Endgame, single dose grinder?

DrForinor

I certainly hope so! Arrived today, beefy little thing. And it is little, proper tiny, but has a great quality feel to it’s weight.

Initial impressions on aesthetics, I quite like it. I’ve always been a fan of angular design so this suits me just fine, though not a huge fan of the polished areas, a real fingerprint magnet and shows up dirt way too easily; a more matte finish might have been nicer from this viewpoint, but I realise this is subjective.

Everything about it oozes class, except the tray at the bottom; that feels and looks like an afterthought, which I have to admit is a little annoying given the price tag. For example, the beanhopper is hefty, as is the lid that sits on top of it, but this tray appears to be something shaped from a piece of random metal to fit in between the feet. Some real integration with the main body/feet would have been nicer.

The machine is loud, I measured 88db from my mobile (with the mobile sitting on top of the Elizabeth when grinding), but thankfully it’s not for very long. And the actual note of the grinding, isn’t a pleasant note, but that doesn’t really bother me, just an observation as opposed to a criticism.

For me I love how it fits very nicely into my space, almost as if it was designed for it.

@tompoland If we count the smallest dot as “zero”, what sort of range have you been finding for your coffee? Just as a rough guide?

tompoland

DrForinor f we count the smallest dot as “zero”, what sort of range have you been finding for your coffee? Just as a rough guide?

I should have said first of all “congratulations”. I still think that the Moca SD is the worlds best kept grinder secret. Its a stunning little beast and the Ditting burrs are at the core of why the espresso is so perfect for my taste buds.

See if this pic helps but essentially, I go to zero (touch point) and come back roughly two dots for my espresso.

Cuprajake

Nice grinder

Ps I think k have the same work top as you 🤣

DrForinor

I’ve seen this worktop a lot, obviously quite popular 😅😅

Ernie1

Congrats!

I’m close to buying one of these but waiting to hear how it does with filter settings, and whether you can dial different espresso/filter beans back to back first time without purging.

Do you grind for filter also?

DrForinor

Ernie1

Thanks.

I bought a separate hand grinder which I intend to use for anything other than espresso, as my understanding is although this can do all sorts of grinds, changing from a finer grind to a coarser grind isn’t as simple as in the Niche. You do have to faff a little bit, which isn’t ideal.

The dial in the right pops off (magnetically attached), then there is an allen screw which needs to be unscrewed. Then the underlying dial needs to be popped out, rotated 180 degrees (which way depends if you want to go finer or coarser), then reassembled.

Ernie1

DrForinor

Blimey, sounds like a faff indeed.

Still, as you say, no issue if you’re using a secondary grinder also (which is what I’m also doing).

Definitely one of the best looking grinders out there. Still love the aperture style opening when you twist the little hopper bit.

tompoland

DrForinor The dial in the right pops off (magnetically attached), then there is an allen screw which needs to be unscrewed. Then the underlying dial needs to be popped out, rotated 180 degrees (which way depends if you want to go finer or coarser), then reassembled.

There is a work around. Take the hopper off, take off the top/front panels and simply remove the grub screw. The will put an end to the faffing around. I have done that on both of the Moca SDs and you can then dial in from espresso to filter as easily as the Niche.

This comment on the issue was in the manufacturers right of reply at the end of my review which can be found in the Knowledge Base tab:

The grubscrew and resulting adjustment that threw you towards the user manual, is a prerequisite for our TÜV certifications. To make the quite technical story short: It’s to ensure that nobody can turn the burrs on top of each other by accident.

DrForinor

Ernie1

It’s a proper cool little grinder for sure! I just hope that it wasn’t a mistake for me (opting for a flat as opposed to conical).

Ernie1

I’m biased but the speed and flavour of a flat will always win for me, although I’ve not tried any of the high-end conicals.

Given @tompoland’s experience with grinders, if his comments are anything to go by you’ll probably be very pleased with your choice!

DrForinor

Ernie1

It was actually Tom’s input, video and review that persuaded me to buy it 😅😁

DrForinor

tompoland

Any chance you have a diagram/picture of this grub screw? Or is it obvious?

How does it affect warranty?

DrForinor

tompoland There is a work around. Take the hopper off, take off the top/front panels and simply remove the grub screw.

Is there a guide to taking the panels off? When I take the hopper off, I see 2 non standard (security?) screws, but nothing else.

tompoland

DrForinor sorry no pic but yes it should be obvious.

It should not affect the warranty if the issue is unrelated. But I guess if you jam the burrs together and then run it for hours then that might be a problem 😀

Manufacturers expect grinders to be opened up, unlike say laptops or phones.

Olympia have a top class reputation for durability but also for refraining from finding ways to dishonour their guarantees. If in doubt send Olymia an email.

DrForinor

tompoland

Thank you. I’m truly excited to try coffee from this.

Brilliant, I’ll try that, thanks.

tompoland

DrForinor sorry I can’t I specific. It was a while ago that I removed the grub screw. But I do recall that I removed the dial adjustment knob, hopper and portafilter forks had then had the grinder on its back and removed the screws underneath the chute.

DrForinor

tompoland Thank you for helping out. I’ll email Olympia also 🙂

DrForinor

Managed to choke it, so had to take it apart 🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️

tompoland

mine only choked when I misted the beans. also, if it chokes, normally opening the dial to a very coarse setting and starting the grinder will clear it. but at least you can get rid of that pesky grubb screw.