1Zpresso K-Ultra Grind Settings Chart

Treat these as starting points rather than answers. Roast level, bean age and your brewer each move the ideal setting a few clicks. Our coffee grind size chart explains how grind size changes extraction across methods, and the coffee grind size calculator gives a quick starting point for any brewer.

The K-Ultra adjusts with an external ring under the catch cup end. The ring is printed with numbers 0 to 9, and between each number are 10 clicks. That gives 100 clicks per full rotation, with each click moving the burr gap by roughly 20 microns.

Settings are often written in a rotation.number.click format. For example, 0.3.5 means no full rotations, number 3, fifth click: 35 clicks from zero. A coarse setting past one full turn, such as 1.0.0, means one complete rotation, or 100 clicks.

Because the adjustment is external and each click is small, you can move between espresso and filter in seconds without taking the grinder apart. That's the main practical advantage over grinders that adjust from under the burrs.

1. 1

   Empty the grinder.

2. 2

   Turn the dial finer slowly until the burrs just touch and the handle won't turn freely. Don't force it.

3. 3

   That point is true zero; note where the printed number sits.

4. 4

   Count clicks coarser from there to reach your setting.

The printed 0 and true zero can differ slightly between units and after cleaning. Counting from true zero is what makes shared settings, including the chart above, useful on your grinder.

1. 1

   Weigh about 18g of beans and grind the whole dose.

2. 2

   Start at the espresso setting in the chart above.

3. 3

   Distribute, tamp level and pull a shot onto a scale.

4. 4

   Aim for roughly 36g of espresso in 25–30 seconds as a starting recipe.25–30 seconds

5. 5

   Fast and sour: go finer by 2–3 clicks. Slow and bitter: go coarser by the same amount.

6. 6

   Change only the grind until the shot tastes balanced, then note the setting for that bag.

Most bags settle within a few shots. Our espresso dial-in guide covers tasting cues in detail, and sour espresso fixes helps when shots won't sweeten. If your machine uses a pressurized basket, grind a little coarser than the chart; see pressurized vs non-pressurized baskets.

Filter brewing tolerates bigger changes than espresso, so move in steps of about 5 clicks. If a V60 tastes sour or drains fast, go 5 clicks finer; if it tastes bitter or drains slowly, go 5 clicks coarser. For a single cup, a total brew time of around 2:30–3:30 is a useful target.

For French press, a muddy or silty cup means go coarser; thin and sour means go a little finer or steep longer. Keep the dose steady while you adjust; our coffee ratio calculator helps with that.

Choosing between hand grinders? Our manual vs electric grinders guide covers when a hand grinder like the K-Ultra makes sense, and our guide to choosing a burr grinder explains what burr size and step size mean in practice.

Taste first, then use time as a check. Two cups can run the same time and taste different because of roast level or water, so the cup always gets the final say. Change one thing at a time, and if a single move doesn't fix it, look at dose and ratio before going further on the grind.

Because the K-Ultra adjusts externally, switching is just a turn of the ring. Going from espresso at about 35 clicks to pour-over at about 75 is under half a rotation. Hand grinders hold very little coffee inside, so there's no need to purge between methods: what you weigh in is close to what comes out.

Write your two or three regular settings on a small label or in your phone. It turns a morning switch into a quick turn of the dial instead of a fresh dial-in, and it makes it easy to spot drift if a familiar bag suddenly tastes different.

Most "my grinder changed" moments come down to one of these. Fix the basics first, then adjust the grind. A small notebook or a note on your phone with your setting for each bag and brewer saves a lot of re-dialing.

• Brush it out every week or two. Old grounds and oils change how coffee flows through the burrs.
• Re-check zero after cleaning. Reassembly can shift where zero sits by a click or two.
• Avoid washing the burrs with water unless you dry them completely; a brush and blower are usually enough.
• Keep the dose in range. The catch cup holds about 35g, so larger batches need two grinds.

For espresso, the K-Ultra competes with electric grinders costing more; our best espresso grinders under $300 compares the options.