How to convert grind settings between grinders

1. Write down the setting and the exact grinder

Note the number and the full model name the recipe was written for. Models that look alike often use their dials differently. Baratza's own V60 guide suggests 23 on the Encore and 25 on the Encore ESP, two grinders with the same 40-step collar. If a recipe just says "medium" or "setting 15" with no grinder, start from a brew method instead (step 5).

2. Enter it in the converter

Open the grind converter, choose "From a Grinder", pick the source grinder from the list and type the setting. The list is grouped by brand and shows each grinder's range and unit, so you can check you have the right model: 1 to 40 on an Encore, 0 to 50 clicks on a Comandante C40 MK4.

3. Read the grind index

The converter turns your setting into a number from 0 to 100, shows a label such as "Medium (Filter)", and marks it on a scale bar. Behind that number are each grinder's five anchors, fixed at index 0, 15, 40, 70 and 100.

For conical burr grinders, BrewMark draws a smooth curve through the anchors, a monotone spline that never overshoots between them, and solves it backwards to get the index. For flat burr grinders it uses straight lines between anchors. If a grinder has no recorded moka or French press anchor, that point is filled in on a straight line between its neighbours.

4. Pick your grinder and read the result

Choose the grinder you own as the target. The converter reads the index back on its dial, rounds to one decimal place and keeps the answer inside that grinder's minimum and maximum. Click-based dials are shown in whole clicks.

A worked example from BrewMark's catalog: Encore setting 20 sits on its filter anchor, index 40, which lands on 26 clicks on the Comandante C40 MK4. Encore 15 reads as index 27.5, which becomes about 20 clicks. Both fall inside the 18 to 35 clicks Comandante's FAQ suggests for pour-over.

5. No source grinder? Start from the brew method

Switch to the brew-method mode and choose what you're making. Each method has a preset index: espresso 8, moka pot 15, AeroPress 28, pour-over 38, drip 42, French press 80, cold brew 85. The converter turns that preset into a setting on your grinder, the same way as in step 4. Honest Coffee Guide makes the same point about its own chart: it gives you a starting point to dial in from.

6. Brew it, then tell the converter how it went

Brew your normal recipe at the converted setting and taste it. Under the result, mark it Too Fine, Just Right or Too Coarse. That feedback is recorded against the conversion. For your own cup, move one step at a time: finer if it ran fast and tasted sharp, coarser if it ran slow or tasted bitter. Baratza's V60 guide suggests one or two settings at a time on its grinders.

7. Calibrate it to your grinder

If conversions keep landing a little off on your grinder, run the calibration. You brew three reference coffees at index 8 (espresso), 38 (pour-over) and 80 (French press), and report the setting you used and how it tasted. Saving it needs you to be signed in, and adds the grinder to your collection. BrewMark works out how far your unit sits from the standard curve at each point, then applies that offset to every later conversion, blending between the three points. How to calibrate a grinder covers this and the physical zero point.

Why not just scale the numbers proportionally?

Because dials aren't spaced the same way. Baratza's Encore ESP manual explains that settings 1–20 make small changes for espresso, while 21–40 make "relatively larger changes" for filter. A straight percentage of that dial would put you in the wrong place on almost any other grinder. Anchoring each grinder at the same brew points avoids that. You can see two very different click scales side by side in the JX-Pro vs Comandante C40 MK4 comparison.

How accurate is a converted setting?

It is only as good as the anchors, and manufacturers do not always agree with each other or with BrewMark. Baratza's V60 guide gives 23 on the Encore and 25 on the Encore ESP, and the ESP manual also suggests 25 for a V60. The converter maps Encore 23 to about 20 on the ESP, because BrewMark's ESP filter anchor sits lower than Baratza's chart. Where a manufacturer publishes a per-method chart for your grinder, it is a fair second opinion.

The index also maps nominal dial positions. It can't see a grinder whose zero point has drifted, and two grinders at the same index can still taste different. Start from the converted number and let the cup decide.