Grinder recommendations

Ernie1

I’ve made it pretty obvious how much I love the Super Jolly but I’m considering an upgrade.

The only criteria really is that it’s a large flat and significantly better than the SJ. I drink mainly medium roasts.

I don’t single dose so retention isn’t an issue. Strong preference for ‘traditional’ grinders so along the lines of Eureka, MK, Ceado, Mazzer. I don’t love the look of what I call ‘space age’ grinders.

Budget isn’t really set in stone, I’d love to spend less than 1500 but if it’s going to be an endgame grinder I’d consider it.

Used is also fine.

It’s probably a thread in itself but the E65S is on the list. But I read conflicting reports about how good it actually is for espresso.

I guess another issue with my search is that a lot of the selling points of some of this type of grinder is speed improvements for commercial settings which isn’t really as relevant for home.

Thanks!

CoyoteOldMan

Ernie1 I’m quite happy with my Ceado E37S. If you live ‘near’ me (I’m near Oxford), more than happy to let you test it.

LMSC

Ernie1

DF83?
Otherwise, SJ’s bigger sister major, which is up for sale here. You can throw in the used SSP HU 83, which Jake has put up for sale.

Ernie1

Thank.

The DF83 isn’t a bad looking grinder I’d just prefer something from a company with more heritage.

Probably a bit of an irrelevant factor but if I’m spending big sums I like buying into companies that have been around for many many years.

@CoyoteOldMan nice, thanks, that’s on the shortlist too!

Oxford isn’t a million miles away actually, the other half has friends there so next time we’re nearby I’ll be in touch!

wilburpan

Ernie1 Just in case this helps in getting over the “heritage” hump — I have a DF83, and I like it a lot. I wrote some stuff in the DF83 thread, in case you haven’t seen it.

I also have a little knowledge about machining, and from looking over my unit, there’s not much to complain about regarding build quality. The mechanisms holding the burrs seem very sound, alignment was very good out of the box and easy to tweak, and I don’t see any play with the motor and axle that spins the burr. The adjustment mechanism seems very smooth and it’s easy to make minute adjustments.

dfk41

I am bound to say it owning one, but The Niche Zero has an unrivalled reputation on all fronts for medium/plus beans. Sorry, but it is a fact that you cannot get away with!

Ernie1

@dfk41

Am I imagining it or did you once mentioned you’d owned a Mythos also? That’s high praise for the Niche.

It’s so tempting, I’ve been debating it for basically a year. I’d keep the SJ but sell the C40 if I got a Niche.

dfk41

Ernie1 Over the years, I have owned several. In the days when I was working and often used to make several cups on the go, then they were unbeatable! I preferred the original Mythos One to the slow spin variety thinking the taste was superior. The timed dosing was reasonably accurate but you have to be prepared to accept that you cannot get the same accuracy as single dosing. I was never into trying to mod it for single dosing though. When I retired the need for multiple drinks went away and the ease of use of the Niche won it for me. With the burrs being mounted at 45 degrees then there is nowhere for the coffee to go, except down the chute. This means that retention is very low. Brilliant grinders……if you need a hopper fed system!

Ernie1

Really helpful thanks.

Pound for pound it’s really difficult to justify something like a Mythos or EK when I could buy 3 or 4 Niches for the sake money.

I wasn’t expecting Niche to be the answer to this thread but looks like it might be!

Cuprajake

Major and stock burrs or SSP if you like really fruity.

I can’t justify well over a grand for a grinder like that, esp when imo theres no where near a grands worth difference between them.

You really are not missing out as much as people lead you to believe

John_Yossarian

Niche Zero seems as an elegant/cheap-ish solution. A second hand Mythos One with £100-ish for a Nuova Simonelli titanium burrs can also be something to consider. When you mentioned “big” in opening post I assumed you were after a 83 mm burrs plus.

Ernie1

@Cuprajake

Thanks yeah seems like this could be a case of upgraditis. An extra £1000 is an enormous sum for a minor upgrade.

hornbyben

Ernie1 £1000 gets you a lot of decent coffee.

tompoland

For medium roasts the best of the best of the grinders that’s been on my bench to date (19 grinders and counting) is the Olympia Moca SD.

I still have the Niche and Honne and more and they all get used regularly.

Viscosity is good with all of them (thickest with the Niche) so it may come down to flavor preference.

If you want less clarity (not good or bad) and a bit more chocolate then the Niche is a great all rounder for Medium and darker roasted beans. If you want more origin flavors, which is a part of what roasting to medium is about, then the Moca is unbeatable with the Honne a very close second.

And before any fellow Niche owners jump on me from a great height, yes, the Niche can be used for all roast depths and yes you may enjoy that and more power to you. But in IMHO it’s not the best grinder for bringing out the nuances of light to medium roasts.

Ernie1

Yeah sorry I didn’t necessarily mean build quality, I’m sure a lot of the new manufacturers are building with the best of them if not better. I remember talk of the engineer behind the Niche has a strong background in product design/development.

It’s more the heritage of the old companies. La Marzocco is over 100 years old, Mazzer must be at least 60. I Googled it and even Mahlkönig are a century old.

It’s pretty much irrelevant when it comes to daily use, I just like that these companies have been around for so long. I guess I enjoy having something on my counter from such iconic figures in the coffee world.

CoyoteOldMan

Ernie1 Mazzer must be at least 60.

Founded in 1948.

Cuprajake

age dosent always mean quality though, some big campanies, not just coffee stand behind their name…

you could argue all the big boys have left grinders well alone for the domestic market till the niche came along, then they just regig a pervious model.

Ernie1

Definitely yeah, I mean you open a Mazzer up and it looks like it was wired in 1950.

I’ve got a workshop manual for one of my Harleys here on the shelf, the same manual covers 1970 to 2010 😂

I guess I just like old, simple things.

wilburpan

Ernie1 I absolutely understand the impulse towards old, simple things. The bandsaw and drill press in my shop were built in the 1940’s, and I just love them to death.

KyleT

Just to play devils advocate….you are not keen on the DF83 due to lack of company heritage but you are considering the Niche? Also, the Niche is a conical burr set where as you said that you want large flats? The Niche is great, I’ve owned one and it’s bar none the easiest workflow of any grinder I ever seen or used but I currently have a DF64 and I am also really enjoying that. If you want end game then maybe the Lagom P100?