BETTER, UH, not really. More home friendly, YES. Live as long as a SJ, I really doubt it, I think the SJ will still be happy to grind for your shot when the Vario has rotted to dust in a land fill, .... Just a personal opinion, YMMV!
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onceinthemorning Senior Member Joined: 8 Apr 2012 Posts: 18 Location: Vancouver Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Mon Apr 9, 2012, 7:17am Subject: Re: Need help choosing a grinder
frank828 Said:
i'm assuming your starbucks barista machine is still using the pressurized portafilter. in that case, pretty much all of the grinders, including your bodum bistra, should be adequate. this also will result in subpar espresso with faux crema(pressurize portafilter) if you're planning on getting a un-pressurized portafilter, you will be best off with these higher end grinders that people are bringing up. personally i'd recommend the Preciso, Vario or Super Jolly like the others have brought up. if you wanna go hand grinder, the OE Pharos is the one to get. *i noticed that the OE Pharos isnt available for sale on the OE site, though. hmm
I'm not exactly sure if my machine as the pressurized portafilter. It did come with attachments to buy those coffee pucks if I recall (I've had it for 10+ years ) but I've never used it that way. One thing is sure though not all grind has given me good results with it and the bodum bistra while not entirely bad just could not grind fine enough to give me the flavor I'm used to with my machine.
JasonBrandtLewis Senior Member Joined: 9 Dec 2005 Posts: 6,100 Location: Berkeley, CA Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Elektra T1 - La Valentina -... Grinder: Mahlkönig K30 Vario -... Vac Pot: Yama 5-cup Drip: CCD, Chemex Roaster: No, no, not another...
Posted Mon Apr 9, 2012, 7:23am Subject: Re: Need help choosing a grinder
calblacksmith Said:
BETTER, UH, not really. More home friendly, YES. Live as long as a SJ, I really doubt it, I think the SJ will still be happy to grind for your shot when the Vario has rotted to dust in a land fill, .... Just a personal opinion, YMMV!
If the baskets only have one hole on the bottom, they are pressurized and will give you mediocre results no matter what grinder you get. I don't know about your machine but the entire portafilter may be pressurized and so you would need a new one to make true espresso. Others with this machine or experience with this machine can chime in here. I would skip all three grinders you mentioned. The Preciso (not Virtuoso with precise burrs) is the first baratza grinder adequate for espresso. Cheaper than that you are looking at Lelit PL53, Ascaso I2 or I1. I would consider a refurbed Vario or Preciso if budget is tight.
onceinthemorning Senior Member Joined: 8 Apr 2012 Posts: 18 Location: Vancouver Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Mon Apr 9, 2012, 8:02am Subject: Re: Need help choosing a grinder
MARIOBARBA Said:
If the baskets only have one hole on the bottom, they are pressurized and will give you mediocre results no matter what grinder you get. I don't know about your machine but the entire portafilter may be pressurized and so you would need a new one to make true espresso. Others with this machine or experience with this machine can chime in here. I would skip all three grinders you mentioned. The Preciso (not Virtuoso with precise burrs) is the first baratza grinder adequate for espresso. Cheaper than that you are looking at Lelit PL53, Ascaso I2 or I1. I would consider a refurbed Vario or Preciso if budget is tight. Good Luck
Posted Mon Apr 9, 2012, 10:31am Subject: Re: Need help choosing a grinder
Hi Marc,
If I'm not mistaken, I believe your portafilter is the same as mine from a Saeco Aroma. I did this modification to remove the mechanism that creates the "fake" pressure:
Of course I had to buy a better grinder after that (Preciso) but I'm now getting wonderful shots with real, rich crema. It's been a while but I believe the mod is fully reversible if you don't like it.
onceinthemorning Senior Member Joined: 8 Apr 2012 Posts: 18 Location: Vancouver Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Mon Apr 9, 2012, 5:56pm Subject: Re: Need help choosing a grinder
Pinch Said:
Hi Marc,
If I'm not mistaken, I believe your portafilter is the same as mine from a Saeco Aroma. I did this modification to remove the mechanism that creates the "fake" pressure:
Of course I had to buy a better grinder after that (Preciso) but I'm now getting wonderful shots with real, rich crema. It's been a while but I believe the mod is fully reversible if you don't like it.
Thanks Marc! That was useful! While I may be an unrefined newbie with humble means and I must confess I don't quite understand the science behind it and what difference this mod will make, I am certainly willing to experiment and see how I can improve my shot with what I've got. I've done this now waiting for the morning to come! Now, anything different I must do?
I'll share my impressions (for what they are worth) on how better tasting my shot is with the portafilter removed.
Posted Mon Apr 9, 2012, 8:06pm Subject: Re: Need help choosing a grinder
Well, you'll quickly realize with a de-pressurized pf that the grind quality is critical to obtain a good shot. A good grinder is in my opinion (and other's as you can see) more important than the actual espresso machine (in my case anyways). Indeed let us know how it goes.
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