If you grind one bean that you love, you don't want to schlep to the local roaster every week to restock your coffee, you want a commerical grinder that will last a lifetime and you appreciate rugged good looks ... this is the grinder FOR YOU!
Positive Product Points
Couldn't agree more with the above. (I love this grinder but my experience is very limited.) - Clean sweeps from the doser - Well built (this should be the first and last decent grinder I ever own) - The only part(s) I ever see replacing are the grinders and they cost less than $40 each. - Superb adjusibility in the grind ... I can't image a grinder with a better ability to dial it in. - Once you have it dialed-in ... ambrosia! This grinder makes my Silvia SING!
Negative Product Points
Only a few negative comments: - Beans do get caught in the grinder but there is a Mod on the web that seems easy enough to implement - Fully auto isn't ideal but there are workarounds (easily accessible ON/OFF botton) - This is built for doing one style of bean. It's a bit of a pain to switch grind settings. - It is a bit of a monster and my wife hates all the counter space it takes up ... BUT I LOVE IT!!
Detailed Commentary
I bought this used (2001) La Cimbali Max online and couldn't be happier. I'm confident now that this is the last grinder I will own (unless we move somewhere with much less counter-space). It's a beast but that's why I LOVE IT!
I have been looking for a used commercial-grade grinder for some months and finally found one (common in Seattle, not common in the DC area).
I was considering a new Rocky but the price seemed to keep going up and now that I have this monster I'm not looking back.
I bought it on craigslist ... he wanted $400 but I got it for a very fair price at $300.
Three Month Followup
- Nothing much to add. I'm still VERY satisfied with this beast. Even my wife has warmed up to it and stopped complaining about the counter space it dominates. She can't argue with the results. I never change my beans so it stays dialed-in perfectly. I'm sure there are beans caught in the throat but I haven't been moved to break it down to make the mod that fixes it. Maybe this summer when I have a free weekend. - I never see myself ever filling the huge bean hopper. I keep my beans in the fridge and pour in just enough to get through the day. I'm considering replacing it with a (new or used) smaller Cimbali Junior hopper to reduce the height. - Other than the above and possibly needing to buy replacement grinder blades eventually, this will be my last coffee grinder PERIOD.
