When brewing coffee, the grind size of your coffee beans is paramount in determining the quality of your brew and plays an important role of bringing out different flavours in your coffee. There is no such thing as a 'one grind size for each brew method', this is because different coffees have different densities, roast types and in fact the same coffee can taste completly different and even be expressed differently by using another grind size. A lot of this does also come down to personal preference.
In the Chart below we have included a range of grind sizes for each brew method, this is not definitive but we have found for all of the coffees and different drippers we used this is a good reference point to start with.
The Comandante C40 Mk4 Coffee Grinder is celebrated for its precision and versatility, allowing you to explore a spectrum of grind sizes from espresso - coarser brew methods like cold brew.
Grind Size Chart:
Brew Method |
Clicks (Traditional) |
Clicks (Red Clix) |
Micons µm |
| Turkish Coffee ( Ibrik ) | 0-3 | 0-6 | 0-90 |
|
Espresso |
3-6 | 6-12 | 90-180 |
|
Orea V3 |
20-30 | 40-60 | 600-900 |
|
Kalita Wave |
20-30 | 40-60 | 600-900 |
| Graycano Dripper | 20-30 | 40-60 | 600-900 |
| Hario V60 | 20-30 | 40-60 | 600-900 |
| AeroPress (Espresso style) | 10-20 |
20-40 |
300-600 |
| AeroPress (Filter Style) | 20-30 | 40-60 | 600-900 |
| Cupping | 25-30 | 50-60 | 750-900 |
| Cold Brew (drip) | 25-30 | 50-60 | 750-900 |
| Cold Brew (immersion) | 30-40 | 60-80 | 900-1,200 |
Download this chart as a printable PDF
Grind Size for V60
The Hario V60 Dripper is one of the most popular ways to brew coffee and because of this has hundreds of different recipes you can choose to brew with all resulting in different expressions of coffee and all requiring different grind sizes.
For the most part I recommend using coffee ground at around 20-30 clicks on the Comandante C40 as this is an optimal range for most coffees. The Hario V60 is a conical dripper meaning it relies on gravity to pull down the water and flow. I would also rate the Hario V60 a medium speed flowing dripper, meaning you don't need to overcompensate too much by grinding too fine.
Grind Size for French Press
The French Press method requires a coarser grind to prevent over-extraction and sediment in your cup. A grind size of 30-40 clicks on the Comandante C40 tends to be the optimal range for immersion styles such as the French press.
Grind Size for Orea V3 Dripper
The Orea V3 range of drippers are known for their fast flow rate, their large hole size located on the base of the brewer paired with the flat bottom design results in a low bypass and very fast brew. We recommend grinding coffee closer to the 20 click mark on the Comandante C40.
Grind Size for Cupping
Cupping coffee can be very technical and even has a whole set of cupping guidelines from the SCA (Specialty coffee Association). We found that grinding coffee at 30 Clicks on the Comandante gives us 900µm and is a great middle ground to asses a range of coffees.
Grind Size for Espresso
Espresso brewing demands a fine grind, by balancing the taste and the speed of coffee extracting you are able to time your espresso shot and dial your coffee to taste. We recommend grinding 3-6 clicks on the Comandante C40 but this will very much depend on the coffee and other variables.
When grinding for espresso on the Comandante we highly recommend you consider using the Red Clix upgrade as this doubles the amount of clisks and helps you to adjust your grinder 2x more accurately.
Grind Size for AeroPress
The AeroPress is a versatile coffee brewer with a range of different styles of coffee it can make, for an espresso-style coffee we found around 10-15 clicks works great but for filter brewing we recommend using 20-30 clicks on the Comandante C40.
Comandante C60 Baracuda
The Comandante C60 Baracuda is Comandante's latest grinder to be released, featuring a full stainless steel body and a much larger 60mm burr this grinder is an absolute beast that weighs around 1kg.
How many microns is 1 click on the Comandante C60?
The Comandante C60 features the GX50 thread on the Gold Clix drivetrain system, this system enables ultra-fine grind adjustments, with a vertical burr pitch of 41.6μm per click, and a 21μm change per click click.
Comandante C40 to C60 Grind Size Chart:
Brew Method |
Clicks C40 |
Clicks C60 |
Micons µm |
| Turkish Coffee ( Ibrik ) | 0-3 | 0-4 | 0-90 |
|
Espresso |
3-6 | 4-9 | 90-180 |
|
Orea V3 |
20-30 | 28-42 | 600-900 |
|
Kalita Wave |
20-30 | 28-42 | 600-900 |
| Graycano Dripper | 20-30 | 28-42 | 600-900 |
| Hario V60 | 20-30 | 28-42 | 600-900 |
| AeroPress (Espresso style) | 10-20 |
14-28 |
300-600 |
| AeroPress (Filter Style) | 20-30 | 28-42 | 600-900 |
| Cupping | 25-30 | 35-42 | 750-900 |
| Cold Brew (drip) | 25-30 | 35-42 | 750-900 |
| Cold Brew (immersion) | 30-40 | 28-57 | 900-1,200 |
Download this chart as a printable PDF
How to Dial in Coffee by Changing Grind Size
Dialling in your coffee involves adjusting the grind size to alter the taste. If your coffee tastes too bitter, a coarser grind will reduce extraction, softening the flavour. Conversely, if it's too sour, a finer grind will increase extraction, balancing out the acidity. Understanding the relationship between grind size and taste is key to dialing in your coffee for the best tasting cup .
Comandante Red Clix Grind Size Adjustment
The Comandante RX35 Red Clix is Comandante's upgrade to the traditional C40 range of clicks, this kit replaces the axil, spring and adjustment knob by adding an additional click to each grind size. This essentially doubles the range you are able to grind using your Comandante C40 Grinder.
To calculate the grind size simply x2 so for example a grind size of '20' on the C40 now becomes '40' when using the Red Clix upgrade.
