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Permalink Reply by Jordon Jeschke on November 15, 2012 at 10:27pm

In my experience using a doserless grinder only reduces waste when the barista(s) don't know how to use a doser properly.  If you know how to use a doser there shouldn't be any waste.  Where a doserless will save you is in time.  Just my experience and opinion though.

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Permalink Reply by Chad Kimm on November 16, 2012 at 10:02am

The advantage to a doserless grinder is freshness.  You never have left over grounds waiting for the next shot, which obviously happens in a doser.  I agree with Jordan that if a doser is used properly and excess coffee is not ground to far in advance, they will be very little waste.  I personally feel you will have more waste with a doserless grinder.  If a barista overfills the basket there is no where to go with the extra coffee other than likely into the knockbox.

Another thought is if your timer style switch has not already failed on your Mazzer, which most do relatively quickly, replace it with the more simple on/off switch.  Having a switch that doesn't have an auto shut off can obviously have negative results with extra grinding, but we've discovered that if the barista has to be more aware of monitoring the grinding by having to manually shut it off it can prevent over grinding.  Timers can cause complacency and often times a doser full of extra grounds.

The best method of controlling your dosing is to use Mazzer's electronic dosers.  Unfortunately, Mazzer does not offer just the electronic doser as a retro fit to existing manual models.   I would personally put that $300 towards a electronic doser grinder.   

Chad

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Permalink Reply by Jacob Casella on November 16, 2012 at 1:14pm

1.  Just switching to a doserless won't automatically reduce costs.  An auto-timer doserless will create savings over time by eliminating waste scraped into the trash, and reducing the number of bad shots that have to be tossed.

If you want to save money and make better shots, enforce the use of a scale and learn to eyeball the correct dose with your current grinder.

2. Training hurdles are pretty minimal for doserless vs. doser.  Adjust to the new distribution, that's pretty much it.

IMHO, doserless grinders are nice because there's less old grounds hanging out.  Depending on the model, I like the fluffier grounds and straighter drop to the basket, less compacting & angling than a doser.  And more quiet, less thwacking noises, that's a plus in my book.

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Permalink Reply by gera davidson on December 11, 2012 at 10:54pm

I agree with all thats been said here so far, I'll just put it out there - I am not a fan of timed grinder - I find them more inconsistent than using a correct manual dosing technique. they often need re-adjustments when adjusting grind and can be a pain (especially the mazzer e which can be as much as 3 grams off, depends on freshness of beans, humidity, grind est.)

I found that eye-balling dose can be as inconsistent (at list for me), and depends on the day, how awake I am, and how many distractions I have to deal with I can be 2-3 grams off.

How will your cafe plan on dosing by weight during a busy shift? that would really be the best option and I would love to be able to do the same if only I could do it fast enough?

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