Eureka mignon manuale grinding clumpy when fine

[harsh gorge]

I'm experimenting with a mid-light roasted Colombian bean, and what I've noticed is that when I push the Eureka Mignon to be quite fine, the grounds become clumpy. As a consequence, the shots are inconsistent. I'm using WDT and a self-leveling Normcore tamper.

One of these shots has stuck to the puck screen. The other ran way long and turned bitter. If I go coarser the outcome is okay however, but then I have to run a quick shot. I get 1:2 in say 23 seconds. I think I can increase extraction on these beans however and that the inconsistency of the grind is holding me back.

I'm curious if you have any tips on how to get a better fine grind from this grinder. I'm not using the Ross Droplet Technique (RDT). Would that help?

Thanks.

[sterile abyss]

How did the 23 second one taste?

[fading lagoon]

Few things to get out of the way

• finer is not necessarily better
• 1:2 is not some ideal ratio, if it's sour at 1:2 try 1:2.5
• time is an output variable, not an input. Don't aim for 30 seconds, follow taste

[harsh gorge]

Thanks for the responses guys!

23-25s pull tastes pretty good. I get a sense I can extract more but I cannot seem to do it because the finer grind results in the puck getting stuck on the shower screen, resulting in it getting too bitter. I suspect because the grounds are burning.

My IMS basket in the stock Bambino portafilter fits the 14g I usually dose fine, but not at a finer grind setting.

I haven't had this issue with a darker (more medium to medium-dark) roast before.