Comparing the Mazzer Mini and Baratza Preciso

[Lasanmarcomelb]

Comparing the Mazzer Mini and Baratza Preciso

Not a waste of time James, what you wrote has given me a grinder to think about as my Dad needs a new one at the lower end of the market and I reckon it sounds like a goodun'. It is always worth comparing expensive to affordable if the latter is coming up with the goods

Let others argue the small stuff

[NakiChap]

What a waste of time even starting any of this...

Yes its a shame this happens James M

Enjoy your preciso !!!!!!

[JamesM]

What a waste of time even starting any of this...

[Pete39]

Cookkidog,

Sorry, didn't mean Mazzer had said that, I meant that others have reported issues.

By issues I mean mainly grind retention and difficulty in making fine, repeatable adjustments. I did not flesh these out because a) it wasn't my main point and b) a quick search will turn up plenty of reviews that are not all positive.

In my defense, I don't think mine was an "off the cuff statement". Search for reviews of the above mentioned grinders and you'll get criticisms of all (some probably justified, some not).

I still don't think we're comparing apples and oranges - we're comparing two possible grinders for home use.

I don't think "all else is meaningless" - there are many things that people consider when choosing a grinder including cupping results.

Last time I checked this forum wasn't a place for cited, academic discussions.

Pete

[chokkidog]

I can't recall the Mazzers saying anything of the sort!!!!! Are they anything like the Incredibles?.............Fictional, cartoon characters?
Other than grind retention in the Robur, what 'significant' issues ?

Post#13 &#16 could use a bit of fleshing out...... off the cuff statements often lack a certain logic.
There is a bit of apples and oranges going on, even from the start, as one grinder is planar, the other conical.
Conclusions shouldn't be drawn until the 'in the cup' results are 'in the bag', all else is meaningless as nothing
much of value has been compared yet.

I, for one, will now wait for James to finish the job.

[Pete39]

I agree - thanks for the info James.

I do think its worth comparing new cheaper grinders to Mazzer grinders for home-users. The Mazzers have often previously spoken about shortcomings that become a significant issue for home users. If a grinder can produce a comparable grind quality and last half as long and come at half the price, there is a decision to be made by the consumer.

Pete

[chokkidog]

JamesM, as FC says above, well done on starting your review, I too, look forward, as TC mentions, to the nitty gritty part when you can relate objective taste comparisons.
To me this would involve both espresso tasting, of espresso roasts and proper cupping of atypical cupping roasts, in a controlled testing environment.

I imagine you have read the 'Titan Grinder' thread on HB, my idea would be to not use this as a guide, that review, in its totality, is nonsense.
Good luck with the second half!!

[TC]

Ergo apples with apples. Best compare it to Breville/Sunbeam

[NakiChap]

We are talking about grinders for home domestic use , some people only make 1-2 coffee's a day,not commercial use.

[TC]

James, thank you for taking the time to write your review. I know from personal experience just how much time and effort is required to write stuff like that, from the goodness of your heart.

What I am really waiting for however, is a practical comparison of the brew quality from your two grinders without which, any talk of "grind quality or grind consistency" in my opinion, means not much except on spec sheets.

Keen to hear......

A.

I agree Attilio...It's in the cup and the only way to come to a valid conclusion would need to include scientific precision and blind tasting so as to avoid the all too common placebo effect.

Must say I always find threads like this one somewhat perplexing. As an example a discussion on one of the forums where some "expert" compared a Mazzer mini-e to a Macap M4D. The Mazzer "won" due to less clumping. When you look at the photos, the Mazzer is running waaaaay coarser than the Macap- so the outcome and conclusions are of zero value.

So now we get another comparison, on another forum between a Mazzer and something 1/2 the price and probably 1/5th of the mass. I am yet to see a line of precisios being used in a cafe for origins, decaf et al and I suspect it's unlikely I ever will.

The Precisio may well be good. I don't know as I have never used one. When I last picked up it's brother the Vario, what I felt was lightweight, plastic and overpriced. At least the Precisio sells at a more realistic price.

What does need to be considered is build quality, finish and performance. Mazzers are pretty much indestructible and that's why they are so commonly used in commercial environments. They are priced accordingly.

[JamesM]

Cadan, yeah, we should move these posts. Pharos grinder... pretty slick, I'm hearing great things from fellow snobs. I heard about a modded pharos outperforming Robur's.

Steve, for the cost / budget, I'm not sure you can find a better grinder. Honestly.

[Steve82]

I will second the great review!! Cheers James

I am seriously looking into getting a electric grinder in the new year and the Preciso is ticking many boxes for me.

Great size, great performance, sounds like its made quite well and the price point is huge value.

[NakiChap]

I think these post's need to be moved to the Baratza preciso thread started by fine grind

I am by no means an expert but I have ran shots between my Mazzer mini and preciso on the same day using the same beans,dose, basket and machine and there was a noticeable difference in the colour of the pour,the way it poured off the group handle and in the flavour,the preciso's pours were more nicely evenly brown oozed off the spout more consistantly with an even flow rate took longer to thin and blonde and tasted better from what I could get out of the mazzer ,BUT this is only for espresso and only from my limited experience,

I now use a Pharos as my main grinder and I always switch back and fourth between what ever grinders I have at the time and play with diff beans, roast profiles,doses and read alot of tips from CS members always trying diff angles on my brew techniques

I would put the preciso ahead of the mini and K3 but still behind my pharos for taste when I brew espresso and I have pulled alot of shots off these three grinders.

Cheers
Cadan

[JamesM]

Absolutely. I'll try to take some notes and do some side-by-side brewing. Both, in my opinion, are great grinders and have a home on my bench. Both have pro's and con's. I think it's nice to see some well-performing grinders (and other products) coming to the home for a reasonable price. For me, while ease of use and cleanliness is important, the result in the cup is the most important!

[Fresh_Coffee]

James, thank you for taking the time to write your review. I know from personal experience just how much time and effort is required to write stuff like that, from the goodness of your heart.

What I am really waiting for however, is a practical comparison of the brew quality from your two grinders without which, any talk of "grind quality or grind consistency" in my opinion, means not much except on spec sheets.

Keen to hear......

A.