A great prosumer grinder for the home that is quick, quiet, clean and handsome. Easy adjustability. Pro level results. Get one if you have the dough.
Positive Product Points
Neat, quick and quiet like a Protestant reproductive act in a good looking chassis. Solid construction on professional level. Easy to use doser (cleaner than doserless). Very adjustable grind.
Negative Product Points
Why, oh why didn't I get a quality grinder sooner?
Detailed Commentary
Like so many on cg I struggled with dosered vs. doserless for this relatively expensive purchase for home use. No regrets in getting the doser version. I clean out the exit chute daily and sweep the dosing chamber with a grouphead brush before grinding particular fancy or tremendously different beans. We now use Marzocco Swift grinder/tamper/doser at Peet's so I don't have much experience with how clean the chamber sweeps compared to commercial Rio or Mazzer grinders. The doser leaves the kitchen relatively clean but we all know how ground coffee just finds its way everywhere!
Worm drive on adjusting collar works well enough but you determine where your settings are for espresso, presspot, etc. The numbers on the collar are not much related to the Malkoenig settings used in the shop (i.e: 12=French, 4 or 5=Espresso). I marked the collar with pencil so I can hit the average value for each grind then microadjust as needed. Don't want to turn your Esmeralda Gesha into powder if you're gonna presspot it!
The device is just plain gorgeous on the polished granite counter next to la Pavoni. Way smaller than James Bond's grinder too. Hopper is removable with beans intact so you can change beans easily without wasting a lot or doing some awkward dip/tip dance move with the entire grinder. Grinders come to quick stop when machine is turned off. Kinda cool-may decrease burr wear.
Buying Experience
Chris Coffee is excellent. Free freight, good advice. Great to work with.
Three Month Followup
The Macap M4 grinder remains one of the best purchases I've made. Makes me feel like a pro at home. Oh, wait, I do make cappuccinos for a living. It's as clean as a whistle, baby. Get one, you'll see.
