red4167 Senior Member Joined: 25 Jul 2012 Posts: 18 Location: Scotland Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Tue Aug 21, 2012, 10:00am Subject: OE Pharos or Eureka Mignon? Help me decide!
I am looking to purchase a grinder that will last me a while but I am on a budget. I have narrowed it down to these two but they are two very different beasts... Please help me decide...
Pharos
pros- Titan class grind forces me to not use a hopper -> fresher beans practically no grind retention so less wastage quiet less clumping £100 cheaper than the Mignon! cons- it's a hand grinder (though I'm okay with that as I've been using a porlex for about a month now) looks pretty ghetto as a grinder getting the grounds into the pf would be a fiddle and probably require intermediate steps (a cup or something...) fiddly adjustment would make me look a little silly and possibly a bit AR (weighing out beans, the whole pharos ritual etc...) would be a hassle to make espresso for 2+ people would have to import from the USA
Eureka Mignon
pros-it's a good grinder whose grind quality has been compared to the Mazzer Mini (see Bella Barista grinder round up review) more convenient looks pretty legit as a grinder doserless quiet for an electric grinder not a hand grinder so a little faster grounds fall straight into the pf so no hassle would be able to offer people a coffee without looking like a total weirdo ("just let me get my scales that are accurate to 0.01g, turn this contraption 30 times, bang it with a hammer, shake it into a plastic thing, stick it in the pf somehow, repeat...") adjustment more straight forward cons-I would probably use the hopper to store enough beans for 2-3 days so freshness may suffer (but then the coffee would already be in the hopper...) some grind retention -> some wastage some clumping due to the way the grounds are pushed out and no doser to break up clumps grind quality may not be as good (though I would probably not be bothered as I've never had a Titan class espresso) £100 more expensive than the Pharos
Note: The £100 difference I can handle as I am viewing this grinder as something that I will have for a number of years. I am also pretty sure that it is between these two - the Mazzer Mini would be an option but it is more expensive again and is larger (counter top space is an issue).
red4167 Senior Member Joined: 25 Jul 2012 Posts: 18 Location: Scotland Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Tue Aug 21, 2012, 10:03am Subject: Re: OE Pharos or Eureka Mignon? Help me decide!
Oh yeah, I forgot about the Vario/Preciso Baratza thingies.
I don't like the look compared to the Mignon. They are more expensive. They aren't stepless and I have heard mixed reviews on them. So between the Vario and the Mignon I would pick the Mignon.
moreshots Senior Member Joined: 17 Apr 2011 Posts: 225 Location: west of Chicago Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Cimbali DT1//Jura Z5 Grinder: Mazzer Mini, Pharos Drip: Technivorm Roaster: Made my own 2KG roaster
Posted Sun Aug 26, 2012, 7:05pm Subject: Re: OE Pharos or Eureka Mignon? Help me decide!
The Pharos is a well made grinder that will work for you , also order a funnel and most of your issues are past you I have one and a Maxxer mini love the pharos !!! Bill
red4167 Said:
I am looking to purchase a grinder that will last me a while but I am on a budget. I have narrowed it down to these two but they are two very different beasts... Please help me decide...
Pharos
pros- Titan class grind forces me to not use a hopper -> fresher beans practically no grind retention so less wastage quiet less clumping £100 cheaper than the Mignon! cons- it's a hand grinder (though I'm okay with that as I've been using a porlex for about a month now) looks pretty ghetto as a grinder getting the grounds into the pf would be a fiddle and probably require intermediate steps (a cup or something...) fiddly adjustment would make me look a little silly and possibly a bit AR (weighing out beans, the whole pharos ritual etc...) would be a hassle to make espresso for 2+ people would have to import from the USA
Eureka Mignon
pros-it's a good grinder whose grind quality has been compared to the Mazzer Mini (see Bella Barista grinder round up review) more convenient looks pretty legit as a grinder doserless quiet for an electric grinder not a hand grinder so a little faster grounds fall straight into the pf so no hassle would be able to offer people a coffee without looking like a total weirdo ("just let me get my scales that are accurate to 0.01g, turn this contraption 30 times, bang it with a hammer, shake it into a plastic thing, stick it in the pf somehow, repeat...") adjustment more straight forward cons-I would probably use the hopper to store enough beans for 2-3 days so freshness may suffer (but then the coffee would already be in the hopper...) some grind retention -> some wastage some clumping due to the way the grounds are pushed out and no doser to break up clumps grind quality may not be as good (though I would probably not be bothered as I've never had a Titan class espresso) £100 more expensive than the Pharos
Note: The £100 difference I can handle as I am viewing this grinder as something that I will have for a number of years. I am also pretty sure that it is between these two - the Mazzer Mini would be an option but it is more expensive again and is larger (counter top space is an issue).
Posted Sun Aug 26, 2012, 7:36pm Subject: Re: OE Pharos or Eureka Mignon? Help me decide!
red4167 Said:
Oh yeah, I forgot about the Vario/Preciso Baratza thingies.
I don't like the look compared to the Mignon. They are more expensive. They aren't stepless and I have heard mixed reviews on them. So between the Vario and the Mignon I would pick the Mignon.
I would not. I have owned Eurekas before and they tend to throw grounds far and wide, clump, and waste more than any other grinder I've ever owned. The usability is horrible. There are two best choices for a home (electric) grinder: Baratza, or Titan class.
pessutojr Senior Member Joined: 2 Sep 2012 Posts: 4 Location: Berkshire, UK Expertise: Just starting
Espresso: Gaggia Classic Grinder: Eureka Mignon
Posted Sun Sep 2, 2012, 11:16am Subject: Re: OE Pharos or Eureka Mignon? Help me decide!
Hello there, my first post in this forum. I am in a very similar dilemma!
I am in a position to move on from my porlex mini grinder to an electric one. For me, the most important points are:
- not too noisy (I live in a terraced house and don't really fancy waking up the neighbours) - low ground coffee retention (I am not fond on wasting coffee; Freshly roast coffee is expensive) - not too messy (otherwise my wife won't be too pleased) - adequate fine adjustability, mainly used for espresso - compact design (space in my kitchen comes at a premium) - consistency - Max budget around GBP 300
After some research I pretty much narrowed it down to the Eureka Mignon and the Baratza Virtuoso Preciso. From what I gather from reviews out thee is that the Mignon can be messy and produce far too many clumps and the grounds retention is not too bad. The Preciso in the other hand is great, but quality of the equipment and long term reliability can be a bit of an issue so I read.
I have also considered the Iberital MC2 and the Ascaso I1, but the overall feedback is that they are noisy and the coffee ground retention can be quite a bit.
Your feedback and experiences would be much appreciated.
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