I just hit 100 cups on my new grinder and it's a different machine now
Got a Baratza Encore ESP about three months back and was honestly a bit let down at first. The grind felt uneven and my shots were sour. I kept a little log and just poured cup number 100 this morning. The change is night and day, everything is so much smoother and more consistent. I guess it really did need that break-in period to settle all the burrs in. Has anyone else noticed a big shift after the first few pounds of beans through a new grinder?
That's really interesting to hear. My ESP felt a bit rough at the start too, but it smoothed out after a while. Makes total sense that the burrs needed some time to wear in together.
My old Mazzer Mini took almost five pounds of cheap supermarket beans before it stopped throwing fines everywhere. I ran a shot every 50 grams to check, and the puck went from a muddy mess to a clean dry disk. It's like the burrs need to grind off their own sharp factory edges to actually align. Did you notice a change in how fast your grinder gets through a dose?