A helpful reference for terms relating to the Orbit grinder. If you have any questions, please contact us directly at support@acaia.co.
| Term | Explanation |
| Burr | The burrs are the essential components of a grinder that crush or grind coffee beans into grounds. Conical burrs are cone-shaped burrs with ridges. The Orbit is designed with flat burrs, which are two identical, parallel burrs. The sides that face each other have sharp ridges that grind coffee in between. Adjusting the burrs moves the ridges closer or further apart, affecting the size of the grounds. The Orbit is shipped with 64 mm flat steel burrs - Mazzer 33M or SSP Multipurpose - installed. It is also compatible with many other SSP burrs. |
| Burr Alignment | Alignment is the manual adjustment of the burrs so they are "perfectly" parallel and centered with one another. This contributes to a much more uniform and repeatable grinding result. |
| Burr Touch Point | The closest point the grinder’s burrs can get to one another while still being able to rotate. The fixed point of this will vary from unit to unit, due to manufacturing tolerances of the Orbit parts and of the burrs themselves. Burr alignment also affects the touch point, meaning the touch point can shift after an alignment procedure is performed. |
| Calibration | On other flat burr grinders, such as the Mahlkonig EK43, calibration entails adjusting the fixed grind range of the grinder (accessible with the front dial) so it can access either finer or coarser settings. With the Orbit, the burrs can move smoothly between the finest and most course available grind points on the dial without the need to calibrate. For example, a grinder may have a range of 1-60, with an overall possible range going up to 100. A barista may calibrate the grinder to access the more coarse range of settings, so moving from 40-100. |
| Detent Ring | A moveable ring that sits adjacent to the larger adjustment ring. It is marked with symbols that can be used as reference points for grind settings. |
| Grind Adjustment Ring |
A ring located below the funnel to move the burrs closer or further apart to change the size of the grind particles. The adjustment dial is marked with a ruler featuring 10 major divisions (0-9) each with 10 minor divisions. Each minor division, or “tick,” adjusts the burr distance by 7.5 microns. There is no need to have the Orbit grinder ‘on’ or running when adjusting the grind. |
| Funnel | Set atop the grinder, it is the entry point to dose beans. The approximate capacity of the funnel, including space in the motor shaft and burrs, is 40 grams of whole beans. |
| Knocker | Located at the bottom of the spout, the knocker is used to dispel any leftover coffee grounds. |
| Retention | A phrase referring to leftover coffee grounds within the burr chamber, specifically particles resting without being expelled into your dosing cup or portafilter. |
| Reverse Burr | The motor of the grinder will spin in reverse for three seconds. This action is useful for quickly cleaning out any remaining coffee grounds in the grind chamber. |
| RPM | Revolutions per minute, the speed at which the burr is turned. |
| SSP | Acronym for Sung Sim Precision, a South Korean manufacturer that creates specialized flat coffee burrs. Many of the burrs can be installed on the Orbit. |
| Stepless Adjustment | A stepless grinder gives the barista the ability to fluidly move between grind settings without pressing buttons. On the Orbit, the adjustment ring can be moved smoothly, allowing for precision control over the grind setting - which is especially important when dialing in espresso. Stepped grinders have preset notches or buttons. |
| Zero Point | The zero point refers to the Orbit’s burrs being fully closed together and unable to rotate. This fixed point will vary from unit to unit due to manufacturing tolerances. Please note that the number 0 on the Orbit dial is not necessarily the zero point for the burrs, nor the touch point. |
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