Posted Mon Oct 15, 2012, 4:59pm Subject: Re: Buying a new grinder, flood me with suggestions please :D
So thanks for the advice everyone, It seems the overwhelming opinion is to go with the mazzer, and wouldn't you know it I went with the quamar.
For now it seems like the only major issue is going to be this "micro-step," adjustment. From what I have read here and at HB, owners are very happy with it and it seems to have some longevity. Ill post a detailed review when it arrives. Im pretty certain that all of these machines are more than I need anyway :D
Thanks everyone.
Anthony C
Currently pulling: -espresso- Social Coffee Co. (Ontario, Canada): -Peoples Liberation -Peoples Daily -El Socorro Palo Blanco Espresso
I had one and it worked great until the electronics went belly up in a week. Replacement never did work, but the led's came on! I gave up and got a Mazzer and don't regret it a bit.
I think you biggest decision is do you prefer the taste from a flat burr or a conical grinder?..
JasonBrandtLewis Senior Member Joined: 9 Dec 2005 Posts: 6,099 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 Tue Oct 16, 2012, 8:37am Subject: Re: Buying a new grinder, flood me with suggestions please :D
Amy,
The advantages to a Mazzer is that they have been around seemingly forever, are known as being "bullet-proof," and new burrs are easy to obtain, as are other parts and service. But I'd be tempted to a) go used, and b) go bigger . . . then again, that's me.
The Quamar and the Ceado both make me nervous, but -- again -- that's me. They are both relatively new to the marketplace (let alone relatively new companies), and while both have reliable vendors behind them, I've just heard too many mixed reports to feel comfortable being what strikes me as a "beta tester" (beta+?).
As you may or may not know, I own a Mahlkönig K30 Vario. This is my "main" grinder in daily use at my home. (That translates to 5-10 shots a day, depending upon the day.) It has a 65mm flat burr set*, grinds a 15.5 gram double in 3.5 seconds, and hands down, is the quietest grinder I've ever seen -- uh, heard. It's also out of your budget. BUT . . .
TimEggers Said:
It sounds like a commercial machine is what your after, but I have a Mazzer on my counter and next to it the Vario I used everyday. I like them both, the Vario is more convenient and offers delicious coffee without all the hoopla of weighing and such. I've had my Vario for a couple of years and it runs great, even ran a rock through it one day, no apparent effect. Its a tough little machine.
As Tim said, I too have a Baratza Vario -- I bought it in mid-2009, and it's also been in daily use in my home. I use it for espresso at least 2x every day, as well as using it for drip, immersion, and press. In its "espresso mode," it grinds 15.5 grams in 12.5 seconds, is definitely on the quiet side (quieter than a Mazzer Mini, a Cimbali Max Hybrid, and a Nuova Simonelli MCF, all of which I've owned).
I've never had a problem with my Baratza. Just food for thought . . .
Cheers, Jason
* For comparison's sake (as well as accuracy/disclosure), the Mazzer Mini-E has 64mm flat burrs, as does the "regular" Mazzer Super Jolly; so, too, the Ceado E37, while the Quamar has 63mm flat burrs. Close enough, IMHO, to say they're all the same size.
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