A barista in Nashville told me my grind was dialed in wrong for my cheap drip machine

Felix Owens · 2026-10-31T05:50:04.15642+00:00

I always figured grind size only mattered for espresso or pour over, so I kept buying the same medium grind bag from the store and dumping it in my $25 drip maker. Then last month a barista at a little spot in Nashville asked what machine I used and told me straight up that a cheap drip brewer with a weak shower head needs a finer grind than people think, or the water just runs past the grounds too fast. I tried it the next morning with a batch ground a couple notches finer and the cup came out way fuller, no bitterness at all. The catch is I had to back off the amount a little since it pulls stronger, so I went from 2 scoops to 1 and three quarters. I did it three times in a row to make sure it wasn't a fluke and every cup was better than anything I got before. Now I grind right before brewing instead of buying pre ground, which takes like 20 extra seconds. Has anyone else found their cheap machine wants a finer grind than the usual advice says?

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A barista in Nashville told me my grind was dialed in wrong for my cheap drip machine | Coffee Enthusiasts - The Community Guide