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Re: Choice of grinders in the the $300 - $600 rang
Hrm I still dont know much about grinders, but there is another grinder which no one ever seems to talk about (maybe theyre crap??) that does fit in your price range.
Anyone know anything about La Pavoni grinders, the company is a good itialian brand right? Surely their grinders must be half decent.
Their chrome one with the doser is $555... or $495 without..
Re: Choice of grinders in the the $300 - $600 rang
Re Popcorning,
I dont use a hopper, the beans just sit in the throat.
Like Lucinda, I have occasionally seen a "popper" but it is an rare.
What I also noticed, and this may be because of my larger diameter burrs [80mm] and subsequent "grind chamber" under the throat, is that all the beans tend to spin as in a whirlpool.
They push out laterally with centrifical force into the burrs, rather than down onto them, so Im not sure that the weight would make any difference.
However, I appreciate the comments regarding the lack of weight, it does make sense and Ive yet to put it to the test.
At some point, Ill fabricate something to sit on top of the dose and weigh it down and then post my findings.
Re: Choice of grinders in the the $300 - $600 rang
I noticed a difference in quality (better) of espresso pour when I have half a hopper full, compared to a few spoons full... Not sure if Conicals are different to Flats in this regards...
Re: Choice of grinders in the the $300 - $600 rang
i also measure out the beans i need for one or two shots...with the Rocky having a fixed hopper leaving 4 cm of beans can be a problem for small-quantity coffee drinkers like myself... i have about 3-4 regular strength coffees per day, and then 2 decafs at night.
short of picking the Rocky up and up-ending the whole machine, it is imposible to remove the full strenght beans prior to grinding the decaf...
hmm, might get a small hand grinder for the decaf....
Re: Choice of grinders in the the $300 - $600 rang
I would imagine that conicals are different to flats in this regard. conicals dont rely on centrifuge to the extent of flat burs to push the coffee through the burrs. rather they rely on gravity. On a conical grinder there is a clear path between the beans in the hopper and the burrs. on a flat grinder the beans get flung into the burrs instead.
Re: Choice of grinders in the the $300 - $600 rang
Thanks for all the replies so far. As always the grinder has drifted past my original budget of $300-$600 but from the advice so far this can be justified.
Referring back to the original reply from 2mcm, Chris suggested that in the doser range ($600 +) the contenders are Mini Mazzer, Macap M5 and K3 Elite.
I have done I bit of reading on all these units. Their design is similar in that they are all direct drive with close RPM, have quality flat burrs of 58mm diameter, solid brass burr carriers, similar overall dimensions and now including the Macap M5, all have stepless adjustment.
The Mini Mazzer has an excellent stepless adjustment system but has some issues with leaving coffee grounds on the floor of the doser and dosing off centre into the portafilter.
The Macap M5 has stepless adjustment but it does not lend itself to quick adjustments as does the Mini Mazzer. The doser is supposed to work exceptionally well.
The Compak K3 Elite has a very good stepless sdjustment system as shown to me by a local Cafe. The doser also works very well. On the down side the tamper and its support is not removable as per the Mazzer and Macap and from what I have found the only available colour in stock in Australia is Champagne.
Leaving the slight cost variation between these units aside, is there a clear winner here or is it now down to aesthetics.
Re: Choice of grinders in the the $300 - $600 rang
Sounds like youve done your homework well.
Better than I did really.
Ive got a stepped Macap and am very happy with it.
(First thing I did was leave off the tamper.)
It will probably come down to aesthetics as you said, or toss a coin.
Re: Choice of grinders in the the $300 - $600 rang
Originally posted by Javaphile link=1183257508/0#13 date=1183346342
I also weigh out my beans for each shot. I found that a cheapo alum tamper fits in the throat of my grinder perfectly holding the beans down with only the last few doing the popcorning thing. I have no problem maintaining consistency shot too shot.
Java "Fresh beans please!" phile
Ive done that a few times -- the tamper in the hopper trick when the amount in the hopper gets too low and they start bouncing around.
But Im with 2MCM on weighing. Maybe OK at the very very beginning of the learning curve, but too turgid thereafter. Its pretty easy to judge amounts without weighing. Besides, some grounds are left behind, defeating the purpose.
And keeping a few extra beans in the hopper for a few hours longer isnt going to adversely affect freshness.
Also, the Iberital has a timer which helps with dosing. But if the beans start popcorning --dont you love the description -- it throws the system out.
Re: Choice of grinders in the the $300 - $600 rang
Originally posted by Lizzi link=1183257508/15#22 date=1184057771
i also measure out the beans i need for one or two shots...with the Rocky having a fixed hopper leaving 4 cm of beans can be a problem for small-quantity coffee drinkers like myself... i have about 3-4 regular strength coffees per day, and then 2 decafs at night.
short of picking the Rocky up and up-ending the whole machine, it is imposible to remove the full strenght beans prior to grinding the decaf...
hmm, might get a small hand grinder for the decaf....
more toys!! ;D
L
Been down that path, Lizzie. Iberital for normal beans, hand grinder for decaf. But I coudlnt keep it up. In the end, after 2 decades of decaf, it all got too bothersome and I coverted back to normal beans.
One grinder does all.
--Robusto
Re: Choice of grinders in the the $300 - $600 rang
Originally posted by Thundergod link=1183257508/15#25 date=1184493655
Sounds like youve done your homework well.
Better than I did really.
Ive got a stepped Macap and am very happy with it.
(First thing I did was leave off the tamper.)
It will probably come down to aesthetics as you said, or toss a coin.
Happy owner of a Macap M4 Stepless Doser Grinder
Well aesthetics played a part but the lack of availability of the Mini Mazzer pointed me to the Macap. Atilio of Cosmorex said he would have new stocks of the Macap M5 this week. Much to my surprise, on display today in shiny chrome was the Macap M4. This is the short hopper version of the M5 (overall height only 430mm) and also featured stepless adjustment.
Thanks to the site sponsers and members for all the advice.
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