1Zpresso J-Max and Wacaco Picopresso quick test 

etzygirl thank you very much, its always nice to to get some positive feedback and i am always happy if these video's are helpful. Both products are really good products and i am sure that you will enjoy them both. I very nearly started dealing for KINGrind, their grinders are actually not bad. They are manufactured in the same factory as the 1Zpresso grinders. The K series grinders are very nice grinders also, but the price difference is quite different from the J-Max to the K-Plus and too be honest i could make another video about the pro's and cons of choosing the J series or the K series grinders (maybe i will do that haha)

No problem you are very welcome. The J-Max is an excellent Espresso grinder and those 8.8 micron adjustments give you more than enough fine adjustments. The Picopresso is actually a pretty decent product for a cheaper hand held Espresso machine. It does make proper Espresso with real crema also, having a good grinder like the J-Max really does help to get the most out of the Picopresso.

Thank you very much for the positive feedback, it much appreciated. If you ever have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Thank you very much for the positive feedback and thanks also for the subscription. The Picopresso is a pretty decent Espresso maker. The Picopresso has a slow flow basket so its designed to make it a little easier to use than a precision basket, however i still recommend that you choose the best grinder that you can afford with the smallest micron size (steps) especially for Espresso. With the J-Ultra you also have one of the best Espresso grinders available, the 8 microns that you get with the J-Ultra gives you a huge grind range for dialing in your Espresso and if you decide that you want to then upgrade to a proper electric Espresso machine, you wont also need to upgrade your grinder because the J-Ultra is one of the best.

I tried 18 grams from 1.1 til 1.4 multiple times and after 10 pumps didn't see any drops, actually after 25 total pumps i can see drops. What should i do lower the does or go coarse. I saw people using the same grind setting they use for their machine and it works with the picopresso in that case mine are 1.1 but couldn't get drinkable results

@@SlimShady044Gaming really sorry for the late reply, RU-vid is extremely bad for notifying me when I have a message. Hopefully by the time that you have ready this you have figured out what changes you need to apply. If you are using 18g and your grind size is 1:1 to 1:4 are you saying that you are pumping and the pump handle is very easy to push in, or is the pump handle very hard to push in? Because if the grind size is 1:1 (1 full rotation of the adjustment dial from the 0 number around to the 0 again, then onto the next number 1 to make 11 numbers) that could be too fine and the pump handle could be too hard to push in. In that case you will probably block the Picopresso, so you will need to stop, empty the coffee and start again. I would be very surprised if the pump handle is too easy to push in if the grind size is 1:1 because that’s very fine, if the grind size is 1:4 I would also be surprised, but it’s possible. You really want to be feeling the start of the pressure building in the pump handle at around 7 - 10 pumps and it’s should build into fluid pumping, then at around 10 pumps, you should be seeing the start of your extraction. If your pump handle starts to get very hard to push in at around 6 - 8 pumps, your grind size is too fine. If you are pumping and the pump handle is too easy to push in and the extraction is just flowing out, instead of squirting out, your grind size is too course. It might take a few attempts to hit the sweet spot, but when you get the feeling for the pump handle and get within the grind range it’s just a case of fine adjustment of your grind size to get the best result.

@@mightymightyironhead no worries mate, with that detailed reply I'm very happy. Now i can get the hang of it. Cheers and happy brewing

Very welcome, i hope that the video was useful.

You are very welcome. I tried to cover as much as possible without making the video too long. Really happy that you found it useful.

Thank you very much K c, really appreciate your support.

@@mightymightyironhead thanks for the great videos! Ps my picopresso came in the pist today so super excited to try a shot! Will no doubt have to experiment like you have...will report back on how it goes :)

@@kc-me6wl thats great news. Please update me and let me know what you think about the Picopresso. Good luck.

Hi J & G, I am really sorry i am a little confused about what you are asking? I think that the first part of your message is missing? So i am kind of reading between the lines to answer your question. "Might be because there has been no burr break in yet" looks like you might be having a problem with the burrs on the J-Max? Are you having problems with the grind settings needing changing or the consistency? Regarding the seasoning of the burrs. There are as many people who argue that there "is no science" behind seasoning your burrs as there are people who argue that you need to grind at least a few lb of beans through the grinder before the burrs are seasoned and the bearings are also fixed. I personally dont know if there is any real difference between seasoned and unseasoned burrs that i can see or taste in the cup. If there is any changes its very subtle believe that coated burrs need to be seasoned as much as none coated burrs. However i also believe that coated burrs are a little less consistent until they are seasoned a little, because the coating kind of "rounds off" the cutting edge. For the beans, i can say 100% that you will have a harder time trying to get the grind size dialed in and get a good extraction using light and even to some degree a medium roast beans with the Picopresso. I have used both light roast and medium roasted beans with the Picopresso and i only managed to get a half decent shot with the medium roasted beans. Every time i used a darker roasted bean, i got a better extraction, better crema at the regular temperature and without the need to adjust the grind size too much. The grind range for Espresso with the J-Max is 90 - 150. Darker roasts, as you no doubt know, have more fines and are more soluble and therefore are easier to extract. Light roasted coffee is denser and has a slightly higher moisture content than dark roast, which will affect solubility in the other direction and make extraction a little more difficult. So a finer grind compensates for that. Also the water temperature for light roasted beans needs to be a higher temperature, somewhere in the range of 206°F-208°F . So you really need to pre heat the Picopresso and get it very hot. Your Elektra Semiautomatica is a very nice Espresso machine and it can make an excellent shot. I dont personally have one, but i have used one in the past and there are a few things that i was aware of while using the machine. I noticed that it was very important to keep the dose low enough so the puck does not expand into the shower screen. There is no space above the screen, and shot quality degrades if there is no brewing space above the puck. In the supplied single basket, the maximum dose is 10 grams, in the double, it is 16 grams. So 20g was usually too much and caused problems with the group clearance. If i wanted a bigger dose, i changed to a La Marzocco triple basket, which can be dosed up to 20 grams.

Hi Lesley. I have never actually seen any information about what 1Zpresso use to determine their grind sizes. But its kind of the same with all their grinders and some other brands that i have used, where the "sweet spot" is mostly at the courser end of the recommended grind settings. The chart is just a reference after all.

Not (to my understanding) for this new one, as it’s not got a pressurized basket like the 2 previous wacaco units.

@@Charlie97L Hi Charlie. That's true, the Picopresso has a None pressurised porta filter and both the Minipresso and the Nanopresso have a pressurised porta filter. However with that said, the Nanopresso can work in None pressurised mode, if you remove the spring from the porta filter nozzle.

Hi Jason. Its not so easy to give you a precise number from the k4 to the J-Max. I just did some calculations based on the micron size for each grinder, the clicks per rotation and the amount of full rotations for each grinder and the results were kind of off. The J-Max has 8.8 microns, 60 clicks per rotation. The K4 has 16 microns, 60 clicks per rotation. Kingrinder and other users recommend a grind size at around 60 clicks for Espresso using the K4. The J-Max grind reference chart recommends between 90 - 150 clicks for Espresso So the K4 has pretty much double the micron size of the J-Max per click, so i would guess at your 52 clicks setting you would then go for 104 clicks on the J-Max. That would certainly put you into the very bottom of the Espresso range with the J-Max, but in my experience, that's going to be a very fine grind size depending on what Espresso machine and coffee basket you are using. If you are using a proper Espresso machine and a precision basket, this might work. But if you are using a more basic setup, manual Espresso machine (Picopresso, Flair Pro, ROK or pressurised basket) this grind size will be much too fine.

Hi Egar. I really like Bali Kintamani. Actually you have just reminded me that i need to order more Bali green beans, thank you.

Hi Arturo. If you are using the None pressurised portafilter with the Robot, you are seriously going to need a decent grinder with decent fine adjustments ( around 12.5 Microns or less) The J-max has 8.8 microns and a very good grind range, so its very good for a product like the Robot or the Flair Pro. All of the other grinders that you mentioned are also more than enough to handle the Robot very well. Actually the JX-Pro is also very capable to use with this type of Espresso machine. I have quite a few customers why buy the JX-Pro to use with their Flair Pro and Robot. But if you want something a little more stylish and marketed towards Espresso, maybe spend a little more and go for something like the Kinu with its step less adjustment or the Apollo with its Italmill conical burrs with nanotech coating, The 1Zpresso K-Plus is an excellent grinder and has some nice features for Espresso, like the magnetic catch cup, the powder hammer, dosing ring ect. If you just want to use the pressurised portafilter (probably not) with the Robot, really you can go for a cheaper option, something like the 1Zpresso JX, Timemore C2, Aergrind, KINGrind K1, there are quite a few, basically anything that can grind as fine as the pre-ground supermarket coffee will get good results with the Robot.

@@mightymightyironhead Thank you so much for taking the time to give me such a detailed reply! really appreciate it! To be honest I'm more about substance than aesthetics! And dont mind a higher budget e.g. for the M47, as long as it really makes sense! (not sure about it - hence why i was looking at the J-max, which from the initial reviews seems to perform on par if not better?); the only thing i care about is grind quality (for non-pressurized espresso, as you mentioned), speed/ease of grind and possibly ease of cleaning / maintenance; all the other things are secondary!

@@KingArth no problem you are very welcome. I am not sure that the J-Max performs better than the M47, both are excellent grinders and preform very well. When you get a bunch of premium grinders, that pretty much use the same size and same type of burrs, same grind range, same size adjustments, solid central fixtures, good solid materials ect. At that stage, choice can often be down to price, or how portable for traveling the grinder is, how it looks even. All of these grinder will do a very good job and all of them have very minimum faults, like fines or confusing adjustment settings. Unlike some other "premium" grinders that have problems like shaft wobble over time, adjustment slippage and other pretty big issues that you end up with 6 months after you have paid a lot of money for the grinder. Manual grinders have come a very long way and they are getting better and better.

I'm a couple of days in using the J Max with a robot. I upgraded from a Hario Slim (the original model which I had for 8 years and modded to be stepless with a nyloc nut). The Hario could occasionally pull a magic shot but usually it was very inconsistent and took multiple minutes to grind 18g for lighter roasts. I am still in the process of dialling in but even my worst shot from the J Max was better than my best from the Hario. I find it emphasizes the sweetness and juiciness a lot more. It also takes less than 30 seconds to grind 18g for me. I will note that I am having a good amount of static issues even with RDT but both parts of the grinder fit nicely inside the Robot portafilter so you can put the body in first and tap out most of the retained grinds and then empty the bean bin and tap the lip against the portafilter to get the last bits out. The included tools make it easy to keep clean. I don't have a temperature controlled kettle and I make my coffee in between work meetings so timing is key to my workflow. That and the ease of reproducing an exact setting were my biggest deciding factors and it hits those marks as well as I hoped! Not sure what your situation is but hopefully this helps you in your decision one way or another!

Hi good morning. Yes that's correct i did use 100% Robusta beans, i kind of burned through my other beans and started to wonder why i was making my life so difficult using medium roasted beans. I have actually had some pretty decent shots from the Picopresso. The best shot that i got when testing and at other times, was with darker roasted beans (i would say that the beans were between a Full City and French roast) The taste from the Robusta was quite balanced, sweet and chocolatey, but it was pretty acidic due to the fact that i was just literally roasted an hour or two before i tested it. If i use the Picopresso, i always use darker roasted beans, i usually roast some washed processed South American, maybe Brazilian, because i know that a good Brazilian can handle the darker roast and wont have any excessive acidity like a Dry or Natural, or even a semi washed bean. One of the reasons that i do this is because Dry or Natural, or even a semi washed beans can take longer to degas and can be very acidic in an Espresso. As you have pointed out, the temperature is very important, i always use boiling water right off the boil, i fill the water chamber and i pump that through right away, i have the coffee prepared and ready to put into the Picopresso as quickly as possible, then i refill and go for my shot. This usually does the trick and i get a pretty decent shot. If your shot is still a little sour and you have pre heated properly, i am wondering what beans you are using? what roast level and process they are? how fresh and have they degassed properly? If its not the roast level or process, i would say that its maybe down to under extraction and could be something simple like not being dialed in correctly, so maybe grind a little more fine. I would also check my ratio and make sure that i am using the correct amount of coffee to water, maybe even slightly adjust the ratio if i need to slightly adjust my grind size.

@@mightymightyironhead Thank you for the detailed reply. This is a little embarrassing to admit, but I discovered why I could not pull a sweet shot to save my life. I too thought under-extraction and tried every method to correct that. When I went to the pantry to try another blend, I discovered that I had mistakenly grabbed the wrong bag of beans. These were an excellent blend of beans for espresso, but I had one bag that was over 2 weeks from roast date and another of the same beans that was just a couple of days past the roast date. I had been trying to pull shots with 2 day old mostly medium roasted beans. Uggh. No wonder it was turning my stomach. It was gut rot, man! Sour, salty and the intensity was off the charts. I had even resorted to adding .06g of baking soda. That actually did correct the acid, but I didn't want to have to do that. With the properly aged beans, I was able to pull a good shot. It's a neat device.

@@SaltydogNC Thats excellent, really happy that you figured it out. Degassing is pretty important and can really wreck the flavour of coffee if the beans have not rested enough. Then the medium roasted beans will also add some acidity to the mix. There is a trend to use medium roasted beans for Espresso a lot now. Sometimes when i visit a coffee shop i can tell that they are using medium roasted beans. This is not such a problem if the beans are the correct type of beans. I usually use the same type of processed beans and even the same type of beans for medium roast Espresso as i do for a darker roast Espresso. Ok its not the latest trend, but it keeps things simple. A classic 70 % Brazilian Arabica 30% Robusta is still the one that i go for if i want a good Espresso. I think that if you want to add anything to your coffee you could swap the baking soda for a small pinch of salt. This is often used in coffee to counter the acidity or bitterness of coffee. Anyway thanks for the update and have a great day.

Hi Sinan. The Espresso settings with the J-Max are more suited for an Espresso machine that uses a None pressurised porta filter and really need those extra fine grind sizes. The Nanopresso uses a pressurised porta filter system, so you can use a more course grind size and dont need to worry about the grind size being so precise. I would choose an Aeropress grind size, something between 200 and 220 is a good place to start with the Nanopresso. Try not to over tamp the coffee powder also, this can create problems and block the machine.

@@mightymightyironhead Seems like i was okay with 175 but considering the color of the cream and the taste, i thought it was a bit under extracted. Now 160 is going well with no stuck.

@@sinangenc thats great. Sometimes even a very small adjustment can make a big difference. I highly recommend that you use fresh beans, also darker roasted beans will give a better extraction than medium or light roasted beans. A blend with some Robusta beans will also create very good crema. Pre heat your Nanopresso before you use it. Put some boiling water in the body of the Nanopresso while you are preparing your ground coffee, then pump that water through, refill the boiling water, put the coffee powder in and use. This will help to get a better extraction and a hotter Espresso.

Jakob, you mean 1.4 (140 clicks) because that sounds about correct for Espresso using a none pressurised porta filter, so its good that you got a good extraction with the beans that you are using and the J-Max at that grind setting. The grind setting can really depend a lot on the beans that you are using. Different types of beans and different roast levels can mean that you will need to adjust your grind size accordingly. Also the grind size will obviously need to be adjusted according to the type of Espresso porta filter that you are using. A pressurised is the easiest to adjust for and will allow you to use a courser grind size, even up to an Aeropres/Moka pot grind size. Then the Slow flow baskets that you get with the Flair Pro and Robot will also allow you to use a slightly more course grind size than a regular none pressurised porta filter. I actually have a coffee roasting business an i import a lot of different coffee beans. These particular Robusta beans were imported from Java Indonesia, they were a very good G1 washed process Robusta and if roasted to a medium dark roast they have a really nice fruity character.

@@mightymightyironhead Thank you for your reply. Is the Robusto coffee you mentioned available at retailers everywhere, and if so what is its commercial name?

Robusta is typically not sold like regular Arabica coffee beans. Usually a roaster will use Robusta beans in an Espresso blend, something like 70% Arabica and 30% Robusta, because traditionally Robusta helps with flavour and Robusta is very good at producing crema in Espresso. I suppose that some coffee shops or coffee beans suppliers will sell 100% Robusta beans in a 250g bag of roasted beans, so its worth looking around. It is obviously available from coffee suppliers as green beans and that's where i get my supply of Robusta that i roast in my coffee business and the ones that i was using was Java Robusta Grade 1.

Thanks for the update. Really happy that you got a good result. I also agree with you about the pre infusion, i have been ignoring that lately and just going for the shot right away.

Hi Maria, good morning. Thank you very much for checking out my video. 1Zpresso kind of split their grinders into two categories, Pour over and Espresso and i will explain why that is important to understand. The K series (K-Pro, K-Max and K-Plus), the JX and the Q2 are all marketed as Pour over grinders because of their micron sizes. The JX-Pro and the J-Max are marketed as Espresso grinders also because of their micron sizes. The K series (K-Pro, K-Max and K-Plus) are basically the same grinder internally, they all have exactly the same grind range. They are just cosmetically different and they all have 22 microns per click. The Q2 has 26 microns and the JX also has 26 microns respectively. The JX-Pro has 12.5 microns and the J-Max has 8.8 microns, so these two are far better at Espresso than the K series grinders and the Q2 and JX grinders because they have the much finer grind adjustments that you really need to dial in a perfect Espresso grind. The micron size of the grinder is pretty much the most important thing to consider when you buy a grinder. The bigger the micron size (24, 26, 28, 30 ect ) indicates that the grinder is really for Pour over firstly, but usually can grind for Aeropress and Moka pot very well. A lot of companies market their grinders as "Espresso grinders" but this is not true unless they have a small micron size. These grinders can only grind for Espresso using a pressurised porta filter but really struggle with proper Espresso using a none pressurised porta filter. Espresso using a pressurised porta filter is a medium fine grind size, so thats basically the same as Aeropress or Moka pot, so any grinder that can grind for Aeropress or Moka pot can be classed as an "Espresso grinder" So thats very important to understand. I personally would not consider a grinder to be a proper Espresso grinder ( none pressurised porta filter ) unless the microns were under 15 microns, because the grind range to dial in your grind for proper Espresso is going to be very small and you will have a lot of problems. Imagine that you are trying to dial in for your Espresso and the extraction is running either too fast (course grind size) or too slow (too fine grind size) so you try to adjust the grind size either more course or more fine to correct the extraction, but if your microns are too big you can not do that and you will always go over the correct grind size because you dont have fine adjustments. All of the 1Zpresso grinders are excellent grinders, they are very consistent. They can all grind very well for Aeropress, Moka pot, Drip, Pour over and French press. The K series can grind very well for Espresso (using a pressurised porta filter) Aeropress, Moka pot, Drip, Pour over and French press and they can grind for proper Espresso (using a none pressurised porta filter) but they have a pretty small grind range for that, so you will have to work harder to dial in your grind size properly. The JX-Pro is an excellent all round grinder. Its got 12.5 microns, so it has a decent grind range to dial in for proper Espresso using a none pressurised porta filter. Also the microns are not super fine, so you dont get any excess fines at the Pour over grind range. The JX-Pro is fast, consistent and solid as a rock. The one downside with the JX-Pro is that the calibration can be a little confusing when you first get the grinder, but there is a lot of information about this and i am happy to explain this to you if you get this grinder. The J-Max is an excellent proper Espresso grinder. Its got 8.8 microns, thats very fine grind adjustments and its got a huge grind range for proper Espresso (using a none pressurised porta filter). A couple of things to note about the J-Max is that it has a magnetic catch cup, instead of a regular screw on catch cup. The second thing is that because this grinder is a very fine Espresso grinder, it can produce slightly more fines at the courser grind range. This is well within the accepted range for fines and is very typical of a fine Espresso grinder like this. So if you choose the K series grinder, the only problem that you might have is that you wont have a very big adjustment range for proper Espresso. You can still use it for proper Espresso, but you will have to work a little harder. If you choose the J-Max grinder, you wont every have a problem with any Espresso machine, its got a huge grind range for Espresso. It can also grind very well for any other brew type. However you might not want the magnetic catch cup (the catch cup is very secure, its got good magnets and its not that easy to knock off) The grinder can produce slightly more fines the more course that you grind. So you might get a slight increase for Pour over or French press. But like i said, this is normal and is well within the normal range for a grinder like this. If you want to use the grinder for travelling, i do suggest that you also purchase one of the hard cases for your grinder. The cylinder case is very popular and can fit any of the grinders inside. The square travel case is bigger and will allow you to fit some other things in there, maybe some beans or paper filters ect Anyway sorry for the long reply, please read through what i wrote and if you are not sure about anything, please feel free to ask more and i will be happy to explain.

Hi there! Thank you so much for your detailed reply. I really appreciate it! That was very kind of you. So the 2 grinders I had in mind were the JMax & the K Plus. I want it mainly for travel as I have a Niche Zero at home. My choice of drinks is usually 80% espresso and 20% Moka Pot / Aeropress. So based on your response, it seems like the JMax is the espresso first grinder and the one that will give me most adjustments due to the micron size. Also, you mentioned that it can do other brews such as the Moka Pot or Aeropress so I feel like the JMax is the better one, right? The K Plus seems to be a pour over first grinder even though it can do everything else too but it seems like the JMax will give me the most control over dialing in my espressos with the Pico. Is this correct? Also, I believe the JMax comes with a case which is great for travel. Let me know your thoughts. Thanks again. Also, how can we support you? Do you have a shop where you sell grinders or coffee?

Hi again Maria, You are very welcome, i am always happy to help. Both the the J-Max & the K-Plus are excellent grinders. They both can grind very well for any brew type, from Turkish grind up to French press. The only things to consider is the ability to grind for Espresso using a none pressurised porta filter, because the Picopresso has a none pressurised porta filter. Both grinders will not have any problems with Aeropress or Moka pot at all. One thing to note about the Picopresso, is that the coffee basket that is included with the Picopresso is a different shape to a regular Espresso coffee basket, it has a slightly tapered wall. This design allows you to use a slightly more course than you would need for a regular straight walled coffee basket. Wacaco have used this design so that more people can buy the product without needing a top of the range Espresso fine grinder with really fine adjustments. However this type of coffee basket can have an effect on the taste of the extraction, because it kind of channels the extraction into the center of the coffee basket. It also makes it a lot more difficult to use lighter roasted beans, because lighter roasted beans usually need a much finer grind size to get a good extraction. So i would personally choose the J-Max because it will be the best investment in the long run for Espresso. Even if you just use the stock coffee basket with the Picopresso, the J-Max will make your life a lot easier, if you want to use lighter roasted beans with the stock coffee basket, the very fine grind adjustments will make that a lot easier and if you decide to upgrade to a 3rd party coffee regular basket with flat walls, you wont have to worry about the ability to grind fine enough for that type of basket. So the J-Max is the much better choice for Espresso. It sounds like you dont need a Pour over grinder anyway, so the K-Plus would not really be that useful for you, unless you want to brew Pour over when you are travelling. If that's the case and you don't mind a little extra work and a little frustration with some types of beans and some roast levels, the K-Plus can still do a decent job, it can be a little more work with the Picopresso depending on the beans and roast level you want to use, like i explained before. Darker roasted beans and soft beans work best with the Picopresso, lighter roasted beans and SHB (hard beans) are more difficult to dial in, but still doable. If you only brew Pour over at home, you Niche grinder will do a great job with that anyway. I have quite a few customers who purchase the K-Plus or the other K series grinders for their Flair Pro or Robot Espresso machines and they are very happy with the results, the K series grinders are just obviously no where as good as the J-Max for the grind range that the Max has. They both ship with a hard case included, the J-Max includes the cylinder hard case and the K-Plus includes the bigger square travel case, so you don't need to worry about purchasing the case separately. Maria thank you very much for your offer of support, thats really kind of you. I am actually based in Malaysia so there is not a lot you can do other than subscribing to my channel, that would be really appreciated.

Hi Paul! Thank you again so much for your detailed answer!! It really helped me a lot! I decided to go with the JMax grinder in the end based on your suggestion. As I mainly do espresso I think it’s the right grinder for me as you said. If I get more into pour overs in the future and brew them occasionally, it should also be able to handle it. Thank you again for all your advice. I am definitely subscribed to your channel. Thanks for putting together the videos too. They are very helpful. All the best.

Maria you are very welcome, i am really happy to help. The J-Max is an excellent grinder for Espresso, but honestly the way that it produces slightly more fines for Pour over is not a problem. There are two colours for the J-Max now, the dark version and the silver version, so please be aware of that when you buy the grinder. Please feel free to message me if you need any more help with the grinder once you do buy it. Have a wonderful weekend Maria, stay safe and well.

Thanks for the comment Mac Daddy. Sorry for the confusion. Too be honest i could not think of a title when i made the video's so i just went with the Versus. But i absolutely don't want people to be confused about the content of the video, so i promise no more Versus titles. The Picopresso will serve you well in that kind of environment. Its pretty sturdy and its not difficult to use manually. The most tricky part is getting the coffee grind size dialed correctly, after that its pretty easy to get a decent shot.

Is clean up as easy as it seems? No kitchen in my truck so an easy clean up like my AeroPress is important to me. Just knock out the puck and wipe out is enough?

@@macdaddy9344 yes its pretty easy to clean the Picopresso after use. The main thing to clean is the coffee basket, maybe the screen might need a quick wipe. The coffee puck being dry or a little wet will depend on how well the extraction went, if your grind size was good, then the puck will be dryer and more easy to tap out. I would suggest that you keep a small bottle of water to quickly wash out any left over coffee particles in the coffee basket, but other than that its an easy job.

@@mightymightyironhead awesome. Yes, I do have spray water bottle and prepackaged wet towels for basic things. Just can’t “wash/rinse it in the sink” type setup. As to grind, I recently upgraded my grinder to the AerGrind by Knock. Seems to work great for my AeroPress and V60. Any experience with this grinder working with espresso grinds needed for this picopresso?

@@macdaddy9344 I did not test the AerGrind with the Picopresso, i did have an AerGrind a while back and used it mostly for Aeropress and Pour over. I did use it on occasion for Espresso using a pressurised porta filter and it worked pretty well. The AerGrind state that the Espresso range is 1.1 - 1.3, but i think that this might be for Espresso with a pressurised porta filter, so maybe adjust finer. Perhaps just short of a full rotation might be a good place to start. One good thing with the AerGrind is the step less adjustments. That should make it more easy for you to dial in a decent shot with the grinder and the Picopresso, instead of being stuck with a grinder where the steps are too large to adjust if the shot is too fast or too slow.

I will certainly bare that in mind. Thanks for the recommendation.

@@mightymightyironhead your welcome

Hi, i always calibrate my grinders to the point that i feel "finger tight" resistance. After that there will still be a little more movement, maybe a click or so. When you are turning the adjustment dial to calibrate, you are best to "feel" for the correct amount of resistance, rather than just turn the adjustment dial until you can not turn anymore.

Hi Aryeh H. When i made the video and edited it, i normalised the volume, so it would not be too high or too low. I have just watched the video again and its ok on my side, so i think that you might have something wrong with the volume on you end. When i shot the video i only had one thing to record with, so i could not record separate angles and then edit them together, i also wanted to focus on the extraction because i thought that was more important, so thats why you only see one angle. I do also talk about the pumping handle and how hard or easy it is to push in. It really depends on the grind size and if it is correct, if its too fine, the handle will be difficult to push in and too course and the handle will be too easy to push in. If the grind size is the correct size, the handle its quite easy to push in, but it will have a little resistance because of the internal pressure, but overall its pretty easy to push in.

@@mightymightyironhead Thanks for replying. Maybe the RU-vid video before yours was just louder, I don't remember which it was. As for seeing the extraction, one of the things that appeals to me about the Pico is the naked basket. And I've seen it in videos. I'd be curious about good well-fitting mirror solutions to be able to watch it. Like the Flair 58 offers.

@@aryehh7128 The Picopresso is actually not too bad and if you use it properly it can produce a really decent shot. It does have a couple of limitations, like the pre heating and something to stabilise the Picopresso while you are pumping would be nice. As far as the mirror is concerned, Flair actually sell their own mirror with LED lighting. Its about $30 dollars and you can order it from their website. Alternatively if you do a Google search for LED vanity mirrors you can find quite a few different ones at reasonable prices. Here is a link to a page that has quite a few to get you started: www.glamour.com/gallery/best-lighted-makeup-mirror

@@mightymightyironhead Thanks kindly!

@@aryehh7128 you are very welcome. Hope it helps.

Hi Robert. Using oily dark roasted beans wont really have any long term negative impact on the burrs, also for Espresso you wont really notice any difference in flavour. However you might want to clean the burrs more often if you do use oily beans, simply because the oil will build up more and make it more difficult to clean your burrs because of the oil residue. I dont personally use oily dark roasted beans ( French or Italian roast, or anything that has gone too far into 2nd crack) because i dont really enjoy that level of roast and also because of the oily residue. If i do have a little oily residue, i usually just use some soft tissue paper, kind of roll the corner of the paper into a point and use this to clean between the cutting blades, then i use the same soft tissue paper to gently rub clean the surface of the burrs, this is usually enough to get rid of most if not all the oily residue. I also sometimes use breakfast ready oats (not rolled oats) and grind some through my burrs, this is also a pretty good and cheap way to clean the burrs. After i have ground the oats through, i use the cleaning brush to get the oat particles of the burrs.

@@mightymightyironhead How often would you clean a grinder? I'm planning to use these beans in next 2 weeks every day. And thanks for great cleaning tips!

@@robertrudolf8070 i dismantle my grinder and give it the burrs, around the baring caps and inside the grinder a good clean once every couple of weeks, but like i said, i dont usually use oily beans. If you are going to use the darker roasted oily beans, i dont think that you need to worry about cleaning the grinder every time that you use the grinder. If you dont want to let the oil build up too much, maybe clean the burrs once every week or two, i dont think that you will have any problems. If you change to another type of beans that are not so oily, then clean the burrs then, that will be enough. I personally dont really like to leave my grinder too long, i think that its good to try and keep the grinder in good condition, also the grinder can start to look a little nasty with coffee particles all over it after a while. Its really up to you, you can clean your grinder a little more often or less often if you want, but i do think that its important to not leave the grinder for too long. I always advise my customers to keep the grinder clean and have good maintenance, but sometimes they send me pictures of the grinder and a brew that they have made and the grinder is really dirty, like they have not cleaned it for months if at all. If you change your beans to a lighter roast, just purge the grinder by grinding a few new beans through and that will take care of any older coffee particles still in the burrs. A couple of things to mention, never ever use water on the burrs, no matter what anyone tells you. Also dont take the adjustment dial off your J-Max, in my video i show the grinder with the adjustment dial taken off, but its not meant to come off.

Hi Malcolm. Yes that pretty much it. You just need to fill the grinder with coffee beans and turn the grind handle counter clockwise until all the beans are ground. When the beans are finished grinding the handle will turn freely. At 1.5 (1 full rotation and turn to the number 5) thats pretty much at the end of the Espresso grind range, so i assume that you are grinding for Espresso. I would recommend that you calibrate the grinder, so that you have the 0 number at the starting position, that will make your life a little easier.

@@mightymightyironhead love your videos very informative . many many thanks for the quick reply I thought that’s how it works, I have checked and the 0 seems to be calibrated correctly from the factory what would you recommend 1.5 or less for espresso in a outin nano I plan to use 18 grams beans as I want a double espresso I am new to all this as I used to have a pod machine but decide I would take the time to do this and enjoy my coffee making more I found some great beans in Rotterdam from giraffe called Latin America Blend - Espresso one last thing how do you store your beans once packet opened

No problem Malcolm, you are very welcome, happy to help. The manual grinders are pretty straight forward to use, beans in, grind, powder out. Generally you will be using medium/dark or dark roast beans for Espresso. Darker roasted beans are physically easier to grind than medium or light roasted beans, however they can take a little longer than medium (Pour over) because obviously you are grinding a lot finer for Espresso. But you have an excellent Espresso grinder there and a full hopper should take about 1 minute (or less) to grind for Espresso using medium/dark or dark roasted beans. I dont advise that you use light roasted beans for Espresso, because they are very dense and hard and if you are grinding Espresso fine, thats a real workout. For the J-Ultra you have between 1 and 1.7 (nearly 2 full rotations) that cover you full Espresso grind range. If you are more toward the number 1 (1 full rotation, that's obviously very fine and is as fine as Turkish) that type of fine grind is better suited for a proper Espresso machine that uses a none pressurised coffee basket (precision basket) When you get to 1.5 thats about 2 thirds through the grind range for Espresso, so you are starting to get more to the courser end of the Espresso grind range (thats still pretty fine and can still be used for a proper Espresso machine that uses a none pressurised coffee basket (precision basket) but its starting to be course enough to use for a more basic Espresso machine or maker that uses a pressurised coffee basket like a Wacaco Minipresso, Nanopresso or your Outin Nano. If i was you, i would maybe start with a slightly more course grind size than 1.5 for you Outin Nano, because a pressurised basket like the one you have there can actually work with a slightly more course grind size and if your grind size is too fine, you will block it pretty easily. Regarding your beans, If the beans are in a proper sealed coffee bag with a one way valve on the back, that is pretty much the best place to store your beans. That valve on the back is designed to let the coffee degas, but also prevent oxygen from getting into the beans. Try to only open the bag when you are taking a few beans out to grind and then reseal the bag so that air cant get in. Also only ever grind enough beans for what you want to use, if you grind beans to store or keep for the next day, they will go stale very quickly, so only grind when you want to use the beans. If you can, always try to get fresh roasted beans, if possible, get roast to order beans, so that the beans are roasted the same day (or within a few days) of you buying the beans (fresh roasted beans need to degas and that can take a few days are they are roasted) there is a huge difference between fresh roasted beans and the old stale beans that you buy at the super market or from coffee shops like Starbucks, these beans are months old, not fresh beans.

@@mightymightyironhead thank you so much for the info it is a real pleasure to deal with you and your knowledge is hard earn I am sure I will give it all a try and let you know best regards from Holland Mal

@@MalcolmRobbins No problem Malcolm, you are very welcome, happy to help. Good luck and feel free to message me if you need any more help.

Flyboy X i am not sure what your point is?. I used some medium roast beans, because that is what a lot of people are using now, not just darker roasted beans. I also prefer the taste of medium beans to darker roasted beans, if the correct type of beans have bean roasted. Different types of beans and different roast levels will require different levels of grind size. All these things will affect the extraction using the Picopresso and the grind size will need to be adjusted accordingly. These are all very basic things for Espresso.

@@mightymightyironhead Well, i assume the purpose of your video is to dial in the grind setting on the picopresso? how can you possibly accomplish this when you are using different beans in your test? its kind of like testing out a set of tires under different road conditions but using a different car every time you change conditions. i guess i am saying that the info you provided would have been more valuable if you only changed one variable instead of two. maybe making one video for dark roast beans and one for medium would have been better.(in my opinion)

@@flyboyx8288 I will certainly take that into consideration, because there really is quite a bit of difference between light, medium and dark roasted beans in regards to Espresso.

I did not actually measure the temperature of the Espresso shot. However i did prime the Picopresso using boiling water a couple of minutes before i did each shot. The extracted shot was reasonably hot (not hot like a shot from an Espresso machine single boiler) but still as hot as you would expect from a product like this that needs pre heating and priming. Actually the Picopresso was pretty hot to hold. This is always going to be an issue with these type of manual Espresso makers, you really do need to pre heat them to get the most out of the shot. Even a product like the the Flair Pro requires pre heating (sometimes a few times) to get the Espresso hot enough.

@@mightymightyironhead It's good! I watched the Nanopresso test (not yours), where the guys complained that the coffee was not hot enough, even when preheated.

@@АлександрКорзубый yes its really difficult to get the Nanopresso as hot as you want. Its because the product is plastic and does not retain the heat very well. If the Nanopresso had some metal parts it would really help to make the Espresso a little more hot. I think that the Picopresso does get a little hotter because of the metal parts. I think that if i make another video i will include some temperature readings, its a good idea.

@@mightymightyironhead Yes, I agree with you, it's all about the metal parts. In my opinion, Picopresso is the only one in the line of travel coffee makers that contains metal parts.

@@АлександрКорзубый The Staresso SP300 is also worth checking out. Its very similar to the Picopresso, its got metal a naked porta filter also.

The J-Ultra has 10 numbers for each rotation from 0 to the next 0 number, the Espresso grind range starts from 1 (that i full rotation / 10 numbers) until the following number 7 ( so in total your Espresso grind range is 17 numbers). Its important to understand that the Picopresso stock basket is not a regular none pressurised basket (precision basket) it is a slow flow basket with slightly sloping sides. This type of basket is designed to allow you to use a slightly more course grind size than a regular none pressurised basket, because under pressure the extraction is forced slightly more to the center. I personally grind a little more course for the Picopresso than i would normally grind for a regular Espresso machine and if i am using the J-Ultra, depending one what beans i am using, i would start with a grind setting at around 14 - 15 (one full rotation and keep turning until you get to the next number 4 or 5. This will usually get me a decent idea of if i need to go either slightly more fine or slightly more course using either medium roasted beans (light and medium roasted beans need a slightly more fine grind size than the same beans if they are roasted darker). However there are ca few other things that you need to check that might be the issues. 1) Pre heat your Picopresso before you use it. Fill it with boiling water, screw the lid on and then pump that water through, then refill with hot water. This will help to heat the Picopresso and could help with any sourness. 2) Like a mentioned above, Under-Extraction. If the coffee is under-extracted, it might taste sour. This can happen if the shot is pulled too quickly. Make sure your grind size is fine enough. 3) Bean Freshness. Coffee beans that are too fresh can sometimes taste sour because they need time to degas. Usually a few days to a week after roasting is good. 4) Coffee-to-Water Ratio. Make sure that you have measured the right amount of coffee for the amount of water. Too little coffee can lead to sour flavors. 5) Coffee Beans. The type of beans you’re using can also affect the flavor. Some beans are naturally more acidic, like African beans, which can contribute to a sour taste. Also if you are using light roasted beans this can be a lot more sour. So try using a different type of beans, something like a medium/dark roasted Brazilian is very easy to get right.

@@mightymightyironhead thanks a lot for the detailed reply. I actually pre heat the picopresso. Yes the beans i used have been roasted like around 12 days back, so i guess they are still in the *FRESH* beans category. Moreover i am currently on a 1.6.0 grind setting and i feel the coffee came out quickly. Although i have even extracted those same beans at 1.1.0 and it was hard ti extract but still sour. So basically i have tried all the range from 1.1.0 to 1.6.0 in j ultra and the results were a sour shot of espresso.

@@AllIndiaPermitVlogs too be honest I would be very surprised if the sourness that you are tasting is caused by the grinder. When it comes to grind size, usually a sour extraction is caused by under extraction, not over extraction, so it’s safe to say that it’s caused by the grind size being slightly too cause, rather than slightly too fine, so that might narrow it down a little. Its worth checking your water, sometimes water can be a little “off” I have a water filter in my homes and sometimes after the company has been to service the water filter, my coffee can taste a little sour. It could also still be your beans, some beans are just not suited for Espresso. I don’t remember you mentioning what beans you are using? But some beans can be pretty acidic even at a medium / dark roast and often this acidity is mistaken for sourness and then the sourness gets beamed on the things that we are discussing, instead of it just being the beans themselves, so it might be a good idea to try some South American beans, Brazilian, Guatemalan or Colombian are decent beans for Espresso. It could also be your preparation. The Picopresso is pretty forgiving when it comes to tamping and distribution, especially if you use the dosing tool when you are tamping. But it’s also pretty easy to get channeling if you are not carful. I don’t personally use the distribution tool that comes with the Picopresso because I find that it creates some sold spots in the coffee bed and this can then create channeling. Also I don’t tap the sides of the coffee basket to loosen the coffee powder to move it away from the edges and into the middle of the coffee bed for the same reason, you can get channeling down the sides of the coffee bed. A good pre infusion might also help, maybe 5 seconds for your pre infusion and see if that changes the taste.

@@mightymightyironhead finally i got a good shot of espresso, the problem was with the beans i was using(they were high acidity profile) , I tried out the shot today with low acidity profile beans and it turned out to be really good. Thanks for the help 👍

At the moment its quite difficult to get the Picopresso. Wacaco released this product a couple of months ago, but they have the product listed as "Out of stock" on their webpage and its been showing as out of stock for a few weeks now. I am a dealer for Wacaco and i was told that the Picopresso would be available for me to purchase at the start of August, but Wacaco still did not give me any updated information, so i am not sure if dealers anywhere even have any copies of the Picopresso. You could try to find out if there are any dealers in your country (support@wacaco.com) and if not, you would need to order directly from Wacaco on their main webpage.

@@mightymightyironhead Ok. Thanks!

Hi José. For the Delonghi Dedica you will need a slightly bigger grind size because the Delonghi Dedica uses a pressurised porta filter. For a medium/dark roast i don't think that you really need to worry so much about adjusting the grind size too much for this roast level. For this machine and this grinder, I recommend that you go for an Aeropress/Moka Pot grind size, something around 210 clicks and then grind a little finer if you need to dial the grind back a little.

@@larakaraman Hi. The Timemore C3 is a decent entry level grinder. It can be used for Espresso with a pressurised porta filter with good results. The Picopresso uses a slow flow coffee basket and this type of basket sits in between the pressurised basket and the none pressurised basket. It’s designed so that the slightly sloping sides help to introduce a little pressure and this can help you if your grinder can not finely adjust the grind size. So technically you can use your Timemore grinder, but you will have a very small grind adjustment window to use, maybe one setting or a little more depending on the beans and roast level. However when you want to use that type of grinder for proper Espresso using a none pressurised porta filter you need a grinder with smaller microns (distance between each step) so that you have better fine grind adjustment to dial the best shot. Both the J-Max and the X-Ultra are excellent grinders and both of them would work very well with both the Picopresso and any other Espresso machine on the market, the J-Max has 8.8 microns and the X-Ultra has 12.5 microns, so you will have plenty of fine grind adjustment for Espresso. The J-Max is really more for Espresso because it has smaller microns and very fine grind adjustment, it can also be used for all other brew types, however please note that because it have the very small microns, it can introduce slightly more fines at the medium or course grind range. I would say that the X-Ultra is a better option if you want to also use the grinder for Pour over or filter brewing. Because it’s got 12.5 microns you don’t really have any extra fines, so you get a very good flavour profile for Pour over. The X-Ultra capacity is a little smaller than the J-Max, maybe 5g less depending on the beans, the burrs are a little smaller (X-Ultra has 40mm and J-Max has 48mm) so maybe a few seconds slower to grind.

@@mightymightyironhead thank you for your answer! 😇 I decided to buy a J-max

@@larakaraman the J-Max is excellent I am certain that you will love it.

Hi Robert, good morning. Yes this is normal. Usually as a rule, the lighter the beans are roasted, the finer the grind size because of the density of the beans. Lighter roasted beans are more dense and less soluble. So if you’re used to brewing with a darker roast and are trying out a lighter roast, grind it a little finer. Also note that different types of beans that grow at different altitudes like Strictly hard beans (SHB) or Strictly high grown beans (SHG) have different densities to lower grown beans like Soft beans (SB). So this is also something that can effect the extraction and could also need an adjustment in grind size to compensate.

@@mightymightyironhead Thanks for a quick reply and suggestions!

@@robertrudolf8070 you are very welcome. Please feel free to ask any questions, if i can help i am always happy to do that. Merry Christmas to you and your family.

@@mightymightyironhead Thank you very much. Merry Christmas to you and your family! I surely will because I'm new in this, but like to experiment. 😀

Thank you Robert.

The biggest difference between the J-Max and the K-Max is the micron adjustment sizes. The J-Max has 8.8 microns and the K-Max ( all of the K series have the same specifications ) has 22 micron adjustment. Really the J series ( JX-Pro and J-Max ) are Espresso grinders and the K series are more suited as Pour over grinders. Both the grinder are very good at all grind sizes and brew types, but if you want to use the grinder for Espresso, i really recommend that you try the JX-Pro (cheapest option) or the J-Max (a little more expensive, but worth it for the 8.8 microns). For Pour over and Espresso (using a pressurised porta filter) any of the K series grinders will be great, they are effectively the same, but with some cosmetic differences

@@mightymightyironhead Thank you for responding 😁 i will choose JX Pro according to your advice . How do you rate stareso mirage and wacaco nanopresso?

@@Mr_Phong_Tran I also sell the Wacaco products. The Nanopresso is a little cheaper than the Staresso Mirage ( maybe $10 USD) but the Staresso Mirage has a couple of nice extras that the Nanopresso does not have. I quite like the metal parts that you get with the Staresso, there are only a couple of metal parts, but its always nice to see this, because i do think that it helps with retaining the heat and it usually helps to make the product last and work better. The Nanopresso is a really good product, its actually still as good as any of the other hand held Espresso machines on the market. Its pretty solid and is pretty easy to use and clean. There are not a lot of things that can go wrong with the Nanopresso, if you use the product in the correct way. The Staresso can make a bigger shot of Espresso (not quite a double shot, but very close) the Nanopresso needs an extra adapter (Barista Kit) to make a double shot. Both products say that they can achieve around 20 bars of pressure (Staresso up to 20 bars, Nanopresso up to 18 bars) However the Staresso is a pressurised porta filter and the Nanopresso can work in both the pressurised porta filter mode and the none pressurised porta filter mode. So if you have a decent grinder you can actually use the Nanopresso in None pressurised mode and get a proper shot of Espresso from it. I like the stabilising legs that you get with the Staresso, it needs this type of thing, because of the way that the pumping works. The Nanopresso does not need anything like that, you just hold it and start pumping, so its got a smaller foot print and has less things to carry around with you. Both products are pretty good and make a very decent pressurised Espresso. There are three adapters that you can get with the Nanopresso, the Barista Kit, the NS Adapter and the DG Kit.

@@mightymightyironhead Thank you very much for sharing very useful things 👍😁

@@Mr_Phong_Tran you are very welcome. Happy to help.

Hi thivus. I know that Wacaco are talking about releasing a few extra's for the Picopresso, including an external pressure pump. I also agree that something like a brace or stand would be very useful. Some other manual Espresso makers like the staresso sp-300 and the 1Zpresso 1zpresso y3 air have this kind of stand, so i am also hoping that Wacaco understands the need for something like this.

Hary S i was just discussing this a few days ago and this is something that i come back to time and time again. I hear and see a lot of information about Stainless steel burrs being able to rust or not being able to rust. As you know steel burrs are made with high carbon steel. This is harder than stainless and so is sharper and will hold that sharp edge longer. Thats great grinder burrs but they are rust prone. I have had grinders in the past that i have never used water or even a damp cloth to clean and i still had some small spotting (rust spots) on the burrs. At the time the only time my burrs came into contact was through RDT (spoon handle wetting, not water drops) and the humid weather (i was living in Hong Kong and Macau and the humidity was torture). I also believe that some of that might have been caused by the RDT wetting the coffee particles that were stuck in between the blades for a period of time between cleaning. A lot of Commercial grade steel burrs are made from high carbon steel, not stainless steel as is often mis-stated. Carbon steel will rust if exposed to even slight humidity if they are not “seasoned” or protected with some sort of oil or lubricant ( a dry lubricant ). Better still is to get burrs that have some coating added, such as Black Oxide, Titanium Nitride (TiN) Titanium Carbo Nitride (TiCN) or Titanium Aluminum Nitride (TiALN. I really looked around and i asked a lot of people about coated burrs and rusting ( including 1Zpresso ) and honestly nobody could tell me if they did rust or did not rust. The most standard coating on Stainless steel burrs is usually something like: 1) Bright finish (cheapest option for low carbon steel and other cheaper materials. 2) Black Oxide is a coating that is often applied over Bright finish and is more resistant to oxidation ( I suspect that the coating of the black coated burrs are something like Black Oxide. This coating can go rusty if an oil post treatment is not added ) 3) Titanium Nitride (TiN) or Tinite is often bright or gold colored. ( TiN have a limited corrosion resistance and do rust ) 4) Titanium Carbo Nitride (TiCN) Temperatures over 700 °C the coatings suffered from serious oxidation. 5) Titanium Aluminum Nitride (TiALN) This seems to be the most durable and i can not find any positive information about this material. I apologise for the very long winded answer, but there simply is nothing to base anything conclusive on. I would personally not use RDT even on coated burrs, unless i absolutely knew what the material was on the burrs and even then i would really think twice about it, because as i found out, there can be oxidation occurring on all burr coatings, some more than others.

@@mightymightyironhead Thanks for the long explanation. I bought JX-Pro, only few days before 1Zpresso announced J-Max. My small regret (about coated burr) now gone after your explanation.😀

@@harys4058 really sorry to put you through the science class haha I think that the coating on burrs are really more for longevity, they might prevent rust for a little long and in some situation, but as far as i gather, there is no stopping oxidization. Some people also argue that a coated burr is less consistent until its seasoned, because the molecules in the coating bind to make a kind of "rounded edge" on the edge of the blades. Honestly the J-Max is a very nice grinder, but so is the JX-Pro, i use my JX-Pro every day, i dont use my J-Max unless i am grinding for Espresso.

If you have calibrated your grinder to zero point, you need to turn the adjustment dial from 0 to 0 ( 1 full rotation = 90 clicks ) that's the start of the Espresso grind range, then you can continue turning the adjustment dial to the number 1 (100 clicks) 2 (110 clicks) 3 (120 clicks) 4 (130 clicks) 5 (140 clicks) 6 (150 clicks) 1Zpresso recommends between 90 and 150 clicks as your Espresso grind range. These settings are only a guide and are not 100% accurate. Different types of beans, different roast levels, water temperature and tamping pressure can all mean that you need to adjust the grind size accordingly. The wacaco tamper is not the best tamper in the world, but it does work quite well if you use the dosing ring. The dosing ring help you to not over tamp the coffee, because it prevents you for pushing the tamp down too much. Do not tamp your coffee without the dosing ring, because you will tamp too hard and this will effect your extraction. I recommend that you use darker roast beans, light roasted beans are more difficult to get a good extraction and the correct grind size, darker roasted beans also produce better crema. I recommend that you try a grind setting at around 140 clicks and then adjust finer if you need to. Always weigh your coffee and your water, pre heat your Picopresso before you use it.

Some people are curious if the Picopresso can actually produce a "real" shot of Espresso. Some others are curious if the J-Max is a good grinder for grinding Espresso. So its kind of two products competing against each other.

Bobert it is partly down to a few things. The size of the step adjustments (clicks) for each grinder, the type of burrs used ( Pentagonal or Heptagonal burrs ) coated burrs or uncoated burrs, conical or flat burrs. Grinding at any grind size will produce a very small percentage of fines. The K series has 22 microns so this is an acceptable grind size to cover certain brew ranges and is a good size for Pour over. So when you grind for Pour over, most of the particles in your grind will be at the larger end of the spectrum, the size that you need for your Pour over, with incrementally smaller particles all the way down to a very small amount of fines. It kind of the same with the J series, but now you have 12.5 microns and you are grinding quite a bit finer, so the majority of particles in your grind at a finer ground particles anyway and then you have the same incrementally smaller particles all the way down to a very small amount of fines also. So generally the finer you grind coffee, the more very small particles are created as a side effect of grinding finer. This is a very basic way of trying to explain a pretty complex thing. There are quite a few other reasons why you get fines, is they are really that bad or even that noticeable in the cup.

Hi Marco. For the Picopresso you really need a grinder that has some fine adjustment settings, or even step less adjustment. For the 1Zpresso grinders, i recommend that you at least go for the JX-Pro, the JX-Pro works very well with the Picopresso and its got enough fine adjustments to be able to dial in the shot for a decent Espresso. If you want to spend more money, you could then go for either the J-Max, K-Pro, K-Plus or the soon to be released K-Max. If you don't want to go for the 1Zpresso grinders, its a little more difficult to recommend what grinder is best, because i am not so sure what options you have where you live, because some grinders are not available internationally. There are some very decent grinders out there, but some of the cheaper ones are not good for Espresso, usually they are for Pour over, Aeropressso amd Moka Pot, but can struggle at the more course end and even though they can grind quite fine, they dont have fine adjustments for dialing in Espresso. So be careful and ask a few questions about the grinder before you buy. The fist thing that i would ask and i highly recommend that you ask the shop or the seller who is selling the grinder, if they say that its great for Espresso, ask them "Can the grinder work with a None pressurised porta filter?" and see what they say. Because they often advertise as "Espresso grinders" but they are only able to grind for Espresso if you are using a pressurised porta filter and not a None pressurised porta filter. You really do need a grinder that can not only grind fine, but has small enough step adjustments (i recommend 0.022 Microns per click or finer) some of the cheaper grinders simply don't have the fine adjustments for Espresso and their adjustment steps are too big for dialing in a good shot of Espresso using a None pressurised porta filter. Maybe you can give me a list of a few grinders that you are interested in and i can let you know if they are good enough for the Picopresso?

@@mightymightyironhead thank you so much for your help and advice! I'm considering the JX Pro and J Max then. What about the Q2? Can it work with Picopresso? I'm considering also the Timemore Slim Plus. Would have loved the Chestnut X but it's too expensive. Thank you!

@@MarcoMarfia The Q2 is a nice little grinder for Pour over and Aeropress, but unfortunately its no good for Espresso, it simply does not have the fine adjustments needed for Espresso grinding and it wont work with the Picopresso, likewise the JX can, if you work hard enough and are prepared to waste quite a few beans, get a ok shot. But its really not easy. Both the JX-Pro and the J-Max will work very well with the Picopresso. Actually the JX-Pro is an excellent all round grinder and is very good for the price. Most importantly, the JX-Pro does have enough fine adjustment for Espresso using a None pressurised porta filter. If you have a budget and dont want to spend too much money but still get a very nice and capable grinder, the JX-Pro is really good. I have quite a few customers that purchase the JX-Pro for their Flair Pro, Robot and ROK, so its good enough for pretty much all Espresso machines. The J-Max has 8.8 micron adjustments, so its super fine. This is obviously very useful for dialing in Espresso shot. The J-Max is a lot more stylish with its Black colour and the adjustment dial on the outside, its got a magnetic catch cup, so be aware of that, because some people don't like the magnetic catch cup. Its also got coated burrs and includes the cylinder carry case, so its a really nice package.

@@mightymightyironhead thank you. I would love to get the J Max as it has a nicer design than JX pro plus the carrying pouch which is great for when I travel, but it's not available here in Italy and I should pay more to import it. I might get the JX pro then. I would use the grinder just for my Picopresso, Nanopresso and my italian moka.Thanks a lot for your help!

@@MarcoMarfia sorry that the J-Max is not available in Italy, hopefully this will change in the near future. Marco you have my word that the JX-Pro is more than enough for the Picopresso, Nanopresso and for your Moka Pot. Its also pretty fast (about 30 seconds for 20g of medium roast beans) and very consistent. Its a very nice grinder

Hi Philip. It kind of depends on what beans you are using, to what the accurate grind size will be. The 1Zpresso grind reference chart is notoriously vague and is just a starting guide. At 1 full rotation and number 4, you are actually within the accepted grind range for Espresso. But as i said, it depends a little on the beans that you are grinding also. So its not that unusual that you needed to adjust a little more course. You could also drop the dose a tiny bit and that would help to not choke the Picopresso, maybe 1/2g less. Also you could check your tamping, its quite tempting to take the dosing ring off after you have put the coffee powder in the coffee basket and tamp it one more time to get rid of any nutation around the inside rim of the basket. So maybe check that also. I don't think that you need to disassemble the grinder again, if you are sure that you have zeroed the grinder (burrs fully closed) and adjusted the zero number to the starting position using the thumb nut. You should be good to go and don't need to recalibrate the grinder. (Please don't take the adjustment dial off the grinder, i did that to show the adjustment ribs, but you are not supposed to do it)

I did actually test the J-Max with a V60 but my Gooseneck broke and i am waiting for a replacement. As soon as a get that i will do a quick video.

@@mightymightyironhead alright man! Still struggling to choose which hand grinder from 1z, wanting it for pour over and flair

@@wengscoffeeproject7065 If you are planning to use the grinder with a Flair (None pressurised porta filter) i highly recommend that you start with the JX-Pro. The Q2 is a pretty decent little grinder and its pretty good for Pour over and Aeropress, however its not going to be able to handle a Flair (maybe at a push, you will get something if you use the pressurised porta filter with the Flair) because the Q2 does not have any fine adjustments for dialing Espresso using a none pressurised porta filter. Also the Q2 only hold about 20g of beans and those Heptagonal burrs are quite slow when grinding anything more fine than medium grind size. The Q2 is a good little travel grinder and its good for Pour over, Aeropress and French press is pretty consistent. The JX is also considered a Pour over and Aeropress grinder. Its much faster than the Q2, because its got bigger Pentagonal burrs. The JX can grind Turkish fine grind and its very consistent at all grind levels. It can hold about 35g (depending on the beans) its got more grind range and some extra fine adjustments. However the JX will also make you work quite hard to get a good extraction with your Flair using a None pressurised porta filter, because the steps are just too big. Like the Q2 the JX will have no problems with a pressurised porta filter, just not a None pressurised porta filter. The JX-Pro is the best choice. Its basically the JX with an adjustment dial in the top of the body, instead of in the receiver like the JX. The biggest difference with the JX-Pro is extra fine adjustment settings. The JX-Pro can pretty much handle any brew type and is very good for Espresso using a None pressurised porta filter. I actually have quite a few customers that bought the JX-Pro to se with their Flair Pro and they are very happy with the JX-Pro.

@@mightymightyironhead what if filter coffee?

@@wengscoffeeproject7065 If you only want the grinder for Filter coffee (Pour over, Drip, V60 ect ) The Q2 is actually very capable and gives you very decent results. I would suggest the JX for Filter coffee (if you dont want to use the grinder for Espresso). The JX is very fast, it can hold enough beans that you dont have to grind twice to get enough for a V60 brew. Its very consistent at the grind size that you need for Filter coffee, so not many fines. The JX also has enough grind adjustment to fine tune your grind and pull some of those flavors out of your beans for a little more clarity in the cup. But like i said before, its worth paying that little extra to go for the JX-Pro and be able to take advantage of those extra fine adjustments. It really opens the grinder up to all other brew types.

Thank you Ida. I recently changed the title and must have had a funny turn typing the word again. Thanks for pointing that out.

@@mightymightyironhead welcome!