tjkoko Senior Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 699 Location: Somewhere in the swamps Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Bialetti Moka Pot Grinder: Baratza Preciso and Turkish... Drip: Meiltta filter with cone Roaster: Whirlypop Stovetop Unit,...
Posted Fri Mar 16, 2012, 11:21am Subject: Re: HC-600, AKA "The Chinese Mazzer Super Jolly"
DoubleVanos Said:
The PF fork on the Mazzer mini I recently picked up can be adjusted to sit off to the left as well. I'm not sure when they introduced this feature but thought I would throw it out there. Anyone else notice this?
I need instructions as to adjusting the PF support more to the left. Thwacking my doser full force tends to throw the grounds leftward. Hmmmmm. Suggestive....... Hmmmmmmmm.
Posted Fri Mar 16, 2012, 1:15pm Subject: Re: HC-600, AKA "The Chinese Mazzer Super Jolly"
tjkoko Said:
I need instructions as to adjusting the PF support more to the left. Thwacking my doser full force tends to throw the grounds leftward. Hmmmmm. Suggestive....... Hmmmmmmmm.
You should either make a schnozzola or buy an elvinator. Moving the fork is just a band aid, these are actual fixes.
To adjust the Mazzer PF fork, you need to take off the bottom plate by removing the feet. The fork is held on with two bolts under the fork and two nuts on the inside of the body. (right? Am I getting my grinders confused? No more Mazzer grinders at my house, so I can't check. It may be one bolt and one nut, but either way you need to get inside)
Posted Wed Mar 21, 2012, 9:07pm Subject: Re: HC-600, AKA "The Chinese Mazzer Super Jolly"
Looking for someone to finish the job...
I no longer have time to play with this grinder (8 day old + home schooled 4 year old + night job). I have neither the palate nor the equipment to do a taste comparison with a Super Jolly (my Super Jolly is long gone). All I'm using at the moment are levers, so I can't do a reasonable comparison in the cup anyway.
I'm now looking for something a little odd. I would like to sell this to someone (at my cost) who doesn't need it. I need to find an experienced espresso maker with a reliable setup and a Super Jolly who would be willing to do a thorough tast comparison. After that I would like that person to sell it to someone who has a real use for it. I know that this all seems a little weird, but I acquired this at a very low price, so I don't want to just post something on the BTS forum...I want to make sure that someone with experience can finish what I can't, and that it then goes to a deserving home.
N.B. I hope that this is OK per forum rules, if not I will find an allowable way to pass it on.
Posted Wed Mar 21, 2012, 11:57pm Subject: Re: HC-600, AKA "The Chinese Mazzer Super Jolly"
I just realized that the whole "I sell to you, you sell to some deserving sole" thing is a little convoluted. I'll just try to find a "senior member" in LA that would be willing to borrow the grinder and do the taste testing. Any super geeky takers? I think that I can provide a pound or two of beans so that it doesn't cost you anything.
Posted Thu Apr 5, 2012, 9:03pm Subject: Re: HC-600, AKA "The Chinese Mazzer Super Jolly"
I bought this grinder for my sister and brother-in-law. Before doing so, I contacted Heycafe to try and figure out the burr issue. I asked whether SJ burrs were interchangeable with HC-600 burrs. I also inquired as to where the burr sets could be purchased in the U.S. Here was the reply:
"Some history and few points about the HC-600 burrs:
Back on February 2006, when we started producing the HC-600 units, the first burr sets that we used were imported from Italy and produced and designed as replacement spare parts burrs for Mazzer's (Super Jolly). Till the end of 2007, we were still using these burr's, obviously then the HC-600 top and bottom burr's holders had identical sitting design as the Super Jolly. At the end of 2007 (and till the end of 2008), we had a short business cooperation with Gino Rossi. During this period, we purchased a specialist Italian burrs making machine that was introduced into our production line at that time and we also modified and improved our burrs design. We moved away from the Super Jolly design to what we believe is a better design. Yet rotation direction is identical to Mazzer.
We sell our grinders in USA in East and west coasts there you can get replacement parts for pricing you will have to inquire with the local distributor. HeyCafé burrs' material and hardness spec is identical with the leading Italian brands and we also guarantee our burrs for at least 1000 pounds."
I did order an extra set of "just in case" burrs ($66 retail but discounted by 35% so comparable to SJ bur pricing). Replacement burrs, called grindstones, can be purchased from Grindmaster-Cecilware. I agree with Russel regarding the cosmetic appearance of the grinder. It comes across as a basic or economy model. Without hoppers, it is a bit taller than the SJ. The Mazzer Mini short hopper fits fine and will be replacing the HC-600's larger hopper.
I did dial in the grinder and then pulled 6-7 shots on the Cremina. After the first few, the shots were comparable to those I pulled using the SJ. So the "good" to me is that this economical machine can and does produce an excellent grind for espresso. Keep in mind that this evaluation is coming from a person who is still learning to pull good shots on the Cremina. Unfortunately, the Ascaso is at my vacation home. I think it would have been better for evaluating the grinder (an aside...I was pulling decent shots with the Ascaso and the Wega in Southern California. In Arizona, at an elevation of 5500 feet, I was pulling textbook perfect shots...shockingly good...has to have something to do with the elevation/pressure...but I digress).
Now the "bad." I do not like the doser lever. It's too big and out of proportion to the rest of the grinder. There is too much sweep to the lever so it does not lend itself to rapid clicking. I would not use the timer as a measure for single shots. Heycafe skimped too much on the timer switch and from the bit of testing I did, it was difficult to set the timer to deliver reproducible amounts of coffee. Perhaps particular to this machine, it took a long time for the burrs to wind down once the timer switch turned off. It sounds like a small complaint but I was waiting, brush in hand, for far too long before I could sweep the chute clean and dose the coffee.
For the price I paid, the good easily outweighs the bad. Without too much difficulty, a person can adapt to most of the bad features. I think Russel mentioned that he would not have minded paying $300 for this machine. I agree with him but that is probably the most I would pay if I was seriously considering buying this machine used. Me, I'd add $50 to $100 more and buy a used SJ instead.
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