Asxroma Senior Member Joined: 1 Jun 2012 Posts: 6 Location: Florida Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Rocket R58 Grinder: Rocky
Posted Fri Jun 1, 2012, 10:03pm Subject: Upgraded to Rocket R58. Help me upgrade the grinder
Thanks to reading this forum I upgraded my Gaggia Classic to R58; so far love the machine but this is my first (DB/HX/prosumer)machine so I have no point of comparison. I think it does great shots but I do not notice an immense difference in taste vs Gaggia yet. Reading through the forums I guess the reason must be the grinder. I still have my 6 yr old Rocky going strong...But based on what I've read here I might be having not a grinder for this machine. I have been looking at different grinders to upgrade and still have not been able to decide. When I bought the machine I was super close to buying the mazzer for rocket type A doserless based on aesthetics but after reading the forum I decided it was not a good choice. So far I have been considering the compak K10 fresh, which is much more money than the original type A Mazzer I was considering. The more I read the more confused I get.... Please help me decide; I want to stick to a max price of $ 2200 USD.
NobbyR Senior Member Joined: 10 Jul 2011 Posts: 1,604 Location: Germany Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Poccino Opus One, Ariete Grinder: Eureka Mignon Istantaneo,... Vac Pot: N/A Drip: Melitta Linea Unica de Luxe Roaster: N/A
Posted Fri Jun 1, 2012, 10:26pm Subject: Re: Upgraded to Rocket R58. Help me upgrade the grinder
Having only a Rocky you should definitely upgrade to a grinder that's on par with the R58, and I would recommend a step less one. A rule of thumb is to spend 25 to 50% of your budget on the grinder. So you should invest at least $750.
*** "This drink of the Satan is so delicious that it would be a shame to leave it to the infidels." (Pope Clement VIII on coffee)
Asxroma Senior Member Joined: 1 Jun 2012 Posts: 6 Location: Florida Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Rocket R58 Grinder: Rocky
Posted Sat Jun 2, 2012, 8:35am Subject: Re: Upgraded to Rocket R58. Help me upgrade the grinder
Nobbyr: thanks for the reply. Yes, I am willing to pay up to $2200 for the grinder which is 82% of the cost of the Rocket. I forgot to mention it is for home use. I do have the space in an area with no counter tops and my wife will not frown upon the size of the grinder.
Probably I will end up buying a K10 fresh based on what I've read here. Trying to decide between the k8 fresh, k10 fresh, Mazzer kony e, mazzer major and mahlkonig k30. Robur out of price range and I think it would be "too commercial". If I can express that after posting my options above.
If I go with K 10 does it make sense to get small hopper or would it look amorphous ?
Posted Sat Jun 2, 2012, 8:59pm Subject: Re: Upgraded to Rocket R58. Help me upgrade the grinder
The point of a grind on demand timer-ed grinder is to offload dose management to the ginder. If this is what you want to do, you need to think about how much coffee you are going to keep in the grinder at any time. The big conical g-o-d grinders need several hundred grams of beans in the hopped to feed the burrs at a consistent rate. As the beans in the hopper start to run low the dose weight that results from your pre programmed time starts to drift. So, if you consume enough coffee to keep 300g or more in the hopper at all times, a big conical g-o-d grinder like the K10 Fresh or Kony-E will work for you. Otherwise, if you want to be able to maintain dose consistency with smaller volumes of beans in the hopper you should go with the flat burr g-o-d grinders like the K30, K8 Fresh, and Major-E.
I'm not a big fan of the Mazzer-E. I think that the K8 Fresh and the K30 Vario are better at what they do. They use a similar chute design to reduce clumping and retention. I like the gigantic knob on the K8/K10 Fresh, it's the most tactilely satisfying grind adjustment I have ever encountered. I don't like either grinder's adjustment interface. The Compaks have the big manual grind button, and although you can configure the K30 to behave similarly, I prefer the dedicated functionality.
Asxroma Senior Member Joined: 1 Jun 2012 Posts: 6 Location: Florida Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Rocket R58 Grinder: Rocky
Posted Sun Jun 3, 2012, 7:09am Subject: Re: Upgraded to Rocket R58. Help me upgrade the grinder
Russell: thank you so much for the info. I was about to order the k10 and now I will not. I would not keep 300 grams at all times. I do not drink that much coffee and my wife seldomly wants a cappuccino. I think I will go for the K 8 fresh based on what you wrote regarding grinder knob and I really like the display and built of the machine. Thanks again!
NobbyR Senior Member Joined: 10 Jul 2011 Posts: 1,604 Location: Germany Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Poccino Opus One, Ariete Grinder: Eureka Mignon Istantaneo,... Vac Pot: N/A Drip: Melitta Linea Unica de Luxe Roaster: N/A
Posted Sun Jun 3, 2012, 9:21am Subject: Re: Upgraded to Rocket R58. Help me upgrade the grinder
I'd say, the Compak K10-Fresh would be an excellent choice. However, you might want to take the Mahlkönig K30 Vario or ProM Espresso and the Mazzer Kony-E into consideration.
*** "This drink of the Satan is so delicious that it would be a shame to leave it to the infidels." (Pope Clement VIII on coffee)
Asxroma Senior Member Joined: 1 Jun 2012 Posts: 6 Location: Florida Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Rocket R58 Grinder: Rocky
Posted Sun Jun 3, 2012, 9:39am Subject: Re: Upgraded to Rocket R58. Help me upgrade the grinder
Thank you all for the advice! Hope this post helps other users on my similar predicament.
Seemed Versalab was another way to go, but after reading about customer support and wait times it was a no go.
I finalized my decision and just ordered a Compak K8 fresh from Chris Coffee in polished aluminum; should go well with the R58!(style wise), I purchased a small hopper as well for my needs.
I will keep you updated on the progress with the upgrade Gaggia classic/Rocky(after 6 great years)--->Rocket R58/Compak K8 fresh. Hopefully my espresso spirit will lift to a new level. Thanks again for the replies and to the tons of info in this awesome forum!
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