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Grinders

Grind settings

Comandante C40 grind settings

Starting grind settings for every brew method on the Comandante C40, with espresso around 10 to 15 and pour-over around 22 to 32 (clicks).

Count clicks from fully closed, with the burrs just touching. The standard C40 has 12 clicks per turn. The Red Clix upgrade doubles that, so its numbers run about twice as high.

Settings by brew method

MethodSetting (clicks)As the source puts itSource
Espresso10 to 1510 to 15 clicks for espressothecoffeefolk.com
Maker
Moka pot15 to 2015 to 20 clicks for a Bialettithecoffeefolk.com
Maker
AeroPress14 to 24AeroPress 14 to 24coffeechronicler.com
Reviewer
Pour-over / V6022 to 3222 to 32 clicks for a pour-over filterthecoffeefolk.com
Maker
French press25 to 3425 to 30 for cupping and French press (Chronicler 30 to 34)thecoffeefolk.com
Maker
Cold brew30 to 40Cold brew 30 to 40honestcoffeeguide.com
Reviewer

These are starting points. Beans, roast, water and your own taste all move them, so start in the middle of the range and adjust one step at a time.

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About the Comandante C40

Type
Hand grinder
Burrs
Conical, 38 mm
Adjustment
Stepped (internal clicks)
Step size
about 30 µm per step

Dialling in from here

Compare with other grinders in the grind size chart.

What reviewers found

The hand grinder most others get compared with. People share settings for it in clicks from zero, and Lance Hedrick used one for his 2020 US Brewers Cup routine 1:31. Many newer hand grinders use a version of its burr design 25:00 4:35.

Specs

TypeHand grinder, conical burr (Nitro Blade, a hexagonal-style cone) 29:38
Burr sizeComandante quotes 38 mm, measured at the outer collar, so sizes don't compare directly across brands 5:06. Another listing gives 40 mm 29:38.
AdjustmentInternal clicks with no external numbers, so you count clicks from zero 29:38
Microns per stepAbout 30 µm per click as standard, or 15 µm with the Red Clix upgrade 29:38 18:50. The 30 µm figure is burr gap. Lance Hedrick works the travel out at roughly 42 to 45 µm of vertical movement per click 8:54 6:07.
Zero / rangeWinding back to zero takes about 60 clicks, though that figure is rough 29:38.

Starting settings

These are the settings each creator gave, measured from their own grinder's zero. Use them as a starting point.

MethodSettingContextConfidenceBySource
Pour-overabout 24 clicks15 g dose, conical brewer, 206 °F water, 40 g bloom then two 90 g pours. This was his 2020 US Brewers Cup routine, with fines taken out mid-brewapproxHedrick1:31
Pour-over25 to 30 clicksWhat top competitors tend to use, according to him, a coarse grind for this style of burrapproxHedrick4:04
Pour-overabout 25 to 30 clicks (start near 30)His one-cup V60, 15 g to 250 g, light roasts. Clicks counted from zero, then adjust by tasteapproxHoffmann3:35
Pour-overaround 20 clicksHis usual filter setting. It takes about 45 s to grind a cupapproxDGC8:19
Pour-overstart around 30 clicksA starting point for a typical coffee, then go finer or coarser by tasteapproxHoffmann4:35
Pour-over22 to 24 clicksHis Hario Switch recipe, roughly K-Max 6statedChronicler1:31
Immersion20 clicksFrench press with a paper filter added to the plungerstatedChronicler3:35
Pour-over20 to 22 clicksEveryday Hario Switch recipe, medium-finestatedChronicler3:39
Pour-over23 to 28 clicksShowcase V60 recipe. Depends on the beans, the grinder's calibration and the paperstatedChronicler5:55
Espresso9 to 12 clicksHis espresso range on the MK3, by machine and bean. One click moved the shot by about 10 sstatedChronicler8:44
Pour-over25 clicksThe kind of setting people share in recipesapproxChronicler3:06
Espressousually 7 to 13 clicksTypical espresso range on the MK4 Nitro BladeapproxECT6:10
Pour-over18 to 30 clicksTypical filter range on the MK4 Nitro BladeapproxECT6:10
AeroPress20 to 22 Red Clix (about 10 to 11 standard clicks)Espresso-style inverted AeroPress, 18 g of an espresso roast, 20 s stir, about 1:10 to 1:20 steepapproxECT1:02
Immersion30 clicksHario Switch (ceramic) with standard Hario papers, medium-finestatedQuan5:12
Immersionabout 16 clicksGlass Hario Switch with Cafec T90 papers, fineapproxQuan8:45
Immersion30 to 34MK3, 2020, clicks from zero. A reader-submitted figure, and the chart treats every setting as approximateapproxChristensengrind size chart
Pour-over20 to 32MK3, 2020, clicks from zero. A reader-submitted figure, and the chart treats every setting as approximateapproxChristensengrind size chart
AeroPress14 to 24MK3, 2020, clicks from zero. A reader-submitted figure, and the chart treats every setting as approximateapproxChristensengrind size chart
Moka12 to 15MK3, 2020, clicks from zero. A reader-submitted figure, and the chart treats every setting as approximateapproxChristensengrind size chart
Espresso9 to 12MK3, 2020, clicks from zero. A reader-submitted figure, and the chart treats every setting as approximateapproxChristensengrind size chart

Cup profile

  • Very good clarity for a hand grinder, and consistent 29:38.
  • The particle spread is wider than on burrs made just for filter. That gives complex cups at modest extractions, but the cup falls off if you push towards 24 to 25% 4:04.
  • It leans towards clarity, where a Kinu leans towards sweetness and body. Lance Hedrick compares it to SSP against Gorilla Gear burrs 14:26.
  • The 1Zpresso K series tastes almost the same 9:11 18:50, and the K-Ultra is a little cleaner and less astringent 12:01.

Strengths

  • So many people own one that click settings are easy to compare 29:38.
  • The Nitro Blade burr lasts 29:38.

Weaknesses

  • No external numbers 29:38.
  • Expensive for what it does 29:38 18:50.
  • The burr floats rather than being fixed to the axle 18:50.
  • The bigger C60 makes more fines, because the same design at a larger size has wider gaps and feeds faster 18:50 20:20.

Verdict

In 2022 Lance Hedrick summed it up as good at everything and best at nothing 29:38. By 2023 he pointed out that the 1Zpresso K series gives the same cut for about a third of the price 9:11. His 2024 hand grinder tier list gave the C40 a B (a C once price comes in) and the C60 a B 18:50.

James Hoffmann's take

  • In his 2019 hand grinder showdown he called it the grinder that set the bar at the high end. It made his favourite espresso of the group and an easy, very good filter cup. His gripes were a plastic link between the lid and the crank, beans bouncing out, and a glass catch cup that feels risky for travel 6:43.
  • In a 2024 particle size test and blind V60 tasting it made fewer fines and fewer boulders than a Kingrinder P1 or Hario Slim and gave the most balanced cup. The gap in quality was smaller than the gap in price, though 3:03.

Daddy Got Coffee's take

  • 2024: still the benchmark for a balanced, flattering filter cup. At espresso, though, each 30 µm click moves the shot time by 8 to 12 s. Red Clix brings that down to about 4 to 6 s but doesn't make the grind any faster 1:01 9:21.
  • In his 2026 owner survey hardly anyone reported a hardware failure and people were happy with the service. It still had the highest churn, often driven by online hype. It's his go-to filter grinder along with the Pietro 2:03 7:11.

Kyle Rowsell's take

  • 2022: in his blind filter test it came very close to the 1Zpresso X-Pro. The plastic internal parts are his main gripe 5:05.

The Coffee Chronicler's take

  • 2021 (MK3): elegant, analytical cups with no astringency in espresso. It sieved slightly more evenly than a JX, a stock DF64 or a Timemore Slim, though well behind a Wilfa Uniform with SSP Brew burrs. On the downside, an 18 g espresso dose takes about 1:10, the body is wide, chips get stuck under the handle, the plastic stabiliser rattles, the glass jar is fragile and the espresso clicks are coarse. He still rates it but finds it pricey, and for daily espresso he'd pick a faster hand grinder or an electric one 11:16 8:44.
  • 2025 (Mk4): balanced and relaxed, with less citrus than a K-Ultra. The huge library of shared recipes is its strength. The dial under the burrs, the wide body and the slow, coarse espresso steps without Red Clix now feel dated. He calls it a fine pick that's no longer a top performer 33:51.

European Coffee Trip's take

  • 2020 (Nitro Blade, against a Hario and a Timemore): the most even grind by eye and the best cup of the three. It was clean, juicy and crisp with sweetness and body, but heavy for travel, at about €250 3:07.
  • 2022 (MK4): zero is where the handle locks, and the first anticlockwise click that turns freely is click 1. That should line up across well-kept grinders, so recipes carry over. Red Clix doubles the steps, MK3 and MK4 parts swap between each other, the polymer jar is tough and the burrs have a lifetime warranty. The plastic lid on the handle is the weak spot 2:36.
  • 2026 (Lab Series burrs, 10 g tests at 25 and 10 clicks): the Nitro Blade is still the all-rounder most people need. It made slightly more fines on a light Kenyan and struggled to feed huge Pacamara beans. The Tiger Shark slices through dense light roasts easily and was the presenters' favourite, but it often stuck at 10 clicks. The Hammer Head takes big beans quickly but is the roughest at espresso size 3:37 4:37 5:08.

Notes

  • 1Zpresso quotes burr movement per click and Comandante quotes burr gap, so you can't convert settings between the two brands with simple maths 6:12.
  • A motorised C40, running at about 180 rpm by Lance Hedrick's estimate, tasted slightly better to him than the Lagom Mini. The lower speed may explain it 5:06.

Sources

Summarised in our own words from the creators' videos, with every point linked to the moment it comes from. Notchbook isn't affiliated with or endorsed by any of these creators, so please watch the originals for full context. Sources