Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

[tsaxon]

Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

Ive been grinding strictly for vac pot the last 4 days & in the drip range the Breville does a very nice job. Its noisier then the grinders Im used to but certainly has some well thought out features. Now that Im restocked with espresso blends & S/O Ill try the espresso range again this week.

Look forward to your experience on how the Breville performs with espresso grind and how it compares to your old Vario. Certainly looks like a very promising grinder and excellent value for money.

[newbeanboy]

Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

Hi All,
Thought I should give an an update as many people post until they have issues but then stop after. The Breville is performing very well. A little fiddling to get it right with shims if required and now just the usual adjustment for new beans and beans as a couple of weeks pass and then are replaced. I have found the amount of beans in the hopper makes a substantial difference to the amount ground for "2 shots" Im not sure if this is usually the case for higher end grinders. all in all seems to be very good value for mind.

[Dimal]

Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

I have found the amount of beans in the hopper makes a substantial difference to the amount ground for "2 shots" Im not sure if this is usually the case for higher end grinders.

Yes mate, a common trait for pretty well all grinders. Glad to hear that the BCG800 is the goods for you.... 8-)

Mal.

[Muscles]

Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

My Em0480 served me well for the last 6 months but after joining here and reading the reviews on BCG800 I took a punt and got one and I am glad I did.
I ordered the grinder last week and emailed Phil from Breville the same day to order a shim kit (no questions asked he just sent them - great service). They both arrived yesterday and I dialled it in last night after installing the shims.

I know its very early days but this for me is already a big improvement over the Sunbeam EM0480.
The Breville is quieter, cleaner, has no clumping and is more convenient to use overall. I only grind for espressos so the grind range is more than adequate for me.

Thanks for all the feedback on it in here guys...

[leonardopm]

Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

Hi all,

I just received my BCG800 yesterday. My Gaggia is in repair service (OPV leak) so I only tested it briefly for drip.

The first impression is that it grinds better than BCG450, maybe because of improved burrs fixing structure. Its a VERY beautiful grinder and fits so well in regular kitchens like mine...

The cleaning is very easy, the controls are simple to understand, well finished, good materials, etc. It seems quieter than BCG450, at least it has a more pleasing sound than that.

I tested ground retention in the 100% clean, never used grinder. It took 2.7g in its internal parts, value very close to Baratza Vario. Tomorrow Ill test grind retention with the grinder already used.

Despite the fact that I not tested with espresso yet, until now Im very satisfied with the product. Thanks for all you that helped me to take the decision.

Leonardo

[p505fm]

Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

We are negotiating a special sponsor spec. unit which will have some very useful goodies in it which would normally come at some fair cost. This spec. wont be available to the majors  

Any progress on this?

[leonardopm]

Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

Hi all,

Does anybody already weighed the output from the espresso range? I weighed it in the pot and drip range and found compatible values for 1 cup, but for espresso range I took two measurements on position 3 and got nearly 22g and 21g for double shot.

I dont know but think it is way overdosed considering usual parameters for doubles. Then I realized that it can be a colateral effect of the shimming problem, so if the grinder is creating particles larger than ideal, it would also probably have a faster output and consequently overweigh the dose, supposing that the dosing mechanism is based on time (reasonable).

So, what you think? Makes sense?

The ones that already shimmed their grinders are getting 20 or 22g doses for double shots? Or getting something near the usual 14g range?

Leonardo

[bikpaintr]

Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

You will find that the output drops considerably once youve shimmed the grinder for a proper espresso grind. When mine is set fine enough for use with a standard basket in a pump machine output can be as low as 4 grams per shot setting. At these settings the grounds are very clumpy, almost clay like, and require some prep to get decent results. When grinding coarser for my Microcasa the output is in the 6-6.5g range per shot setting & the grounds are much fluffier. Moving 1 setting higher or lower will change your output so you need to play around with it if you are weighing your doses.

  Based on my experience to date this grinder does a nice job in the vac pot/drip range & the coarser espresso range a spring lever or entry level machine requires. Once you start grinding fine enough for a pump machine that uses a standard double basket the output is extremely slow, contains lots of firm small clumps & the quality falls off. I personally dont think it can be compared to the B. Vario as an espresso grinder but then it is less then half the cost of the Vario here in the U.S.

Its a heck of a brew grinder for the money & fits the bill as a travel grinder I needed but I wouldnt consider it suitable for daily use with a standard espresso machine.

[mcsblues]

Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

Certainly not my experience John. Ive never weighed before but for interest this mornings double shot came in at 19g at the 3rd finest setting (after 1.4mm in shims) there is next to no clumping and with minimal prep besides standard tamping I got a nice 25 second shot and a very clean puck.

Admittedly I have an entry level espresso machine (Sunbeam 6910) using standard baskets, but Id be interested if someone could explain to me how a more expensive machine puts greater demands on the grinder beyond it being easier to see the benefits of very small changes in grind quality/consistency. I have read somewhere that with better machines less updosing is required (again Id like to know what sets the 6910 apart) - but until the upgrade reaches the top of the priorities pile (Im looking at building another house!) it is interesting, but academic for now!

Getting back on topic, I continue to be very impressed with this grinder and it seems if anything as it settles in, I can use a slightly coarser setting and less updosing than I did immediately post shimming - but this may in part be down to the improvements in distribution and tamping by the idiot at the controls :-? that this grinder seems to reward .

[bikpaintr]

Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

I wasnt getting clumping with a 1.4mm shim stack either. I also wasnt able to get anything but very fast pours. With a 1.63mm shim stack I could get 22 second pours with an 18 gram dose using the finer settings. It wasnt until I installed a 1.80mm shim stack that I could pull normal 25 second & longer ristretto shots on my pump machine using the upper espresso grind range.

Since I will only be using the Breville with my Microcasa which prefers a coarser grind, or for brew grinding, I reduced the stack height to 1.73mm. This allows me to grind for a 14-15 gram dose for the lever around the #19 or #20 setting & the grounds look pretty nice. If I bump the setting up several notches for a double that will work with the Speedster (8.75-9 bar) the grounds slowly plop out as small, dense clumps.

No idea what your Sunbeam baskets look like but Im using standard Synesso baskets in the Speedster. With your shim stack my pours were blonding in the mid teens so something must be different. If the Breville should produce an acceptable espresso grind for any pump machine with only the 1.4mm shim stack then maybe mine is defective?? Possibly Phil McKnight from Breville could weigh in??

 

[>mcknightp]

Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

Guys, just to be clear you cant compare stack heights between machines. The shims are there purely to adjust the burrs to be at a specified gap to account for variations in production parts during assembly. If the worker on the production line charged with this responsibility had done their job, then you wouldnt even known there were shims under the bottom burr.

Cheers, Phil

[mcsblues]

Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

Point taken Phil - it seems my machine was right in the sweet spot you designed the latest shim kit for.

  No idea what your Sunbeam baskets look like but Im using standard Synesso baskets in the Speedster. 

Johm there is a comparison in this thread http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1254801683 - very similar by the look of it, so while the Synesso is probably better, I doubt that is the difference. Have you tried updosing at a slightly coarser setting (which as I found when I weighed this morning, is effectively what I do. I hate to think how many grams I was cramming in with my last grinder! ;D (quite a bit more )

[leonardopm]

Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

Got my Gaggia back today and yes...definitely I will need these shims. 15s gusher in the finest setting.

Saw yesterday on Twitter from SCG that Gail would test today a mod of this grinder. Does anybody know about it? Is it the shim kit "mod" or anything new?

EDITED: Well, SCG just posted on Twitter that was about the shim kit. It seems that they became very satisfied with it after the mod...

Leonardo

[dustinbennett]

Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

After my email requesting the shim kit went unanswered (three days) I gave Breville a call and requested one. After being put on hold for 10 minutes (not complaining just stating a fact) the operator came back on and apologized for it taking so long, but they needed to research this b/c I was the "first person to make this request". I was hoping I would win a prize for that, but no such luck.

After she got all my info she gave me a reference number but then wanted a number off of my machine. I explained to her that Im currently at work and dont have it in front of me. She said that until she has the machine number they cant mail the part to me. She told me to call back when I get home and to give the person who answers the reference number along with the machine number.

Hopefully this will be in the mail tomorrow. Well see......

[mcsblues]

Re: Breville BCG800 Smart Grinder

Drop Phil a PM

Just drop me a PM with your address. Will post one out same day.

Cheers, Phil