Posted Wed Dec 11, 2002, 6:00am Subject: Grind adjustment repeatability
Great review, Mark. One thing you didn't mention is the direct connection between the stepless adjustment design and the repeatability when dialing between different grinds. All grinders have play in the threads that hold the burr group, increasing as the grinder breaks in. Rocky owners are familiar with the grind changing by a couple of numbers over the first few months. In the Mazzer, the springs always push the burrs apart, against one side of the threads. Because the play is always taken up in the same direction, the grind will always be the same when you adjust and then go back to the same point on the dial. Removes a major source of frustration when trying to dial in a grind.
espresso_jim Senior Member Joined: 13 Jun 2002 Posts: 325 Location: Austin, TX Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Mini Vivaldi II Grinder: Mazzer Mini E Drip: Technivorm Moccamaster... Roaster: Behmor 1600
Posted Wed Dec 11, 2002, 9:48am Subject: What you said....
Mark, I have come close to doing a consumer review of the Mini a couple of times but would just end up saying "it is the best" over and over. I simply don't have the expertise to get to the finest detail that you do.
On the forks, I have read that they can be adjusted upward a litle bit but it requires removing bottom parts. Me, I just pull slowly and get straight drops. I kind of like the space as I can flatten out the grounds fairly easy as they pile up in the protafilter.
I have awaited your review of the Mini for a while now and am glad for the wait. I was not disappointed. Your attention to detail is great. Both you and the Mazzer Mini rate a 10.0 in my book.
gauperaa Senior Member Joined: 22 Dec 2001 Posts: 326 Location: Oslo, Norway Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Euro2000 Junior, Rancilio... Grinder: Mazzer Mini, Rancilio Rocky,... Vac Pot: Mini eSantos Drip: OBH Nordica King of Coffee Roaster: Imex-CR100, Princess popper,...
Posted Wed Dec 11, 2002, 2:37pm Subject: Sluggish doser?
Great review Mark! I've tried the Mazzer at a friends place. Liked it a lot, but I was a bit disappointed in the sluggishness of the doser lever. I'm used to being able to repeatedly click the lever when grinding, and this seems to demand a lot more effort than on the rocky for example. Do you have any thoughts on this? I guess the reason is the weight of all the metal parts.
MarkPrince Moderator Joined: 19 Dec 2001 Posts: 5,462 Location: Vancouver, BC Expertise: Professional
Espresso: KvdW Speedster Grinder: Compak K10 WBC Vac Pot: A bit too many Drip: Clive Coffee Drip Stand Roaster: Hario Glass Retro Roaster
Posted Wed Dec 11, 2002, 3:22pm Subject: Doser Lever, other comments
First, thanks everyone for the very positive feedback. It really makes my day when it appears as if something I've written is well received.
Thomas, I know what you describe - I tried to describe this as well with "missing clicks" comments peppered throughout the article, but I didn't articulate it well. I think the Mazzer's dosing mechanism lever is beefier than a Rocky or even the Rossi I tested (Rossis have problems with their doser levers, btw, it's a common repair item); the tradeoff is what you call 'sluggish performance" - you get something that should hypothetically last forever, but you miss out on snappy feel and the solid clicks of the vane mechanism slotting into the next pull.
After using the grinder for so many months, (and also, I've had to replace the internal springs and lever arm on a Rocky doser once), I'll take the sluggish, less than snappy feel of the lever arm if I get lifelong service from it :)
milnerb1 Senior Member Joined: 25 Sep 2002 Posts: 392 Location: Gig Harbor, WA Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Vivaldi II, Isomac Tea,... Grinder: Mazzer Mini, Solis Mulino Roaster: Behmor 1600, BBQ drum,...
Posted Thu Dec 12, 2002, 2:03am Subject: Hoppers and Forks...
Outstanding review Mark. You really hit it on the head and covered nearly every aspect of the machine. One potential improvement would be to have an optional smaller hopper that would be shorter and hold maybe 60-80 grams (i.e. one day's worth) of beans. This would provide for lower clearance for under-cabinet and would make it possible to re-fill the hopper without having to move the grinder.
Regarding the forks, you can move the forks up by aout 1/2 inch, and I have done so on my mini. While this does help, it is not sufficient to fully avoid spilling grounds. To do this you need to fully remove the two screws holding the fork on the underside. The only way to fully remove these screws is to take the base-plate off of the unit. Total time required, 10 minutes.
Thanks again for your great review and all your work for us Coffeegeeks.
gauperaa Senior Member Joined: 22 Dec 2001 Posts: 326 Location: Oslo, Norway Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Euro2000 Junior, Rancilio... Grinder: Mazzer Mini, Rancilio Rocky,... Vac Pot: Mini eSantos Drip: OBH Nordica King of Coffee Roaster: Imex-CR100, Princess popper,...
Posted Thu Dec 12, 2002, 3:57am Subject: Doser levers
Mark, I see your point in accepting the sluggishness and getting lifelong service in return :).
The Rancilio MD-grinders are pretty sluggish too.
Have you btw tried the la cimbali magnum or the NS MDL ? They both seem to have smooth levers from what I can see and hear. I haven't tried them personally but the best coffeebars here in Oslo use them with the "repeatedly clicking" -technique.
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