Ek43 t

[aubert]

I have been playing with an EK43 regular grinder and a Victoria Arduino lever machine with some variable shots as the blades wear in.
Not my setup but a friends.
I have a Strega machine and am wondering where the EK43 T fits in to the picture.
Shouldnt they be the norm for coffee ?
they are apparently an extra $900 for fitting of different blades.

I am scared to jump at an EK43 as the price is feisty!

any ideas ?

tia

michel
brisbane

[Bosco_Lever]

My neighbour has a magnificent 18m boat (cruiser) berthed on the water side of his house. I view it every morning when I enjoy my coffee (not ground with an EK43). It has a whopping shiny SS anchor, but I have to say, the EK43 puts it to shame. Probably a more practical use for it, than to take up valuable kitchen space.
Forget the EK43 for home use, most Australian kitchens are too small to accommodate an espresso machine, let alone a monstrous deli grinder.
Put the money towards a jet ski, it will yield a better ROI and guarantee lots of fun.

[aubert]

cheers Bosco but what do I use apart from my Rocky that needs replacing ?
the ek43T is cough cough $4500 !!

michel

[TOK]

...and is a commercial deli / bench grinder not a home grinder, which explains the price. If you are running a business that sells coffee in bulk by all means go for it otherwise my advice would be to go for something more appropriate for your use.

with regard to your

"I have a Strega machine and am wondering where the EK43 T fits in to the picture"
It doesnt.

"Shouldnt they be the norm for coffee ?"
Why? It is not the only grinder it its "class"....there are other grinders that are just as effective, in the usage group (bulk coffee) it is designed and intended for....Not saying it isnt a good grinder, for the use intended.

"...they are apparently an extra $900 for fitting of different blades...."

The norm for this type of commercial grinder, and upwards.

My personal favourite for your home use would be something in the vicinity of a Macap M4D. You could go bigger, but the bigger you go, the more volume you get. Bigger doesn't necessarily mean better "quality", just more volume

Enter the usual cyclic nonsense discussion here....

[Bosco_Lever]

cheers Bosco but what do I use apart from my Rocky that needs replacing ?
the ek43T is cough cough $4500 !!

michel

I use a Macap M4D with my Bosco. I cannot justify anything larger or more expensive for home use. Sometimes a second hand Conical grinder can be purchased for around $1000 to $1300, but they are big and not suitable for many kitchens. However, if it floats your boat.....
Some people believe they can perceive the flavour difference such a unit delivers, but it is also dependent on the beans, barista skill, palate temperament, time of the month etc.
For home use, 2-4 coffees a day, I cannot justify the additional $1000+ for a conical (over a M4D), as I personally do not believe the taste difference warrants the expenditure.

No doubt there are some people with super palates that can distinguish the slightest blueberry note, even if it is diluted in a latte. They also tend to be the most vocal when it comes to EK43 villification.

[TOK]

Yes...basically it goes like this:

In terms of the two grinders mentioned above. Is any difference in character in the cup (assuming 100% consistent barista technique used with each and any different coffee used on the two grinders in a comparison cupping test) worth the difference in the price. That is: a stated $4500.00 VS around $1200.00.

Let me be perfectly clear. The difference is three THOUSAND three HUNDRED dollars. Is there a $3 thousand, 3 hundred dollar difference in the coffees produced from each?

[aubert]

cheers
I am investigating the M4D

so much to get my head around

[muppet_man67]

I wouldn't worry too much about people saying its commercial, not for domestic, lots of people using commercial gear on here who are really happy with it. You just need to be aware that sometimes there are practical downsides and what they might be with individual pieces of equipment. Ie normally what's mentioned with bigger grinders are that they retain more coffee and are more wasteful aka Robur E, 60gm wasted for every grind adjustment + purging stale coffee

The EK43 from a coffee wastage point of view is extremly practical for home use as it has for practical purposes nearly zero grind retention and a very easy and consistent grind adjustment, it will make great espresso and filter coffee back to back without much wastage.

The main practical downsides with EK's for home use (given you like the espresso from them) is they are huge and expensive, thats it really.

From an espresso flavour point of view, you'll tend towards a more lungo, very transparent in flavor style of shots, nothing wrong with that but its very different in style to the shots you might get from a smaller flatburr espresso grinder. EK shots tend to speed up dramatically as the shots progress so it may be a great thing to match them with levers?

[TC]

FWIW and to add a little perspective, I really doubt that 99% of joe averages could pick the difference between the grind from a >$4k EK43 and a $230 OE Lido 2 which also has zero grind retention- all other variables being equal. There's also a Ditting for sale in the HWFS section at a fraction of the cost of the EK43. It's a broadly equivalent deli grinder to the EK43, but has not been subjected to hard sell by any "personalities". With it, I'd punt on 99.95% of joe averages.

That said, vendors of big expensive deli grinders will be only too happy to take a big margin from a domestic user who has been suckered into believing that he/she needs a big expensive deli grinder.

[Bosco_Lever]

I wouldn't worry too much about people saying its commercial, not for domestic, lots of people using commercial gear on here who are really happy with it.



From an espresso flavour point of view, you'll tend towards a more lungo, very transparent in flavor style of shots, nothing wrong with that but its very different in style to the shots you might get from a smaller flatburr espresso grinder. EK shots tend to speed up dramatically as the shots progress so it may be a great thing to match them with levers?

An EK43 is a deli grinder. Completely different to people using commercial equipment at home. It is designed to grind high volumes of coffee in a short time.

You suggested to pair it with a lever..... Talking from experience or is this a hypothetical suggestion??

I have a lever, and an EK43 would be my last choice as a grinder to match with it. As stated above, it would make a better boat anchor.

Lightly roasted, highly acidic beans are not suitable for levers. If you look at how they are constructed (and the years of research and design that has gone into them), and the market at which they are aimed at, you will realize that levers require medium to dark roasted beans.

EK43's along with their hype are best left to coffee shops trying to carve out a difference. In fact, most places with an EK43 on the bench, rarely seem to use it.

Few people drink a lungo (as opposed to the majority who drink espresso based milk drinks), so once again all this hype and nonsense for a tiny, (and I mean TINY) section of the coffee drinking public.

[IMAWriterRobJ]

Bosco, perhaps your very fine Bosco doesn't "like" a lighter roasted bean, but I can confidentially say my Strega lever DOES. perhaps it's the pump assistance? More likely is the ability to pressure profile each coffee I pull.I totally agree with the majority who think the MD, Compak flat burr or even a Baratza Forte AP would be up to the task.