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My grinder journey...

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  • My grinder journey...

    Unhappy with the less than stella taste of pre-ground coffee (even with storage in an airtight container in the dark) and after a year of under-utilising our Gaggia Classic, due to the length of time it takes to hand grind the beans (I even tried using my power drill on the handle, which, by the way does not work as it spins it too fast and is quite tiring to hold at chest height in an awkward position with the trigger half depressed), we finally decided to bite the bullet and start looking for a grinding machine. Our budget was nothing over $200, nothing bladed.

    Thanks to this site, we were able to read the Choice reviews and we had our heart set on the Delonghi KG100. Last Thursday night, we headed down to the local DJ to have a good look at the machine. I was not too impressed with the build quality. Firstly, the display model had a very loose timer dial. I understand that a lot of people would have played with it but this is probably a good indication of its quality after long term use. Secondly, I was not sure if I could be bother transfering the ground coffee from the catcher into the PF every time.

    Sitting next to the Delonghi was a Sunbeam EM0460. This also rated highly on the Choice review. What I liked about it was it dispensed the coffee right into the PF, hence no intermediate handling and cleanup required (in theory, see later). However, my wife did not like that there was no switch to turn the machine on and off and was hesitant about the longevity of the micro-switch on the front of the machine that the PF triggered to activate the grinder. Her concerns were confirmed after reading how some of these machines have a failed due to the micro-switch (mobile internet is a wonderful thing).

    Next to the EM0460 was the EM0480. On first inspection, I was thoroughly impressed and it met all the criteria. It had an on/off/auto switch, it was priced at $199 and it dispensed right into the PF. The case was solid, the adjustment ring was made of metal and the machine was heavy (always a good indication of quality). Another thing it had over the Delonghi was you could remove the hopper and the bean would not fall out the bottom, meaning you could still follow your bean storage procedure. I was however hessitant about the size. The bottom part of the stand was quite big and I initially wanted to store the machine away when not in use. The tongue part of the stand serves no purpose apart from holding the spill tray. But my heart was still set on this machine when we were kicked out of the shop at 9pm.

    When we got home, I search YouTube for some further reviews and was not impressed with the EM0480 when in operation. The machine makes one hell of a mess when dispensing into the PF. I thought I could be content with doing the milk-container or the styro-cup mod but for $200, it should just work!

    Anyway, whilst trawling YouTube some more I came across the wholelattelove review of the Gaggia MDF. Well made video and was very impressed with the review of the disassembled grinding mechanism. There are poo-poo comments on some forums about the doser but there were no complaints about build quality nor longevity.

    And now to the real reason for this post. Knowing it was Italian made, I was expecting it to be well over $200 and this was confirmed on some sites. However, my persistence paid off when I came across the unit for $150 with free shipping at MyDiBellaCoffee. GAH! I had no choice but to buy it (together with a tamper). The order was placed on Thursday night at about midnight and the parcel arrived yesterday along with a Torq sample (as per the website) and a big bag of beans!(not mentioned on the website) Very impressed and very happy. A+++++ to MyDiBellaCoffee.

    So after playing with it last night and this morning, here is my review. The doser is indeed poo-poo. It will spill ground beans when the machine is grinding so it will not leave your counter-top 100% clean. It will dose to one side of the PF since it sweeps the coffee out a hole with no funnel to the center. This may be overcome-d by not using the handle too rigourously. The measurement of the dose, if you do not completely fill the doser section with grinds, is undetermined. When the grinds fall out into the doser, it can fall into any of the wedges even though it is aimed at only one. To get around this, I use my measuring scoop to only grind what I need. This also allows me to still store my beans else where. Doing this also reduces the mess on the countertop as there are no grinds left in the doser to fall out. Note, I said reduce as I still see grinds coming from somewhere. The grinds also tend to stick to the outside of the machine and the mess may have come from that. 

    Overall, and I may still be tainted my the after glow of the MyDiBellaCoffee experience, I am satisfied. My coffee making time has come down to 5 minutes and can finally get a decent cup prior to work. The mess can be contained by a small tray and I have been told by the significant other that all wastages should be kept as she can use it to make a coffee cake.

  • #2
    Re: My grinder journey...

    Welcome to coffeesnobs meatpopsicle.

    Great to hear that the service/buying experience was top notch and that it appears your story has a happy ending.

    The one thing that did strike me about your observations of the machines mentioned in your post was that there appeared to be no perspective given to the price bracket ($200.00). I guess what I am trying to say very nicely is that for $200.00 you aint going to get perfection.

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    • #3
      Re: My grinder journey...

      Yes, I totally agree. $200 is at the bottom end of what could be spent on grinders, so we were all about value for money.

      This budget is also what the designers/manufacturers have to work with. Each company is going to use their budget in different ways. Some focus on the bells and whistles and fancy colours others on the core components. I think Gaggia spent theirs in the right manner.

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      • #4
        Re: My grinder journey...

        Kaffee, maybe the perspective you are referring to is the difference in quality of a $200 grinder to say perhaps a $1000 grinder.

        I guess what meatpopsicle is saying is that spending $200 on a domestic appliance (thats a fairly pricy domestic appliance in comparison to other domestic appliances) you would expect a certain level of quality - if you understand where im coming from.

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        • #5
          Re: My grinder journey...

          Yes, agreed.

          I am in no way comparing with more expensive grinders, sorry if I have given that impression. My only point is that when we consider these grinders (with their short comings) we also need to be mindful of the cost that they are being sold.

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          • #6
            Re: My grinder journey...

            Yes especially when the quality of grind primarily depends on the quality and precise alignment of the burrs! This is why you can pay thousands of dollars for the repeatability of grind particle size!

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