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  • Cunill Commercial Grinder

    It was only a matter of time before a commercial grinder joined the commercial two-group Grimac, and that time is now.

    I have acquired a used Cunill Space commercial grinder. Its a little-heard-of model, but very similar to most others in that catagory the Spanish Cunill maker produces.

    Why get one? Because I can ;D ;D. And, seriously, because Mrs Robusto and I were becoming annoyed by the mess made by our Iberital Challenge doserless.

    I have no qualms about the Iberitals grind quality: it is excellent. But even the mod of a cut up 2-litre milk carton to catch grinds hasnt stopped a few spraying onto the kitchen bench. Thats what happens when you updose.

    And it does take quite a bit of time to grind 19 grams on demand. And when there is a houseful of friends and relatives anxious to get a good coffee, it was very time consuming.

    So we thought we would go for a commercial doser grinder. And if you are going to upgrade, my motto is always go steeply upwards, never sideways.

    After much research and seeing what was employed in cafés, our short list of candidates comprised Gino Rossi, Mazzer Super Jolly (new) and the Cunill.

    The specs: 60 ml flat burrs, 610 ml tall, 2 kg hopper, 600 gram doser. Twelve kg, I think. It is big, but it does not overpower and still fits into the bench space to the right of the sink.

    Af 445 Watts it is very powerful and so can grind effortlessly without overheating. The doser is ajustable from 5 grams to 10 grams.

    Grind adjustment is a breeze and a pleasure. Very,very shmooooth. Just press down the detent button, grab the ring which is bolted via three small bolts to the top burr, and turn. Release the detent. Ah, no more RSI from the Iberital.

    On the downside, being a commercial beast, it is a little out of its depth in a domestic environment if you only want to grind 19 grams for a double shot.

    For the doser to measure out a correct amount, the mechanism has to be pretty much covered with grinds. And that means theyll go stale by the time they are used. Grinding on demand simply does not work.

    Nor can you dump in 19 grams of beans and expect 19 grams of grinds --most of them would be trapped inside somewhere.

    Did I say we wanted to eliminate mess : Not yet. Havent perfected my technique, but its pretty messy. However, the potential is there. The portafilter cups neatly around a small chute under the doser. When I get my act together, it should be impossible for any grnds to stray.

    There is no fork on which to rest the portafilter, but given that it will only be under the doser for a second or two, it may not be necessary.

    Activation is through a rocker switch on the base. There is no timer (unlike the Iberital), nor is there a switch activated by pressing the portafilter against it. This is a doser model after all.

    I dismantled and thoroughly cleaned everything of smelly old state grinds. Some parts were encrusted with them.

    The sweeper which spins with the moving burr is made of solid steel. It does not extend far enough to the edge of the chamber, so some coffee is left on the walls, and on the chamber floor. I can see a simple mod about to heappen to fix that.

    All parts were in excellent, as new condition. The top burr rests in a massive cast metal holder which is bolted down via 4 bolts. No freeplay in the moving one which of course is attached to the motor armature.

    With the naked eye, the burrs seemed OK. But under a magnifying glass, the edges appear more jaggered than sharp. A new set is in order (should be about $40).

    I have run out of beans to play with the machine and its settings, and todays freshly roasted batch might have to become a sacrifical offering. :-/

    But with the burrs set so they just touch each other and then back off slightly, the grind setting still is on the coarse side, and the resultant brew awful --- so definitely will order new burrs.

    LIKES: grind adjustment, slider to close off hopper, powerful motor, doser adjuster, solidity. Ease of dismantling.

    DISLIKES: sweeping mechanism, necessity to load up doser.

    Hope to post some pictures later.



  • #2
    Re: Cunill Commercial Grinder

    Gday Robusto,

    Sounds like a great acquisition alright, cant wait for the pictures :....

    Regarding "grind on demand". I do it every day with our LSM and from the dimensions you have given for the Cunhill, they would be a very close match I would think. Because of the length of the discharge chute into the doser it is inevitable that several grams of grounds are going to be trapped in there at the end of every session.

    All I do is add the quantity of beans required for a session and then add an additional 4-5g. I do a short grind and discard the first 4-5g of grounds from the doser and then let her rip with the remainder of the beans loaded into my Lizzi styled hopper (made from an insulated cup). Not a single grain of stale coffee gets near the FP this way and the loss of 4-5g of beans per session is a small price to pay for perfectly ground coffee.... Bewdyfull ;D

    Cheers,
    Mal.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Cunill Commercial Grinder

      Nice one Robusto - congratulations and thanks for a great review.

      Does it look like this?....

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Cunill Commercial Grinder

        Thanks for the tip, Mal. Ill try adding the extra sacrifical grams. And sort of, Dennis, the hopper is different.

        Here are some pics:

        David and Goliath wrestle for space near the sink.


        Danny de Vito and Schwarzenegger with its stainless steel body








        The portafilter cups around the exit chute



        The doser is adjusted by turning the centre bolt with the fingers,
        clockwise for smaller amount, counter-clockwise for larger up to 10 grams


        And the Iberital with its milk carton mod to stop stray grinds




        <Edited to repair link>

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Cunill Commercial Grinder

          Congrats.

          I love the exit chute.

          You should see if a click-clack lid will fit the hopper.
          If one des you could blow the remaining few grinds out.

          I use a brush to remove the little left in the Macaps chute then give the burrs one more burst and that throw the last of the grinds into the chute which are then brushed into the hopper with the rest and then a dosing I go.

          The brushing takes all of 5 seconds.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Cunill Commercial Grinder

            Good idea TG, Ill raid the kitchen cupboards for the click-clack.

            If all the grinds could be directed into two of the doser segments--instead of sprayed everywhere -- it would help producing a measured dose into the portafilter without first having to fill the doser. Something to ponder.

            By the way, one part which didnt make it back in place after the dismantling was the "tamper". Not only impracticle, but way smaller than the basket diameter anyway.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Cunill Commercial Grinder

              My tamper never went on the Macap in the first place.

              If you cant find a click-clack at home just do what I did and take the hopper to Big W and start trying the different sizes in the click-clack lid range.

              Cant you get used to dosing through the grinder like the rest of us?

              Grind on demand doesnt rely on 2 measured clicks for a double.
              Its just thwack, thwack, thwack until your PF is full.
              Ive adjusted my doser to minimum dose and it can take a dozen thwacks all up to sweep the doser out but in the end I have an empty doser and a full basket and bugger all extra grinds if I got the number of beans right before grinding.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Cunill Commercial Grinder

                Rob
                The Cunill tamper never made it onto mine, Ive found with the tranquilo I grind for 10seconds 5-6 thwacks and thats good for a single, 18secs for a double, not left over grinds and no mess!
                I like it much better then the doserless grinders.
                Nice one youve got there
                Sullos

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Cunill Commercial Grinder

                  I guess its just a slightly different routine than what youve been used to with the Iberital Robusto..... Was a bit strange changing over from my Rocky at first but now it all happens a lot quicker and NO MESS - Love that part....

                  Mal.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Cunill Commercial Grinder

                    Dear Mr Robusto (grovel),

                    I just happen to be in the market for a very messy Iberital. How will you be retiring yours? Will it be left in that cupboard to fall into the many parts in many places syndrome? Or will you be sending it to a better world of fresh beanz and bright lights, the kind of world that I just happen to have in the vacinity of my kitchen? Please PM me if the latter applies. If not, when do you intend to hold the memorial service?


                    b4b.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Cunill Commercial Grinder

                      Thats very funny B4Brainz  ;D ;D
                      But I must admit I havent given much thought to what to do about the Iberital. At the moment I feel as though I have betrayed it, been unfaithful to it despite its loyalty.  

                      Ill give thought to it.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Cunill Commercial Grinder

                        Hey Robusto,

                        Nice one, and great review.
                        Going from a domestic to a commercial beastie takes a bit of getting used to, especially the speed.
                        My compak does a double in about 9 seconds, the EM0480 took a good 30.
                        It doesnt leave much time for error, and can really chew up the beans whilst youre practising.

                        New burrs Rock!!!!!!!!

                        Getting used to the doser is really about getting used to the right dose and how much grinds are retained.
                        Keep the vanes moving as you grind [thwackety, thwack] , that way each segment will have only a little coffee and each drop into the PF will be very neat and tidy.

                        If your going to keep/use the hopper, the click clack lid may work well in blowing out the retained grinds, but otherwise if your throat is big enough to hold a doubles worth, try out my plunger blow-out method.
                        It looks like your adjustment collar is just the right size for this....then you can measure/weigh your dose and get ievery bit out.

                        http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1188905934

                        Personally, Id really recommend a fork [make one or buy one] very convenient ...as a free hand is um err handy.
                        Plus you can hang your tamper on it when youve finished.

                        Congrats, Im sure well hear more about it soon

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Cunill Commercial Grinder

                          Strange mini-phenomenon weve got going here with older commercial grinders I must say. After getting used to their significant presence though, its all good and Im never going back..... Their performances are just so good, in terms of speed, quality and construction.

                          Becoming quite attached to my LSM ...

                          Mal.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Cunill Commercial Grinder

                            Ive noticed that there is an initial blast of fine grinds dust into the doser. This is sprayed out all over the place.

                            Then things settle down, and the grinds start to fall neatly straight down.

                            I am making sure there is a segment directly under to catch them. When that segment is full, I pull the dosing lever to move the next empty one into position.

                            That is giving me a better idea of how much to grind. Of course, I have to keep lifting the portafilter away from the neat exit chute to check, and everytime I do that some grinds spill out. Messy.

                            Also, I take back what I said about the bluntness of the burrs. Even allowing for the fact the beans are only a day old, there is a very nice dark crema emerging. The next couple of days as the beans degass more should be telling.

                            Thank you all for the advice. I am going to try all suggestions.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Cunill Commercial Grinder

                              Originally posted by Sullo link=1190263852/0#7 date=1190295459
                              Rob
                              , Ive found with the tranquilo I grind for 10seconds 5-6 thwacks and thats good for a single, 18secs for a double, not left over grinds and no mess!
                              I like it much better then the doserless grinders.
                              Sullos
                              Hey Robusto,
                              i am of the counting crowd as well...
                              before i grind for my shots, i run Ms Carimali 5 sec to clear the chute of stale grinds , then dose the grinds in the tray and dump them.
                              i dont make single shots, so i just count to 18 for my "fill" into the deep Synesso basket... if i want to make a ristretto i count to 20... the doser sweeps clean, and apart from the slight drop of the grinds into the left side of the PF, which may spill over the edge of the PF if i am not watchful, there is not a lot of spillage.
                              and what spillage there is, the tray takes care of.
                              neatly.



                              L

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