Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Keith Eckert on May 14, 2012 at 9:19am

Mazzer Mini's are great grinders, no doubt.  If you are going to use it primarily for the home, it may be a bit over-built as it is built for a light commercial environment with a beastly 250 watt motor that is directly connected to the burr set.  They are built like a tank and will last a lifetime in a home environment. 

What I personally think is the most overlooked home/light commercial grinder on the market is the Compak K3 Touch (read up here), cast aluminum case, 250 watt motor, 58mm burr set, direct dose to portafilter, programmable dosing...and it has a spectacular grind quality for espresso to drip (like the mazzer, becomes too inconsistent for press, in my opinion, but both are built for espresso). The doserless model is about $100 cheaper than the Mazzer traditional doser model and about $500 less than the Mazzer Mini-E.  Fit and finish goes to mazzer, but Compak is no slouch.  One last thought on these two grinders is RPM.  The Compak rotates at a slower 1100 RPM compared to 1600 RPM on the Mazzer Mini.  The slower speed is a benefit for a few different reasons, one is less heat caused by friction, the second is less static build up which can be problematic in the Mini. 

If you are on a budget, I would tip my hat to one of the Baratza grinders.  They are step-down gear driven to be able to use smaller, higher speed motors.  Static can be an annoyance with the Baratzas, but depending on your local environment, static can effect most grinders.  The most versatile in my opinion is the Preciso as it is capable of both quality espresso grinds all the way through coarser french press grinds.  The Vario is awesome for espresso, but falls off in performance for other brew methods.  The new Encore really impresses me.  It does great across the grind spectrum, even espresso, but it does lack uber-fine grind adjustment that is key for great espresso pulls.

I would recommend buying a the nicest grinder you can afford first, then an espresso machine.  I know people who bought really high-end home espresso machines (like a Izzo Alex Duetto) and were disappointed by the performance.  Upon investigation I learned that they were using a whirly-bird grinder, or pre-ground grocery store bought coffee...kind of like buying a Ferrari and filling it with diesel. 

Keith

www.VeniaCoffee.com

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Brady on May 14, 2012 at 9:34am

Agreed, agreed, and agreed. I've been really happy with my Preciso as an all-purpose home (drip+espresso) grinder. A good friend can't say enough about his Compak, and I'm a huge fan of their grinders as well. You have several good choices there.

Keith Eckert said:

Mazzer Mini's are great grinders, no doubt.  If you are going to use it primarily for the home, it may be a bit over-built as it is built for a light commercial environment with a beastly 250 watt motor that is directly connected to the burr set.  They are built like a tank and will last a lifetime in a home environment. 

What I personally think is the most overlooked home/light commercial grinder on the market is the Compak K3 Touch (read up here), cast aluminum case, 250 watt motor, 58mm burr set, direct dose to portafilter, programmable dosing...and it has a spectacular grind quality for espresso to drip (like the mazzer, becomes too inconsistent for press, in my opinion, but both are built for espresso). The doserless model is about $100 cheaper than the Mazzer traditional doser model and about $500 less than the Mazzer Mini-E.  Fit and finish goes to mazzer, but Compak is no slouch.  One last thought on these two grinders is RPM.  The Compak rotates at a slower 1100 RPM compared to 1600 RPM on the Mazzer Mini.  The slower speed is a benefit for a few different reasons, one is less heat caused by friction, the second is less static build up which can be problematic in the Mini. 

If you are on a budget, I would tip my hat to one of the Baratza grinders.  They are step-down gear driven to be able to use smaller, higher speed motors.  Static can be an annoyance with the Baratzas, but depending on your local environment, static can effect most grinders.  The most versatile in my opinion is the Preciso as it is capable of both quality espresso grinds all the way through coarser french press grinds.  The Vario is awesome for espresso, but falls off in performance for other brew methods.  The new Encore really impresses me.  It does great across the grind spectrum, even espresso, but it does lack uber-fine grind adjustment that is key for great espresso pulls.

I would recommend buying a the nicest grinder you can afford first, then an espresso machine.  I know people who bought really high-end home espresso machines (like a Izzo Alex Duetto) and were disappointed by the performance.  Upon investigation I learned that they were using a whirly-bird grinder, or pre-ground grocery store bought coffee...kind of like buying a Ferrari and filling it with diesel. 

Keith

www.VeniaCoffee.com

• ▶ Reply

▶ Reply to Discussion