What do you do if your Sage grinder is still too coarse on the finest setting?

Is the regular grind size selector already at the finest setting, and is the ground coffee still too coarse? Then adjust the upper burr one number towards FINE, for example from 6 to 5. This allows the burrs to come closer together, and your Sage can grind finer than before this adjustment. So you are not making the current finest grind setting coarser: you are actually adding an even finer grind to the fine end.

The regular grind size selector on the outside of your Sage determines the grind you use daily. If that selector is already at the finest setting, but the ground coffee is still too coarse, the coffee grinder has no adjustment room left on the fine side.

With the adjustable upper burr, you change the basic setting of the grinding mechanism. You ensure that the upper and lower burrs can come closer together. This results in the coffee beans being ground into smaller particles.

The term “shifting the grinding range towards FINE” can sound confusing. In plain language, it means: you are actually making the finest grind that the coffee grinder can produce even finer.

Bovenste maalschijf van een Sage-espressomachine wordt één nummer fijner afgesteld

First, the direct answer to your practical situation

You only need to adjust the upper burr when the regular grind adjustment is already at the end of its fine range. In addition, check that you are using enough ground coffee and that your coffee beans are not very old.

My Sage is on the finest grind setting, but the grind is still too coarse: what now?

Close-up van het maalsysteem van de Sage Oracle Jet espressomachine met verse koffiebonen in de molen, gebruikt ter illustratie van de stap-voor-stap handleiding voor het instellen van de juiste maalstand.

Exclude other causes of a fast espresso

An espresso that runs too fast does not automatically mean that the top burr is incorrectly set. First, keep the most important parts of your preparation as consistent as possible.

Use the adjustment checklist

What do you check before calibrating the Sage grinder?

First, weigh the amount of ground coffee you use in the portafilter. Then, brew your espresso with a coffee scale under the cup and note the yield and extraction time. This way, you'll know if you are indeed investigating a grind problem.

Also, check which filter basket you are using. With a single-walled filter basket, the espresso reacts directly to grind size, dosage, and distribution. A double-walled filter basket builds up extra resistance itself and therefore behaves differently.

Next, look at your coffee beans. As beans age, they may grind differently and offer less resistance during extraction. Too small an amount of ground coffee also allows water to flow through faster. Are you using an appropriate dose, fresh coffee beans, and a normal preparation, while the external setting cannot be made any finer? Then it makes sense to check the internal upper burr.

Work with a fixed adjustment sequence
Gemalen koffie wordt in een portafilter gewogen op een koffieweegschaal tijdens een privé barista workshop aan huis met een Sage Barista Pro.

What exactly changes in the coffee grinder?

The internal setting determines how close the burrs can get to each other at their maximum. This is different from the regular grind size adjustment, which you use for minor daily adjustments.

What does it mean to "shift the grind range towards FINE"?

By grinding range, we mean all the coarse and fine grind settings that can be achieved with the regular grind size adjustment.

When you adjust the top burr one number towards FINE, the burrs can move closer together. This reduces the smallest opening the coffee grinder can make. As a result, the coffee beans are ground through a smaller space, creating finer coffee particles.

You might think:

"My coffee grinder is already on its finest setting. Does 'towards FINE' mean that the burrs are first set coarser, so I can then grind even finer?"

No. The burrs are not set coarser. The finest possible position is actually made finer.

You can compare it to an adjustable slider. The regular grind size adjuster can, for example, move from fairly coarse to fine. After the internal adjustment, the same adjuster moves from fine to even finer. The entire range has therefore shifted towards a finer grind.

Stappen voor verwijderen en afstellen van de Sage top burr

One size finer is usually sufficient to retest

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Check out the three golden rules of espresso

How do you adjust the upper Sage grinding burr when the grind is still too coarse?

  1. Remove the coffee beans from the bean hopper.
  2. Replace the empty bean hopper and let the coffee grinder run until no more ground coffee comes out.
  3. Turn off the Sage and unplug it from the wall socket.
  4. Remove the bean hopper and flip up the metal wire handle of the upper burr.
  5. Turn the upper burr according to the markings to ALIGN or UNLOCK and lift it straight up.
  6. Note the current internal setting. For example, if it is on 6, adjust it one number towards FINE to 5.
  7. Firmly place the metal wire handle back into the notches of the chosen number.
  8. Replace the upper burr and turn it fully to LOCK.
  9. Replace the bean hopper. First, set the regular grind size selector a few notches coarser than the finest setting and grind a small amount of coffee.
  10. Brew an espresso again and adjust step by step finer from this new starting position.

After the internal adjustment, your Sage can grind finer than before. Therefore, you do not need to immediately set the regular grind size selector back to the absolute finest setting.

Learn to readjust your espresso
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Stappenplan voor koffiebonen bewaren met koffiezak voorraadpot en espresso voor thuisbarista’s.

The top burr does not solve every extraction problem

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Why is your Sage espresso still running too fast after adjusting?

If your espresso still runs too fast after you've set the top burr one number finer, re-check how much ground coffee actually ends up in the filter basket. A Sage with automatic dosing may need a different grind time after a significant change in grind size.

Also check the distribution of the ground coffee. When weak spots or channels form in the coffee bed, the water will take the easiest route. This is called channeling and can cause a fast, uneven espresso, even if the grind is fine enough.

The freshness and roast of your coffee beans also remain important. Dark roasted and older beans react differently than fresh, lighter roasted coffee. In the module on roast date and freshness of coffee beansyou'll discover why an espresso can change even if you keep the machine settings the same.

Understand what freshness does to your espresso

Frequently asked questions about the upper burr of a Sage grinder

What happens when I adjust the top Sage grinding disc towards FINE?

The burrs can be moved closer together. This grinds the coffee beans into smaller particles, allowing your Sage to grind finer than before the adjustment.

Towards FINE means that the burrs can be moved closer together.Your current finest grind setting will become even finer. After this internal adjustment, you should first set the regular grind adjuster to a coarser setting and then re-adjust your espresso step-by-step.

Will my finest grind setting become coarser when I adjust the grind size towards FINE?

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My Sage is on the finest setting and still grinds too coarse. What action should I take?

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Why should I start with something coarser after the internal adjustment?

After adjusting towards FINE, all settings of the regular grind adjustment have become finer. If you immediately start again on the very finest setting, the grind may be too fine and the espresso may barely flow through.

Should I set the top burr two notches finer immediately?

A 30-day money-back guarantee means that you can return a product within 30 days of purchase for a full refund. This gives you the opportunity to try out the product and return it if you are not satisfied, without any financial risk. Please refer to our returns policy for the exact conditions.

I have another question.

Contact Geert-Jan the Barista Man

Sage grinder adjusted? Now check the full espresso

Adjusting the upper burr is a useful correction when the regular grind setting regulator has insufficient range. Always work one number at a time, note your starting position, and then test with the same coffee beans, dosage, and espresso yield.

Do you find yourself adjusting different settings for every new espresso? Then start for free with Espresso Under Control. There you will discover how coffee beans, grind, and extraction work together as one system.

Do you want to adjust your Sage together with the coffee beans you use at home? During a private barista workshop at homewe will look directly at your own machine, coffee grinder, and coffee routine. This way, De Barista Shop helps you further from the point where you get stuck with your coffee.

Get personalized help adjusting your Sage espresso machine and learn to monitor the settings independently afterward.

View the private at-home workshop
Digitale Sage espresso afstel checklist voor perfecte espresso extractie – PDF download van De Barista Shop

Adjust Sage in a fixed sequence

With the digital Sage adjustment checklist, you check the dosage, espresso yield, flow time, and grind size in addition to your machine. This way, you don't change multiple settings at once, and you can better understand why your espresso is running too fast or too slow.

Review the Sage tuning checklist

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Bovenste maalschijf van een Sage-espressomachine wordt één nummer fijner afgesteld

☕ Calibrating your Sage Grinder: how to adjust the upper burr

You keep grinding your Sage finer and finer, but your espresso continues to flow quickly from the spout. At such a moment, the question often arises whether the top burr, also known as the upper burr, needs to be adjusted differently.

In my workshops, I often see home baristas immediately look at this internal setting. Sometimes that is indeed the right step. However, I first check the amount of ground coffee, the filter basket used, the freshness of the coffee beans, and the measured espresso yield.

In this blog, I explain when the regular grind setting truly has insufficient range. Then, I will show you how to safely remove the top burr, set it one number finer or coarser, and recheck the espresso.

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