VARIA VS3 Grinder User Manual

: October 30, 2023
: Varia

Table of Contents

VS3 Grinder
Safety Measures and Precautions for use
What’s in the box:
Product Overview
Operating Instructions
Cleaning and Maintenance:
Frequently Asked Questions
Technical Specifications
Limited Warranty
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Download This Manual (PDF format)

VS3
GRIND DIFFERENT USER MANUAL

VS3 Grinder

BEFORE USING YOUR VARIA VS3 GRINDER
Please ensure you read and understand our Safety Measures and Operating Instructions.
Important note
VS3 has been made to handle both espresso and filter grind sizes, however VS3 may find omni/light roasts challenging at espresso settings (depending on the roast degree and type of bean), please ensure to take the upmost care while grinding light roasted coffees and ensure that you feed the beans in slowly or adjust your dose to suit a slightly coarser grind size.
After each grind, bellows must be used to remove fines and chaff and avoid blockages.

Safety Measures and Precautions for use

Please take time to familiarise yourself with the Varia VS3 safety measures and operational guidelines detailed within this manual before operating the grinder.
PLEASE NOTE the Varia VS3 Grinder incorporates high-speed rotating burrs which are very sharp and have potential to cause personal injury if any of the following safety measures / precautions or operating instructions are ignored.

PLEASE CHECK that your operating power supply and plug outlet type is compatible with the Varia VS3 purchased.
ENSURE your Varia VS3 body, power adaptor and power cord is placed in a dry situation, free from any potential water/liquid situations or any heat sources.
BE AWARE that the grinding burrs are very sharp, take extra care when cleaning, servicing or removing this part. See section 5. ‘Cleaning and maintenance’ for detailed instructions. If removed never leave a burr set unattended on a bench, always store securely out of reach of children and within a securely sealed protective container.
Ensure the ﬁnger guard is ﬁrmly in place within the bean hopper prior to operating.
DO NOT put your ﬁngers into the hopper when the motor is running or when the power supply is plugged in.
ONLY operate with the hopper in place. Exposed burrs can cause injury to ﬁngers, even if burrs are stationary.
NEVER allow long hair or loose clothing near the burr housing.
DO NOT attempt to clean burrs while the grinder is switched on or operational.
If cleaning with a vacuum cleaner, please remove the 4 x springs below outer burr.
Coffee Beans may contain foreign objects – eg. stones, pebbles. Always check your supply for any foreign objects before grinding.
DO NOT attempt to grind preground coffee.
Varia VS3 is designed for home use, not for continuous commercial use.
DO NOT grind for more than 60 seconds in a single grinding cycle, ensure a minimum of 90 seconds rest between grinding cycles.
We recommend the motor is switched OFF before loading beans.
DO NOT wash any Varia VS3 parts in the DISHWASHER.
DO NOT operate this product in wet/damp conditions or place Varia VS3 near or onto wet surfaces or into water. Do not operate with wet hands.
DO NOT wash this product or any components with water or immerse this product or any components in water. Wipe down with damp cloth and surface dry thoroughly.
Should you need to use the RDT process to mitigate static during grinding, DO NOT spray moisture near or at the internal workings of the grinder, ONLY spray moisture (RDT) onto beans contained in the dosing cup prior to loading the hopper.
The Varia VS3 must only be used with the supplied power adapter. DO NOT attempt to use Varia VS3 with another power adapter other than that supplied at time of purchase. DO NOT alter/modify the adapter or plug in any way. DO NOT use if power cords or plug is damaged in any way.
SWITCH OFF power supply whenever you are cleaning or servicing Varia VS3, after use or if leaving grinder unattended for a long period of time, to avoid accidents.
The use of third party attachments is not recommended, in doing so this may result in personal injury, a ﬁre, electric shock or damage to Varia VS3.
If there is any damage to the power supply cord or any other parts, please stop using this product immediately. If the power supply cord is damaged, it must be replaced by the manufacturer, its service agent or a qualiﬁed service person. DO NOT disassemble,
damage or replace any part or component of this product at will or use it forcibly.
This appliance is not intended for use by persons (including children) with reduced sensory, physical or mental capabilities, or lack of experience and knowledge, unless they have been given supervision or instruction concerning use of the appliance by a person responsible for their safety. Children should be supervised to ensure that they do not play with the appliance.
DO NOT allow power cord to hang over bench-top – small children could suffer injury if grinder is accidentally pulled over onto them.
DO NOT insert any utensils into the Varia VS3.
DO NOT use Varia VS3 for anything other than its intended purpose. This appliance is only intended for use in the home and in the workplace. Never use Varia VS3 for grinding grains, spices, nuts or other food items.
The one-year warranty will be voided if the product is used for something other than its intended purpose, and it could result in injury.
Please take care in disposing of all packaging materials responsibility. Plastic bags are a potential hazard as they can suffocate young children, if not disposed safely.
Varia VS3 MUST BE plugged into a grounded (earthed) power outlet.
DO NOT remove ground earth prong from plug.
DO NOT let the power cord touch hot surfaces.
DO NOT remove bottom cover from main body or disassemble the grinder in any way, other than to replace burr set. This procedure is detailed in section 5.2 of this manual. Failure to follow this detailed procedure may result in personal injury and or damage to the burr housing or burrs.
DO NOT operate in the presence of explosive and/or ﬂammable fumes, heat sources or naked ﬂames.

Failure to follow these instruction / guidelines can result in electrical shock, ﬁre or cause serious injury and or death.
The manufacturer will not be held responsible for any damage resulting from failure to comply with the stated safety measures above.
DO NOT REMOVE BOTTOM COVER FROM MAIN BODY.
ONLY authorised service agents are permitted to repair Varia VS3. Unauthorised repairs will void the manufacturers warranty.
In the event that repairs are necessary please contact your point of sale representative or email support@variabrewing.com

What’s in the box:

1 x VS3 Grinder (Stainless Steel Supernova Burr Installed)
1 x User manual
1 x DC power adapter (Includes selected AC power cord and plug)
1 x Magnetic dosing cup
1 x Silicone bellows for hopper
1 x 5mL RDT spray bottle
1 x Cleaning brush
1 x Spare parts and service tool kit

Product Overview

VARIA VS3 Grinder - fig 1

1. Hopper Lid (Magnetic)
2. Hopper
3. Hopper Alignment Collar
4. Main Body| 5. Grounds Chute
6. Dosing Cup (Magnetic)
7. Magnetic Design Cup Dock
8. Power Switch
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Operating Instructions

First use and seasoning:
WARNING: DO NOT turn on the grinder when the hopper is at its tightest setting as you will cause damage to the burrs.

Remove all packaging before using.
Place the Varia VS3 onto a ﬂat and stable surface.
Plug the adapter power cord into a power outlet and receptacle plug into the back of the grinder.
Check the power is on by pressing the power button once to turn on the motor, press again to turn off.
Remove the lid from the hopper and begin the calibration procedure. – see 4.1 Grid Settings & Calibration.

4.1 Grind Settings & Calibration
Your Varia VS3 has been factory calibrated and the hopper should be at the “0” setting.

To calibrate your Varia VS3, rotate the hopper in a clock-wise direction until you reach the tightest setting past “0”. (When factory new, this maximum tightness may vary from a seasoned thread after use).
DO NOT turn the grinder on while the hopper is set to the tightest setting as this could cause damage to the burrs as a result of the edges contacting.
Next, rotate the hopper in an anticlockwise direction until you reach “0”. This is now your calibration “zero point” and you are now ready to grind!

4.2 Burr Seasoning
Please be aware, your grind setting alignment may change after burr seasoning.
Static retention will also be higher than normal until charge is absorbed. This will be reduced after grinding your ﬁrst 2kg of coffee though the Varia VS3 and as the body discharges any residual static.
Finger Guard: Varia VS3 is ﬁtted with a ﬁnger guard inside the bean hopper to ensure its safe operation. It is up to user discretion to remove this part for operation. Please be aware of the risks involved should you remove this guard, especially to yourself or if young children are in the house who may ﬁnd Varia VS3 interesting.
The ﬁnger guard is designed to keep ﬁngers away from the sharp burrs. ENSURE ﬁngers, loose clothing and long hair are kept a safe distance from the hopper opening while operating or on standby.
4.3 Grind Settings Chart
VS3 has been made to handle both espresso and filter grind sizes, however VS3 may find omni/light roasts challenging at espresso settings (depending on the roast degree and type of bean), please ensure to take the upmost care while grinding light roasted coffees and ensure that you feed the beans in slowly or adjust your dose to suit a slightly coarser grind size. VARIA VS3 Grinder -
fig 4 4.4 Static and RDT
Please be aware, static charge may be present during grinding when new. This will decrease as the grinder is seasoned however some static retention may exist within the cup during and after grinding as a result of the magnet placed in the base of the cup. The amount of static may vary depending on some external factors, such as your location humidity, burrs seasoning status and the type of coffee beans.
In order to reduce static retention while grinding, we recommend to use the RDT “Ross Droplet Technique” as per the instructions below:

Measure your dose into the dosing cup as per your brew requirement.
Take the 5mL water spray “RDT” bottle and ensure it is ﬁlled with ﬁltered water.
Spray 2-3 sprays into the dosing cup directly onto the beans.
Cover the cup with your hand and shake the beans so as to disperse the water droplets throughout the coffee beans evenly coating the surface in a small amount of water droplets.
Pour your dose into the hopper as per normal grinding.
Wipe your grinds cup free of any excess water droplets before commencing grinding.
Place your dosing cup onto the dock and begin grinding as per normal.
In order to ensure a cleanliness of the grinder after using the “RDT”, be sure to wipe the hopper and dosing cup dry with a paper towel or dry soft cloth.

4.5 Hopper Bellows
A silicone cleaning bellows has been supplied with the Varia VS3 and this is used for cleaning any remaining grounds or chaff out of the hopper, burr chamber and ground chute.

Remove the hopper lid and place this onto the hopper bellows (top side, which is marked with the Varia ‘VS3’ logo), the hopper lid will ﬁt securely into the bellows.
Next, place the hopper bellows (bottom rim) on top of the hopper rim, making sure it ﬁts properly around the diameter and creates a seal, then gently push and release the hopper bellows ‘up and down’ from the top with you hand. (This will create a small blast of air through the grinding system in order to quickly clean any loose grounds/chaff left in the chamber).
Repeat this process until you are sure all loose material has been ﬂushed.

PLEASE NOTE: Varia recommends that the bellows are used after every grind to flush loose grinds/chaff left in the burr chamber, and should not be used as a hopper extension.

Cleaning and Maintenance:

Power must be TURNED OFF while cleaning this product. The grinder body and base must NOT be immersed or submerged in water or washed with water to clean.
Cleaning grinder body: Please use a moist cloth/towel to wipe the body, ensure that the cloth/towel is not wet as no water should enter the body. Ensure that once cleaned the surfaces are dried again.
We recommend you discuss this procedure with you reseller if you are not familiar or confident in replacing a bur set.
PLEASE NOTE that after replacing a burr set, any performance changes to the grind settings will be as a result of an incorrect disassembly and/or reassembly.
In this instance your warranty will not cover any additional costs related to reinstating the Varia VS3 to factory grind settings and/or performance.
VS3 Deep Clean / Burr Change Walkthrough:
A step-by-step reference video is available on YouTube – this will assist you when completing the following tasks.
https://www.youtube.com/@variabrewing VARIA VS3 Grinder - fig
5 VARIA VS3 Grinder - fig 6

A. Ring bearing
B. Outer burr housing
C. Set nut
D. Locking washer| E. Inner Burr
F. Thin washer
G. Locking pin
H. Lower grounds spindle| I. Springs x 4
J. Driveshaft
K. Burr chamber
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5.1 Full Clean / Disassembly

Turn on the VS3 while empty and use the silicone bellows to clean our any residual coffee particles.
Remove the power supply.
Remove the tools from the parts bag supplied.
Remove the hopper by rotating anti-clockwise, gently place this to the side and remove the adjustment collar also.
Carefully remove the small ring bearing A .
Next gently pull the outer burr B up and out.
Using the tool provided, loosen the set nut C on the inner burr by cranking the tool clockwise.
Once the set nut has been released, you will notice 1 x locking washer D , remove and place to the side.
Remove the inner burr E , revealing 1 x thin washer F on top of the lower grounds spindle H , remove this also.
Remove the lower grounds spindle H.
Clean the grounds spindle and remove any residue coffee from inside the burr chamber K or on drivehaft J.
Lastly, remove the 4 x springs I from the burr chamber.

5.2 Burr Change / Reassembly

Lower the lower grounds spindle H onto the driveshaft J , lining up with the corresponding ﬂat side on the driveshaft J.
Then place a thin washer F on top of the grounds spindle. Replace the 4 x springs I back into the burr chamber K.
Place the new or cleaned inner burr E onto the grounds spindle, rotate until it engages with the locking pin G on the grounds spindle.
Replace the locking washer D on top of the inner burr.
Replace the set nut C onto the driveshaft thread and use the tool to tighten – in an anti-clockwise direction.
Replace the new or cleaned outer burr B back into the burr chamber.
Replace the ring bearing A on top of the outer burr housing – ensuring this ring bearing ﬁts inside the cavity before the next step.
Replace the adjustment collar and hopper and tighten the hopper to the “0” point.
Dial in your required grind setting.
Lastly, replace your lid and power supply and you are ready to grind.

Frequently Asked Questions

VS3 grind chamber is blocked?

Check the grind setting is not in the 0-1 setting range. Check that the burr chamber does not have any coffee beans or foreign materials present (rocks, sticks, unroasted coffee beans), that may be stuck in the chamber. Remove any residual beans and clean the burr chamber as per the cleaning process in this manual. Tip: After each grind cycle, use of bellows is recommended – This will create a small pressured air blast through the grinding system in order to quickly clean any loose grounds/chaff left in the chamber. Refer 4.5 pg10.

The nut/washer is wobbling?

This is normal behaviour and is not indicative of a malfunction or problem. The nut and washer are not part of the system that determines the concentricity of the burrs and has zero impact on the precision or alignment of the grinder.

The hopper on my VS3 is moving while grinding?

We apply a food grade metal grease to our threads at the factory. With continued use this can wear off and allow the thread more slip. In order to ensure a stable and ﬁxed thread position - please apply a food grade grease to the threads.

Technical Specifications

Manufacturer	Varia Brewing Limited
Model name	VS3
Electrical specifications	DC Adapter input: 100-240V—, 2.0A, 50/60Hz. Output:

24 V, 4.0 A, 96.0W
Grind adjustment & scale| Stepless, ‘0’ thru ’10; 01 increments
Colour options| Black/White
Burr Size/type| 38mm conical 6 core
Base material| High nitrogen 420 Stainless Steel
Burr material hardness| HRC58
Burr life| 150kg
Maximum recommended continuous grind time| 60 seconds grind time, +90 seconds rest
Grind setting| Stepless adjustment / (20 Micron) relative vertical burr shift or 0.02mm per increment
Retention (10g Dose)| With RDT <01g / Without RDT: <0.2g
Grind speed| Espresso: 0.5g/second / Filter: 0.8g/second
Hopper capacity| 30g
Grinder construction material| ADC12 die cast and machined aluminium
Motor| 100W DC motor / 190RPM load speed
Voltage| 100-240V
Dimensions| 147 x 90 x 310mm
Weight| 3.5 kg

Limited Warranty

For 12 months after the original date of consumer purchase, Varia Brewing Limited warrants this product against any defects caused by defective material or workmanship.
Only the original user is covered by this warranty when a Varia VS3 grinder is purchased from an authorized reseller, and when is ﬁtted with the factory standard parts.
To make a warranty claim, you will need the original sales receipt as proof of purchase.
This warranty does not cover damage to the product caused by the following:

Operating with the incorrect type of current/voltage and or plug type.
An accident, misuse, neglect or ‘Act of God’. ie lightning strike to supply circuit or power surge damage.
Using a non-approved power adaptor.
Improper maintenance or unauthorised repairs. (Failure to clean the grinder and cleaning/ servicing in according to the manufacturer’s instructions).
Any damage to burrs unless faulty from new.
Failure to adhere to all of the safety measures / precautions or operating instructions outlined in this document’s safety measures and operating instructions.

Varia Brewing Limited will not be responsible for any material damage or personal injury resulting from failure to adhere to the Varia VS3 Grinder Safety Measures and or Operating Instructions detailed in this manual.

Please direct all warranty claims and enquiries to:
support@variabrewing.com
www.variabrewing.com