Cuisinart CBM-18 grind settings chart: every brew method, verified

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Set a Cuisinart CBM-18 between 1 and 4 for V60 pour over, per Honest Coffee Guide's compiled CBM-18 chart; the wider pour over window is 1 to 7. Like the DBM-8 next to it, this grinder lives at the coarse end of the scale, so most methods start near the bottom of the selector.

Cuisinart CBM-18 grind settings by brew method

Every numbered range above was checked against the source in the footnote it carries; where a manufacturer publishes nothing for a method, the row says so instead of inventing a number. Ranges are windows, not verdicts. Beans, roast age, and dose move the right setting inside each window, which is why the dial-in ladder below matters more than any single number.

How the Cuisinart CBM-18 adjustment works

The Cuisinart CBM-18 uses a stepped grind selector that Honest Coffee Guide numbers 1 to 13 on its chart, running from the fine stop toward coarse; the measured range is 450 to 1400 microns. Find your zero before trusting any chart: with the hopper empty, tighten toward fine until the burrs just touch, call that zero, and count from there. If your zero point is calibrated differently from the chart's, every range shifts by the difference, which explains most "the chart is wrong" complaints.

Dial it in from the chart in 3 steps

1. Set the middle of the pour over range above and brew once, changing nothing else. 2. Taste against the two failure directions: sour, thin, or fast means grind finer; bitter, harsh, or stalled means grind coarser. The full logic lives in why espresso runs sour and why it runs bitter. 3. Move in small steps, one variable at a time, and write each attempt down; the free dial-in logbook exists for exactly this, and the printable dial-in cheat sheet keeps the correction table next to the machine.

The espresso question

There is no espresso row to argue about: the finest grind here is still drip territory, so the chart marks it N/A. The CBM-18 earns its keep on drip, French press and cold brew, and anyone chasing shots should start at the Encore ESP chart instead.

Get the grinder

The Cuisinart CBM-18 is on Amazon: check the current Cuisinart CBM-18 price. Prices move often enough that we link the search rather than quote a number that will be stale by Friday.

Related reading

• Cuisinart DBM-8 grind chart
• Best grinders under $100
• All gear guides

FAQ

What is the best Cuisinart CBM-18 setting for pour over? 1 to 7 (V60 at 1 to 4). Treat the range as a window, start near its middle, and adjust on taste: coarser if the cup is bitter, finer if it is sour or weak.

Can the Cuisinart CBM-18 grind for espresso? Espresso on the Cuisinart CBM-18: not supported; the compiled chart marks espresso N/A because the CBM-18 bottoms out around 450 microns. See the table on this page for every other method.

How do I read the Cuisinart CBM-18 adjustment? The Cuisinart CBM-18 uses a stepped grind selector that Honest Coffee Guide numbers 1 to 13 on its chart, running from the fine stop toward coarse; the measured range is 450 to 1400 microns. Zero is with the burrs fully closed, and higher numbers or more clicks mean a coarser grind.

Sources

• [1] Honest Coffee Guide's Cuisinart CBM-18 chart: https://honestcoffeeguide.com/cuisinart-cbm-18-grind-settings/