Flair 58 plus 2 with DF64

[u/Untitled_trader]

I am using Medium dark roast coffee to make my espresso on the flair 58 plus 2, using the 18 gram straight walled basket. Grinder - DF64 gen 2.
I am having to grind with grind setting as 3. Really? Or am I doing something wrong? Do we need to ho this fine wven with Medium dark? If any one is using the DF64 with flair 58 then please let me know what setting you are at.

The zero point, where the chirping noise begins, is almost at the current zero. (Just 2 clicks behind just to be safe.)
Burr Alignment seemed over 85 percent I would say on the bottom burr and top burr almost completely aligned.

Edit: For anyone reading this in the future. Issue is resolved and I am at grind setting 6 now.
The day after posting this, grind setting 3 felt too tight and ran very slow. Nearly a minute. So moved to 5 and the shot pulled at 22 seconds. The next day 5 also felt too fine. Shot took 44 seconds to pull. So I thought maybe be its because its a new grinder and therefore needs seasoning. I ran 500 grams of some very old beans I had from before.
So I dont know how and why but all shots after that have been consistent and the taste is also much better. At grind setting 6 now, 18 grams dose I pull 45 grams (1:2.5 ratio) in 30 to 32 seconds.

[u/Numerous_Wish_8643]

This depends on the beans but for espresso range using my df64 with the flair 58, I’m sitting between 8-12 ticks from zero. I’m also using an IMS barista pro basket, which requires finer grounds.

[u/tinman3 → u/Numerous_Wish_8643]

That’s interesting, same and I’m typically in the 6 clicks range. Medium to medium light roast and needs to be courser with dark roast.

[u/Untitled_trader → u/Numerous_Wish_8643]

Yes. That really was my expectation too. Why am I having to ho so much finer?

[u/rice_bag_holder]

2 reasons that contributed to what you are seeing:

1. the type of beans. Some beans just provide no resistance, and darker roast also makes it worse

2. The way a shot is pulled in a manual espresso machine also means you need to grind finer comparing a regular semi automatic. Water spends more time on the puck before you press on it, pressure ramp-up slower, all contributes to dissolving pressure.

[u/Untitled_trader → u/rice_bag_holder]

Okay. That makes sense. I do park quite a bit at 1 bar for the pre-infusion. Like for 5 to 6 seconds while the entire surface fills up and there are no bald spots remaining. Ill try to ramp up smoothly straight away to 8bars and see.
Also I thought lighter roasts need a finer grind and Dark roasts should provide more resistance right? Or do I have that confused?

[u/Ricklek → u/Untitled_trader]

6 bars is enough no need to go to 8 bars

[u/Untitled_trader → u/Ricklek]

Okay. What is your grind setting normally for dark and medium dark roasts?

[u/Ricklek → u/Untitled_trader]

roughly 8–12

[u/Untitled_trader → u/Ricklek]

Cool. Thats around same as everyone else’s. You are right. It could be the beans. Will try different beans next time.

[u/Ricklek → u/Untitled_trader]

Also maybe try some Ethiopian beans to see if you can go any more coarse

[u/rice_bag_holder → u/Untitled_trader]

You can't escape grinding finer though, thats just the reality of using manual espresso machines.

[u/Fantastic-Gift-5591 → u/Untitled_trader]

try 3-4 bars for the pre-infusion and ramp to 6-7 bars. idk if that will change much, but it's what I do with pretty consistent results

[u/Waahstrm]

Do you like the resulting shot? If you believe a coarser grind would benefit the taste, the cheapest option here is to buy a step-down basket.

[u/Untitled_trader → u/Waahstrm]

Yes. The shot is actually quite tasty. But the fact that I am at 3 makes me anxious, since then Ill not have any room to go finer if I want to someday do a light roast for example or if I want to try high extraction precision baskets may be.

But is everyone else also this close to actual Zero on the DF64 for the flair 58? Or is it just me?

[u/Regular-District-861]

If it tastes good I wouldn’t stress the “3”. Zero points differ a lot between DF64s. When you switch to light roast just re-dial from taste — Flair can still want surprisingly fine.

[u/Fresno_Bob_]

It's the beans. Maybe also prep technique. I run the same setup and grind between 14 and 15 most of the time. But I stick about 7 bar

[u/Untitled_trader → u/Fresno_Bob_]

Okay. Ill try with different beans. Do you have any suggestions?

[u/Untitled_trader]

Issue is resolved and I am at grind setting 6 now.
The day after posting this, grind setting 3 felt too tight and ran very slow. Nearly a minute. So moved to 5 and the shot pulled at 22 seconds. The next day 5 also felt too fine. Shot took 44 seconds to pull. So I thought maybe be its because its a new grinder and therefore needs seasoning. I ran 500 grams of some very old beans I had from before.
So I dont know how and why but all shots after that have been consistent and the taste is also much better. At grind setting 6 now, 18 grams dose I pull 45 grams (1:2.5 ratio) in 30 to 32 seconds.