of use?
@@BaysviewPg I tried one layer at a time until desired result. I have since upgraded to a better Gaggia grinder but my nephew is using my old grinder and it works fine withe th 3 shims. Gave hime the aluminum roll to add another shim if needed.
Hello Christo, thanks for checking in. I had started with 1 layer,. After reading your comments, I jumped start to 3 layers. The result has no significant changed between 1 layer and 3 layers. My conclusion is, the mod is confirmed to be very effective, and now my grinder is producing very good espresso.
Special thanks to this genius Fardinger who discovered this magic way of overcoming the limitation.
@@BaysviewPg your conclusion is that you didn't need to add those other 2 layers if you had no significant changes..WTF YOU TALKING ABOUT WILLIS?!??
by far the best mod for cheaper Burr grinders out there. Made my cheap Amazon grinder into a $300+ machine!!! Wow can't thank you enough. What a difference it made. Now it grinds much finer and espresso is enjoyable.
Thank you very much for your demonstrations. I have followed your steps. Now the distilled coffee really tastes better than before. And I noticed that the grounds are not only finer, but also more consistent than they used to be ('cos the gap between the burrs has become narrower.)
The difference this made is ASTOUNDING. I went from not being able to get any Crema and having the grossest, most sour shots to a wonderful, sweet shot.
THIS WORKS! I used 2 layers of 25mm aluminum tape and BOOM!
Thank you sooo much for this.
Thank you sir ! Worked like a charm using regular foil, made 3 little foil pads and got them to fit right on the 3 corners where theres no screw holes. The grind is real fine now on lvl 2-3 setting.
My coworker came by my place today and told me how my burr grinder can be modded, so I looked it up and found your video. So now I have 2 layers of foil on mine now and I'm seeing some better grinds. Thanks dude.
Thanks a bunch. it worked very well for me. I added as many layers as I needed and now my grinder is giving me much finer results and I can dial it down any time if needed ;)
thanks, tip worked for me on a similar budget grinder, now mine is perfect.
Thank you!!! I'm excited to try this on herbs to see if I can get them to a fine powder. Wish me luck!
Good video. I've done this on two DBM-8's (Cuisinart); great grinder. I would suggest a few things: the three 3 screws are not necessarily a perfect 120 degrees from center, so check alignment when re-assembly, they screw into plastic so they will strip out the holes. Also, if you still have a thickness gauge left over from the 60's, when baby boomers were replacing ignition points (under the distributor cap) , you can measure the gap between the 2 grinding wheels before & after you put the spacer in. And if you have a digital micrometer, you can measure the thicknesses of metallic tape, wax paper, playing cards, etc. above all, don't use a spacer that will make one wheel touch another . . . Last thing, an espresso machine works just fine with any good bean, so long as you don't over-extract, 25 seconds max.
Fantastic idea Alan. I have a set of proper feeler gauges at work, do you know what sort of gap to aim for to get an espresso grind?
Sounds like an engineer slipped into the comments here haha
Thanks for the heads-up on this technique. This info saved me money in not purchasing a more expensive machine..
Awesome hack, thank you! Keep in mind that the glue from the aluminum tape can get into your coffee as the grinding area gets warm and possibly some glue can melt into the grinds. Not much, but still, something you don't want in your drink and body. I used a simple paper spacers instead.
You are a genius my friend
What worked for me is using the top of a Pringles potato chip container. It provides consistency across the burrs. I never had an issue with the burrs rubbing against each other in the finest setting, but having the shim gets you into the espresso grind range.
May I ask, are you using the plastic lid or the aluminum base?
you deserve more recognition :)
I used 2 layers of duct tape (don't have any aluminium tape with me when I saw your video) on my Chinese grinder that used the same parts as Cuisinart. The grinds are much finer now. Thank you and you are a genius!
Your grinder will keep heating and eventually disentigrading the adhesive and your grinder will lock up ..
Chinese grinder are totally garbage..stick to germany or swiss made.
Picked up this grinder from Costco for $35 yesterday & has the same problem. Not fine espresso but close. Randomly googled & to my amazement ended up here. Cuisinart I was ready to return it but saw this. This is serendipity ☕️
Anyone used insulation aluminum tape!
Clever hack. Engineers are proud of you!
Thanks for the tip, I’ll give it a go with the melitta grinder which had turned out to be a waste of money. Hope the tip saves me from purchasing a more expensive grinder
You don't have to use your finger to test - you can get a finer grind by looking through the hole to test the gap. Just look through the hole he had put his finger through while screwing the top on. The bottom burr shouldn't move when you screw the top burr all the way in. If it moves, you need to remove a layer from your top burr modification.
Thank you very much for this tutorial. I’ve had this grinder for the better part of 7 yrs. Recently since I’ve gotten into espresso, it’s been sitting idle while I’ve been cranking out grounds by hand. Good to know I don’t need to take the plunge for a $300+ just yet.
This is awesome, thanks so much…I am definitely going to do this to mine 🇨🇦🌷
Sweet!!! Gonna try this for sure. Much better than giving up making the Crema without buying an expensive grinder. I’ll let u know how it works for me.
You are a Genius!!!!!
Thanks for idea of creating custom shims! Great! I will.
Excellent walkthrough. Proper Espresso grinds here we come from a £30 grinder. James Hoffan eat your heart out!
But Hoffman found the asymmetry of the hopper when dialed off-center to be aesthetically bothersome. He has such delicate sensibilities. Actually, when I first got this grinder a number of years ago, I found that very strange also.
@@fredbloggs6080 😄 Yes, Herr Hoffman also found himself piqued by the affrontery of the forward plastic housing elevation. He considered it 'pretentious' I think was the word he used.
@@sailwesterly5444 I watched that video twice, but don't recall exactly what you mean by forward plastic housing elevation--the height, or that the hopper angles out at the top? He didn't like any of the espresso made by the budget grinders (I don't drink espresso), but they weren't made for that. At first he said the pour over coffee they made was good coffee. Then later he said it was just borderline and they shouldn't even makes these types of grinders. However, he put his hand on the Cuisinart and said the pour over coffee it made was the best the group, but he couldn't bring himself to name the brand. So my interpretation, when you account for snob bias, is that the Cuisinart is equivalent to a $300 to $500 grinder.
I have used the Cuisinart DBM-8 for a number of years (the new ones are DBM-8P1 and may not work as well--one that I got seemed quieter but left a good deal more beans in the hopper, as I do single-dose, and needed to run twice as long and even then there a few beans left--maybe it was a one-off problem). Recently I have tried two more expensive conical grinders (OXO and IZpresso ZP6 hand grinder) and one much more expensive flat burr grinder (Fellow Ode Gen 2), and they do not produce as good coffee as the Cuisinart. Especially, Not once from the highly touted $200 IZpresso VP6 have I been able to get good coffee, experimenting with finer or coarser, it all seems bitter with a weird earthy taste--I finally put it back in its case and stored it in a cabinet.
You're a real-life super hero. Just got a nice espresso machine and had an old Krups GX5000 I wanted to use before upgrading to something more expensive. This trick works flawlessly on that machine (and really any of the same build: Rommelsbacher comes to mind). I guess the cheap, Chinese grinders all have pretty much the same interior.
I'll brew some Espresso (un-pressurized baskets) and let you know how it went, if you're interested.
I am in your same situation. How many layers of aluminum foil did you add to the burr? Do yo grind in the finest adjust or you can now adjust your grinding with the knob?
It works ok, with three layers. But I ultimately ended up getting a more expensive grinder.
Thanks for this. It improved the consistency a lot. Though, I couldn't get it quite fine enough on the second try and was afraid to strip the screws if I changed it again. I'll still have better moka and aeropress.
Thanks so much for your video!
Thank you so much. I ended up only needing 2 layers for mine.
I have had my cuisinart dbm-8 for at least 3 yrs, and it works great to grind coffee for espresso without this mod. Maybe some come from the factory a little off, but I actually had to back mine off 3 clicks from the finest setting because otherwise my espresso machine was getting clogged, or couldn't press out the espresso like it should.
Rod TB Hi, what is your brewing time by setting 3 step back off?
@@BaysviewPg 30-32 seconds
Great idea !
2022 Hi thanks for the video! modded my krups gx 5000 using 1 layer duct tape, now brewing at >5 bar and taste a lot better 👍
That great trick, I'll try tonight. How's the espresso flowing?
Im using your tricks for my Nespresso to have a better creamy on top. :) it's take me 3min to do it! :)
Man you deserve a noble prize for that
Good video !
I got a DBM-18 conical grinder thinking the mod would be just as simple as this one, but boy was I wrong. Modifying it was a total nightmare, but I am happy to report that it's doable. Not for the faint of heart though. Maybe I should do a video of the mod too .
Hi, you have already made this mod on DBM-18 because I also want to do it but I do not know how
Haaaaaaaaaaa...moding my DBM-18 took only
2 ¹/² minutes.. some folks just aren't mechanically inclined as others are gifted..,🤭🤭
Definitely check to see if the burrs touch after you do this. Mine was already touching at 2 pieces of foil
Very good video! Do you have any idea on how to modify the model CBM-18 (Cuisinart too)? Mine is not grindering finer enought for a ESPRESSO.
Awesome video. I can now enjoy my expresso Thank you. my friend.
It took me five layers. I checked the grind after each layer beyond two layers. At five layers with the aluminum tape I could move the grinders independently with my finger but it was very close. The grind is almost as fine/good as a coffee shop espresso grinder. I wish I could go a little finer but my espresso still tasted great! This will work great until I make the decision to get a more spendy grinder or find a great deal on a used espresso grinder. Thank you!
SPENDY?..*snickers* 🤭
Worked great! A1
@fardinger wondering how you're liking the quality of the finer grounds? Do you get a lot more fines?
So if the two parts touch then the grinder is damaged? Mine sucks then, I accidentally turned it on and both did touch
Thank you!! 😋
It never occured to me to do this on my krups grinder. I don't really want to wreck the plastic case taking it apart to adjust it internally.
I have a rancilio silvia which requires a really fine grind. I've actually used this hack but added 9 layers to get approx 1mm of additional depth.
Works for the $60 mr. Coffee Burr grinder also
Would you recommend doing this if you are only using this grinder for AeroPress or Moka Pots?
Be very careful of the two blades not touching each other once you are finished. I didn't pay attention, it made weird noises and now the grind is actually much coarser. Time to retire my machine!
I did this on my own volition with a thick stock paper that I traced and cut to form. Works well enough to not sell the stinking machine for now, but it does reveal how important grind size is and how fines formation is dependant upon the type of burr/quality. Too much shim and it will make contact with the lower burr, so be careful. This doesn't have to be perfect, and is not worth wasting much time on, as it will not improve grind enough to really taste a difference unless doing naked espresso.
after unscrewing it, i still cant get the blade off. seems glued. how did you do it?
will i still be able to use the other settings one the machine if i turn the knob to be higher than normal?
have you ever though of designing a 3d printed part for the ground coffee ? i'm curryntle studing this, so it can shoot out coffee directly to the porterfilter
Is it possible that the grinding of the wheels with aluminum in between could cause degreading and ultimately consumption of the aluminum?
The aluminium is just being used as a shim, it won't be in contact at all with any conflicting moving parts. In fact no moving parts in a coffee grinder should be touching, or you will break the burrs. That's the danger of this mod, going too close.
I have the Cuisinart Conical Burr grinder and that to does not produce enough fine for espresso up to my liking.
Unfortunately this tape tweak can not be applied to the conical to get better result. After I grind my coffee on the finest setting I use a blade grinder to run it trough.
It is very annoying to do so but what can I do, I can not invest $$$ for a better grinder for finer grind. I tried to run the coffee trough twice but the grinder it get clogged after a little grind. The little coffee goes true before get clogged that would be fine enough for espresso, I wish somehow could resolve this issue without investing into a more expensive grinder and maybe that will not produce fine enough grind also.
FLASHLIGHT!
my grinder grinds already so fine it looks like cocoa when it is done on the finest setting- how much finer does it need to be for espresso? I see folks using coffee ground about the same grind as preground regular coffee- perhaps a little finer, and usign it fine for espresso and getting 20-30 second pulls- my cuisinart supreme is grinding like 10 times finer already- seriously, it is almost the same fine flour- how much finer can it get
? You should show how fine it grinds now too-
It seems that they did this on purpose so it won't grind that good because it's an inexpensive grinder, the engineers have to listen to the greedy bean counters and I don't mean coffee beans either. Good video BTW :)
Well, did it work?
I'm thinking aluminum sheet would work ay?
I couldn't get the top most part off my machine. It grinds to power screaming and straining...but only--now I am precisely serious about this measure--only a teaspoon at a time filling the bin. I am hashing my head against the wall almost, over this. I push it and leave the room, and after I do this 5 times, not quite an inch of powder fills the bottom, it is so hot, i5 flips my breaker and I have to remember to do it another 4 rounds during the day or won't have coffee s.m. I cleaned out where you showed clog. It must be a timer telling it bin is full or when to stop. I am crushed myself over this. The identical one I had previously, lasted 21 years, not even a blip. Press lever to grind and I watched as beans went down in the hopper, it stopped when 3/4 full.
is 2" width tape will do the job?
Yes 2" should be wide enough
Here is my experiment result after the mod:-
18g of coffee powder produces 45g of espresso at a total duration of 21 seconds. Infusion time is 9 seconds. The taste is still a bit sour. This is not perfect, but it has improved the extraction time.
I had experimented 1 and 3 layers, there is no change in the extraction time.
How hard are you tamping your espresso?
Since I use a pressurized basket, there is no impact by the tamping force.
Ah sorry I can’t help you out there I use a non pressurized basket sorry.
Joel Noles no worries, thanks for the notes.
This modification sucks so does the grinder. Save your money buy a real grinder. This cuisinart isn't even a real burr grinder. Please don't listen to this guy.
Yes the grinder is low end - but this hack works perfectly
Sounds to me like some ppl don't know the simple secret to get basic espresso grind from their machine.. FINE should give you what you need w/o modding.. modding is for very poorly made ones like CHINESE ones..
You mod the cheap crap, it will wear on it quickly..
You should be able to tell by the look and texture if it needs 5 or 10 more seconds of grinding..