KINGrinder K6 Grind Settings Chart

KINGrinder's own chart groups the K6 by grind category: extra fine around 15–25 clicks, fine 25–60, medium-fine 60–90, medium 90–120 and coarse around 150. The brew-method ranges above sit inside those categories.

Treat these as starting points; beans, roast date and brewer each move the right number. Our coffee grind size chart explains how grind size changes extraction, and the coffee grind size calculator gives a quick starting point for any brewer.

The K6 adjusts with an external dial at the top of the grinder. One full turn is 60 clicks, and each click moves the 48mm heptagonal burrs about 16 microns. That's a finer step than many hand grinders, which is why the K6 handles espresso adjustment well.

Turning anti-clockwise makes the grind coarser and clockwise makes it finer. Because the dial is on the outside, switching from espresso to pour-over is a quick turn rather than a teardown, but it takes more clicks than on a coarser-stepped grinder: going from espresso to French press can be close to 90 clicks.

1. 1

   Empty the grinder.

2. 2

   Turn the dial gently clockwise until the burrs just touch. Don't force it.

3. 3

   That point is true zero.

4. 4

   Count clicks anti-clockwise to your setting.

The printed number at true zero may not read exactly 0, especially after cleaning and reassembly. Recording your settings as clicks from true zero keeps them repeatable and makes shared settings, including the chart above, useful on your unit.

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 3–5 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, so move about 5–10 clicks at a time. Sour or fast pour-over means finer; bitter or slow means coarser. For a single cup, a brew time around 2:30–3:30 is a useful target.

For French press, go coarser if the cup is silty and finer or steep longer if it's thin. Keep the dose steady while you adjust; the coffee ratio calculator helps.

Weighing the K6 against other hand grinders? Our manual vs electric grinders guide covers when a hand grinder makes sense, and the guide to choosing a burr grinder explains burr size and step size.

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.

The K6's external dial makes switching simple, though its small 16-micron steps mean more clicks between methods. Espresso at about 40 clicks to pour-over at about 95 is close to one full rotation. Like most hand grinders, it holds very little coffee inside, so purging between methods isn't needed.

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 out the burrs regularly. Old grounds and oils change how coffee flows through.
• Re-zero after cleaning. Reassembly can shift zero by a click or two.
• Don't overtighten when zeroing. Gentle contact is enough; forcing it can damage the burrs.
• Dry fully if you rinse anything. Moisture on steel burrs leads to rust and clumping.

For espresso, the K6 competes with electric grinders at higher prices; our best espresso grinders under $300 compares the options.