The grinder this chart is for
KINGrinder K6
External adjustment with 16 microns per click, fine enough for espresso and coarse enough for French press on one dial.
Updated
Starting KINGrinder K6 click settings for espresso, moka pot, AeroPress, pour-over and French press, plus how to zero the dial and adjust from there.
Espresso: start around 40 clicks from zero. Pour-over: 95. AeroPress: 75. French press: 125. Turn clockwise to zero first, then count anti-clockwise. Full review: KINGrinder K6.
Starting ranges counted in clicks from zero; lower is finer.
| Brew method | Clicks from zero | Start at |
|---|---|---|
| Turkish | 15–25 | 20 |
| Espresso | 30–60 | 40 |
| Moka pot | 60–70 | 65 |
| AeroPress | 65–90 | 75 |
| Pour-over (V60) | 85–110 | 95 |
| Drip coffee maker | 95–120 | 105 |
| French press | 110–150 | 125 |
| Cold brew | 130–160 | 145 |
Turkish
Espresso
Moka pot
AeroPress
Pour-over (V60)
Drip coffee maker
French press
Cold brew
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 grinder this chart is for
External adjustment with 16 microns per click, fine enough for espresso and coarse enough for French press on one dial.
Affiliate links: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Clicks, rotations and step size.
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, so it can reach and adjust espresso, though grinding a fine dose by hand is slow for daily shots.
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.
Count from the burrs touching, not the printed number.
Empty the grinder.
Turn the dial gently clockwise until the burrs just touch. Don't force it.
That point is true zero.
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.
A short routine for a new bag of beans.
Weigh about 18g of beans and grind the whole dose.
Start at the espresso setting in the chart above.
Distribute, tamp level and pull a shot onto a scale.
Aim for roughly 36g of espresso in 25–30 seconds as a starting recipe.25–30 seconds
Fast and sour: go finer by 3–5 clicks. Slow and bitter: go coarser by the same amount.
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.
Bigger moves for filter brewing.
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.
Quick decision guide
Switching from espresso to French press takes too long
note both settings and count the turns: about one and a half rotations covers the gap.
Shared settings don't match your cups
re-zero the grinder and count from true zero before changing anything else.
Starting points for common espresso machines and manual brewers.
| Brewer | Starting clicks | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 58mm machines (Gaggia Classic Pro, Rancilio Silvia) | 40 | Unpressurized baskets need the fine end |
| 54mm Breville (Bambino Plus) | 45 | Pressurized basket: go 5–10 clicks coarser |
| Hario V60 | 95 | Finer for single cups |
| Chemex | 110 | Thick filters slow the flow |
| AeroPress | 75 | Coarser for long steeps |
| French press | 125 | Coarser if the cup is silty |
58mm machines (Gaggia Classic Pro, Rancilio Silvia)
54mm Breville (Bambino Plus)
Hario V60
Chemex
AeroPress
French press
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. Our full KINGrinder K6 review sets out who it suits and where it falls short.
Move between espresso and filter without guesswork.
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.
Problems that look like a faulty grinder but usually aren't.
| Mistake | What happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Counting from the printed 0 | Shared settings grind too fine or coarse | Find true zero first |
| Big jumps for espresso | Shots swing from gushing to choking | Move a few clicks at a time |
| Changing dose and grind together | You can't tell which change helped | Change one variable at a time |
| Never re-zeroing after cleaning | Settings drift by a click or two | Re-check zero after reassembly |
| Grinding old beans | Shots run fast whatever the setting | Use beans within a few weeks of roast |
Counting from the printed 0
Big jumps for espresso
Changing dose and grind together
Never re-zeroing after cleaning
Grinding old beans
With about 16 microns per click, single K6 clicks are hard to taste. Move in small groups of clicks, and keep a note of the count that works for each bag and brewer, which saves a lot of re-dialing.
Simple upkeep that keeps your settings repeatable.
If espresso is your main drink, an electric grinder saves the cranking; our sub-$300 espresso grinders compares the options.
Quick answers before you buy.
Start around 40 clicks from zero and adjust 3–5 clicks at a time until a double runs in about 25–30 seconds.
60 clicks per full rotation, with each click moving the burrs about 16 microns.
Clockwise is finer and anti-clockwise is coarser.
Turn clockwise gently to find zero, then count anti-clockwise.
Your printed number at zero may differ.
Re-zero by turning until the burrs just touch, then count clicks from there.
No. Other KINGrinder models use different burrs or step sizes, so click counts don't transfer directly.
About 35g, per KINGrinder: enough for a two-cup pour-over or an AeroPress dose in one load.
A large French press at 40g or more needs a second round.
Its extra-fine range around 15–25 clicks reaches Turkish fineness, though grinding that fine takes more time and effort.
Keep reading: more guides on the same topic.
ExplainedGrinder6 min read
Click-by-click 1Zpresso K-Ultra settings for espresso, moka pot, pour-over, AeroPress and French press, with how to adjust from there.
ExplainedGrinder5 min read
Timemore Chestnut C3 click settings for pour-over, AeroPress, French press and moka pot, plus what it can and can't do for espresso.
ExplainedGrinder5 min read
Comandante C40 click settings for every brew method, with the Red Clix difference explained and a dial-in routine for espresso.
Reader questions
Questions or tips? Leave a comment
Ask about your setup or share what worked for you. Comments are checked before they appear.
Write a comment or question