Anfim a year in retrospect
Let me begin by saying that I like the way my two Anfims grind coffee. I also like the way that they distribute into the pf. I like the timers and they are shiny! BUT....
What is up with the huge gap between the burrs and the doser? I feel a little duped but all the hype of "no waste no finger striking". I like to finger strike and I do not like a quarter shot being left behind in the shoot every time I pull a shot. I think that too many people wanted to believe that this was the grinder to trump all (myself included). This clouded the practical view that all shop owners should have had before we bought into the hype. It has been a year now since Anfim hit the Baristas with the 'ultimate grinder'. Has it met expectations? Has it been the saviour to Barista trainers everywhere? Or is it just a great step in the right direction? Any one want to add any comments about their experiences with Anfim or other grinders that are better? Any one know antthig else about the new La Marzocco/David Schomer grinder? Has Mark at Synesso had time to do anymore r&d with a new grinder? As Barista, we need and deserve a Grail of a grinder.
What is up with the huge gap between the burrs and the doser? I feel a little duped but all the hype of "no waste no finger striking". I like to finger strike and I do not like a quarter shot being left behind in the shoot every time I pull a shot. I think that too many people wanted to believe that this was the grinder to trump all (myself included). This clouded the practical view that all shop owners should have had before we bought into the hype. It has been a year now since Anfim hit the Baristas with the 'ultimate grinder'. Has it met expectations? Has it been the saviour to Barista trainers everywhere? Or is it just a great step in the right direction? Any one want to add any comments about their experiences with Anfim or other grinders that are better? Any one know antthig else about the new La Marzocco/David Schomer grinder? Has Mark at Synesso had time to do anymore r&d with a new grinder? As Barista, we need and deserve a Grail of a grinder.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Alex Negranza on
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I also work on Anfims. I love them. After about 30-45 minutes, I have to grind out that 1/4 of a shot and dose out before actually dosing for a shot. It's an awesome grinder, I wish there was a way to adjust that. From what I can tell, with all the hype about grinders, I'm guessing there's someooone out there developing a decent grinder. Anfim is the closest to getting it right, so let's assume they're doing it right again?
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Permalink Reply by u30jxwipu1i1 on
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Sam,
I really apreaciate the honesty in your post. Often those who fall for product hype never post about the real experience. Many of the consumer coffee fan sites create undo hype for products and the only feedback seems to be the positive.
The Anfim is a great grinder, however we have found ways to make it better.
Here are some ideas on how it can be a better grinder.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/w1r3d1/2585413728/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/w1r3d1/2584877051/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/w1r3d1/2585710502/
Add to this a Delta CTA timer and the grinder is almost what we all thought it was or could be. The space between the body and doser is the last problem area which is being addressed.
The Mazzer E line of grinder may be the answer for some.
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Permalink Reply by Sam Jones on
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Thanks Terry,
Your mods looks like it came from a Macap am I close. Do you sell the worm screw parts? Maybe you can show me at the coffee fest?
Cheers,
Sam
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Sam,
The worm drive is from Macap, however we created the ring. The adaption requires the machining of the upper burr carrier and some holes to be drilled. We complete this at Espressoparts, and yes, we will have it at Coffeefest. See you there!
Terry Z
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Permalink Reply by Jordan on
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I have worked on an anfim before. For the most part I think the Anfim is a great grinder. It however is not "the answer" to the grinder problem in the specialty coffee realm. My biggest concern with the grinder however is not the big chute. The stepped collar is what really drives me crazy. All to often I would be dialing in the espresso and find that I couldn't achieve the taste profile I was going for. The reason being that in order to change the extraction times I would have to change the dose by altering the timer, thus increasing or decreasing my dose. In cases were I was forced to change the grinder collar a notch I found the change from one notch to the next to be too large. This would cause me to again change my dose in order to compensate for the limited grind settings. AHHH!!! Really annoying if you ask me. But more importantly then being annoying I found that I could achieve taste profiles that I could on other grinders. (I know that different grinders will always taste a little different given that different grinders create different ratios of fines, thus changing the taste, etc.)
My only hope is that a company realizes the full potential of a grinder that does not require distribution. Of course this grinder would need a timer, like most anfims in specialty coffee shops do. But for the love of coffee the grinder needs to have STEPLESS collar for grind adjustments. If there was a grinder on the market with these capabilities I would definitely buy one, perhaps two.
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Jordan, did you read what Terry wrote. Espresso Part is that company.
Cheers,
Sam
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Permalink Reply by Nuova Simonelli on
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Hi there. We have been thinking of bringing one of our European version grinders to the USA called the MDL. It is very similar in specs to an Anfim as it has the same motor and 75 mm titanium coated burrs. We could also stuff that into an MDM which now comes with 65mm burrs and thats an attractive grinder. Of course all NS grinders come with the patented stepless system which makes cleaning or changing the burrs a snap. We are considering adding the timer from our Mythos grinder which is very flexible and accurate to the thousandth of a second. I have worked on an Anfim and really like the doser so we will try to replicate that. We are also putting the final touches on our Mythos grinder which has the same motor and burrs as an Anfim but is doserless. Virtually no coffee is stored between the burrs and exit so it has a lot of promise if we can perfect the distribution. We are very close but not totally satisfied yet. This is my first post on bx and it is not an advertisement but want to let baristas know we are listening. We are also happy to test these new technologies with willing barisatas.
RB
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Thanks for your response N.S.
I love a company that listens! Do you remember the old MDF (?) belt driven grinders. They were dual flat and conical burr sets and slow (rpm) as molasses in the spring. Taking these traditional ideas and improving on the dosing and distribution would be fantastic!!!! I would trade my new Anfims for an old MDF anytime. Any takers?
I have a shop full of willing Barista to take the new grinder challenge.
Cheers,
Sam
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HOLY $hit I did not! I had no idea, this makes me so excited you have no idea. I don't own an anfim, but this makes me want to buy four.
Sam Jones said:Jordan, did you read what Terry wrote. Espresso Part is that company.
Cheers,
Sam
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Two at a time Jordan. You might want to save up for two of these?!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/82921813@N00/330542934/
I am trying not to get my hopes up for this one but it looks so right!
Terry, are you going to be able bring a few mod kits?
S.
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Permalink Reply by Jay Caragay on
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I've had the opportunity to use the Anfim over the time since it became the "it" grinder of the "Third Wave" and the one thing that surprises me (or perhaps not) is the amount of hype and blind hysteria the Third Wavers have adopted over a simple grinder.
When the Anfim was first being touted, its' ability to dose straight down, cleanly and with little need for distribution were its' strong points. Other than that, it had the same flaws of many of the grinders out there - especially with regards to its' inferior click grind adjustment.
But read some of the dissertations on some of the forums and suddenly this achilles heel is now its' virtue. That merely adjusting the amount of time the grinder operates (and thus the amount of coffee dosed) is the miracle of the Anfim. Bollocks. The click adjustment is inferior to infinite friction adjustment.
The reality of today's world of grinder selections is that none of them are the "Grail" of grinders. All of them have their pluses and minuses. It's up to you as owner/operator/barista to decide which grinder will work best for you and which of the naggling problems you can live with and adjust.
For my money, I've been a fan of the Compak K-10 grinder. It doses cleaner than a Mazzer, grinds 20grams in 7 seconds, operates quietly and produces consistent and delicious espresso day in and day out. Of course, there are a few problems with the grinder but that's to be expected. It's about what you're willing to live with.
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