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Mahlkonig Vario - what’s the retention like?

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  • Mahlkonig Vario - what’s the retention like?

    Long-time lurker, first time topic-creator, so bear with me.

    Long story short, I am currently in the process of downgrading my brewing setup.

    Using a Lagom p64 (Unimodal) at the moment but feel that it is too much grinder for my needs. I’ve been offered a good deal on a second-hand Mahlkonig Vario, which I am considering.

    I have, however, grown accustomed to the low retention of my p-64. Early on in the hobby I had a Baratza Encore and the retention on that thing was frustratingly noticeable, especially at finer grind settings.

    Those of you who use or have used the Vario, how does it stack up, retention-wise?

  • #2
    Originally posted by Isast View Post
    Long-time lurker, first time topic-creator, so bear with me. Long story short, I am currently in the process of downgrading my brewing setup. Using a Lagom p64 (Unimodal) at the moment but feel that it is too much grinder for my needs. I've been offered a good deal on a second-hand Mahlkonig Vario, which I am considering. I have, however, grown accustomed to the low retention of my p-64. Early on in the hobby I had a Baratza Encore and the retention on that thing was frustratingly noticeable, especially at finer grind settings. Those of you who use or have used the Vario, how does it stack up, retention-wise?
    I've had a Vario for a few years and I love it. I only really use it for espresso for which I find it fantastic. I've used it a couple of times for soft brew and haven't been a huge fan of the grind that the ceramic burrs produce for soft brew. I'd happily use a Vario with steel burrs for soft brew as the workflow is good and retention is low, but the flavour profile the ceramic burrs deliver just didn't do it for me. As far as retention goes I'd assume it retains more than the likes of the Lagom, but I'd still classify it as a very low retention grinder. I clean mine out with a vacuum at least once a week and after doing this it will always retain up to 1g of grounds. After this initial use where I'm guessing a few little nooks and corners fill with grounds the retention will be between 0 and 0.5g, usually closer to 0. The main thing that influences retention is the antistatic flap in the chute. For the first couple of years I had the grinder this flap worked so well that I could grind straight into my portafilter without any mess, but retention was always 0.5g-1g. At a certain point the flap got worn or a bit dirty and static became an issue. I went through a few steps to alleviate this, including getting a new flap from Baratza and installing it. This helped a little, but it's never returned to the completely mess free grinding I was getting beforehand. I now grind into a catch cup and tip into my portafilter, which I'm actually quite happy to do as I've started doing WDT again. The other good thing about the flap working the way it does is that retention is as low as stated above. I know some people have removed the flap altogether. This would be ok if you're just going to use it the grinder for filter coffee, but you really need it in there if you're using it for espresso. Also it's a bit of a fiddly job so you need to be comfortable servicing or modding machines to do it. Hope all this is answers your question somewhat. Sing out if you want to know more.

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by LeroyC View Post
      I've had a Vario for a few years and I love it. I only really use it for espresso for which I find it fantastic. I've used it a couple of times for soft brew and haven't been a huge fan of the grind that the ceramic burrs produce for soft brew. I'd happily use a Vario with steel burrs for soft brew as the workflow is good and retention is low, but the flavour profile the ceramic burrs deliver just didn't do it for me. As far as retention goes I'd assume it retains more than the likes of the Lagom, but I'd still classify it as a very low retention grinder. I clean mine out with a vacuum at least once a week and after doing this it will always retain up to 1g of grounds. After this initial use where I'm guessing a few little nooks and corners fill with grounds the retention will be between 0 and 0.5g, usually closer to 0. The main thing that influences retention is the antistatic flap in the chute. For the first couple of years I had the grinder this flap worked so well that I could grind straight into my portafilter without any mess, but retention was always 0.5g-1g. At a certain point the flap got worn or a bit dirty and static became an issue. I went through a few steps to alleviate this, including getting a new flap from Baratza and installing it. This helped a little, but it's never returned to the completely mess free grinding I was getting beforehand. I now grind into a catch cup and tip into my portafilter, which I'm actually quite happy to do as I've started doing WDT again. The other good thing about the flap working the way it does is that retention is as low as stated above. I know some people have removed the flap altogether. This would be ok if you're just going to use it the grinder for filter coffee, but you really need it in there if you're using it for espresso. Also it's a bit of a fiddly job so you need to be comfortable servicing or modding machines to do it. Hope all this is answers your question somewhat. Sing out if you want to know more.
      Ahh, interesting.

      0.5-1.0g definitely seems quite reasonable to me. My encore used to retain 2-3 grams sometimes, goodness me.

      What is it about brews with the ceramic burrs that you don’t like as much as the steel, out or curiosity?

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by Isast View Post
        Ahh, interesting. 0.5-1.0g definitely seems quite reasonable to me. My encore used to retain 2-3 grams sometimes, goodness me. What is it about brews with the ceramic burrs that you don't like as much as the steel, out or curiosity?
        I just found the flavour to be quite middle of the road. It wasn't horrible it just lacked the noticeable attributes I get from my steel flat burr grinder or even a good hand grinder.

        Comment


        • #5
          I've heard if you flip the flap around the other way to how it comes installed, it lowers retention noticeably.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by LeroyC View Post
            I just found the flavour to be quite middle of the road. It wasn't horrible it just lacked the noticeable attributes I get from my steel flat burr grinder or even a good hand grinder.
            Ahhh, gotcha.

            The one I’ve been offered has the ceramics.. Damn !

            The search continues, then!

            Comment


            • NonSmocha
              NonSmocha commented
              Editing a comment
              Just a thought... it seems to be a very espresso focussed community here. The Forte I believe comes with ceramic and steel burrs now. If you ask around, you might be able to find someone on here who doesn't need their 54mm Baratza steel burrs.

          • #7
            Originally posted by level3ninja View Post
            I've heard if you flip the flap around the other way to how it comes installed, it lowers retention noticeably.
            Yes that's an option and is a reasonable middle ground between a new flap and removing it altogether.

            Comment


            • #8
              Originally posted by Isast View Post
              Ahhh, gotcha. The one I've been offered has the ceramics.. Damn ! The search continues, then!
              Are you able to try it? You might find it's ok for what you want.

              Comment

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