I have just bought a new Moca grinder for single dosing, following the review of @"tompoland"#121. I thought I would start a new thread sharing some of my own experience of this grinder over the coming months. I am doing this, as other than the superb review from Tom, this is still quite an unknown grinder. It is also my first forage into SD grinding. My current grinder is a Eureka Mignon Specialita. My coffee machine is a Profitec Pro 600 DB machine. All of this has been purchased from Bella Barista. The courier (DPD) arrived today. Lead-time from ordering was quick.. 23rd Feb ordered and delivery 9th Mar. Well packaged from Bella Barista, the first box comes with beans for free [URL=https://i.imgur.com/nNbv6Tb.jpg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/nNbv6Tb.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Then the next box from Olympia - this is their shipping box. [URL=https://i.imgur.com/fqPVftg.jpg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/fqPVftg.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=https://i.imgur.com/Xh4IyL5.jpg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/Xh4IyL5.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Within the BB box are some burr seasoning beans from BB, hidden in the foam chips [URL=https://i.imgur.com/rhRZw3U.jpg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/rhRZw3U.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Nicely sealed from the factory [URL=https://i.imgur.com/zc4CPkQ.jpg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/zc4CPkQ.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Another box! - Like Russian dolls [URL=https://i.imgur.com/bKlUG2s.jpg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/bKlUG2s.jpg[/IMG][/URL] The packaging is impressive. Bespoke cut cardboard layers to house the RDT spray bottle and the cap of the dosing funnel. The grind adjustment knob can be seen in the middle. [URL=https://i.imgur.com/Yz8QoNo.jpg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/Yz8QoNo.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Machined aluminum - weighty and impressive [URL=https://i.imgur.com/maacBtb.jpg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/maacBtb.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Here is the next layer.. again great packing. The dosing funnel, the small tray for the workspace under the grinding chute and of course the main machine. I went Red and Silver as I think the nicest contrast. [URL=https://i.imgur.com/SOqvNLZ.jpg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/SOqvNLZ.jpg[/IMG][/URL] This dosing funnel is insane. Machined aluminium with a specific trap door in the bottom that opens as the unit is rotated as covered in Tom's video review. Really solid. Gentle smell of machined gears and oil wafts from the box like a fresh set car part. [URL=https://i.imgur.com/cheaCi1.jpg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/cheaCi1.jpg[/IMG][/URL] And here it is.. Very weighty and compact as the other reviews have covered. Feels very solid.. but we will come onto the panels.. An area I think is ripe for a tweak.. [URL=https://i.imgur.com/bhinUey.jpg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/bhinUey.jpg[/IMG][/URL] The magnetic machined adjustment knob.. Very nice rotation and movement. As others have said.. Really this needs to have numerical markings. [URL=https://i.imgur.com/jWqyaDp.jpg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/jWqyaDp.jpg[/IMG][/URL] The front badge [URL=https://i.imgur.com/FinfMTJ.jpg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/FinfMTJ.jpg[/IMG][/URL] And now the unit together. This feel more like attaching a prime lens to a DSLR. The design may have changed as it seems to fit easily (compared with Tom's review). three lugs. [URL=https://i.imgur.com/GYEyIbF.jpg][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/GYEyIbF.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

This grinder has had some minor criticism for the noise it makes (I have not yet turned it on).. But this video shows the how 'biscuit tin' the folded metal panels are and as an audio person, would seem very open to deadening with some inside material.. Listen to the case.. https://youtube.com/shorts/hLAxPDsrOTw?feature=share @"DrForinor"#772 you mentioned you are interested to follow this :-)

@"M5Sime"#p39212 I certainly am very interested if you decide to experiment with some sound deadening, as I feel that would improve it also. Interested to follow your longer term thoughts on this grinder! 🙂

And here is a quick video of the machined bean hopper. https://youtube.com/shorts/S-XxbT-JSLw?feature=share

Enjoying the little details that you've posted.

Will enjoy this - only have a hand grinder so far. Its a big expense with lots of other options - but I do like well engineered equipment !

@"MattH"#p39223 Glad you are.. This is a leap of faith over my £350 ish (I recall) Eureka grinder. Clearly a large amount of the cost is in the OE platform - the EK7 bought in from Ditting. Then the machined hopper is going to be a chunk of cost. The metal surround.. It could be better, but I guess budget ran out to make a solid margin.

Following with interest. Always worthwhile having fresh eyes to discover new insights. Thanks for the effort you are going to in sharing with this community @"M5Sime"#855

So.. an update. I have been working with the grinder last night and this morning (yet to pull a shot). I did a mini teardown as part of a burr cleaning exercise and find some interesting aspects: 1. The grinder is quite shrill in noise (the motor) 2. The grinder leaps (twists) with the motor torque.. I believe this is exacerbated by the free mounted motor and belt pulley design. The motor hanger allows for twist (slop). It means on every power up, the motor swings a little inside the chassis and self centers when up-to speed. A bit odd really, but I assume essential to the mechanism to allow the grind setting to change (didn't like this myself). In fact, a soft start would be nice to build RPM (but get that would have to be a small delay in workflow to allow the motor to get stable before dropping beans in). 3. The burr alignment was good, but to immaculate.. Touching started in a high spot (bit see more on this) 4. Overall nicely built.. So while this grinder seems a little 'uncouth' for the epitome of Swiss perfection, I find it OK.. Onto the grind setting. As covered with others - the grinder on min distance has the burrs lightly touching and yet the grind is far off from a standard espresso. I got a lot of fines also.. The already covered process of going tighter (removing the adjustment knob and re-fitting on the hex shaft a 1/4 turn or so to give more of a shift in adjustment.. I find that the burrs are actively meshing (the top flat edge, the teeth).. Still the espresso setting is only just getting there.. It is almost as if the EK7 platform is meant to have some microns of burr edge removed as part of the bedding-in.. This concerns me as we are at touching point and not fine enough for espresso.. There is plenty (huge) amounts of motor torque and belt gear advantage to skim the surfaces on one another.. But this seems different to my existing grinder.. Overall.. so far mixed feelings.. Not awfully Swiss (in stereotype).. Like your Rolex watch needing the clasp operating for a month overly tightly until it beds-in.. Moca SD Owners @"tompoland"#121, @"DrForinor"#772 - how does this compare with your ownership experience?? Best S

It does seem very odd - especially as Olympus seem to have stated they recommend not changing the setting on the machine. but then it sounds like its not set out of the factory to be able to grind espresso properly ? I guess a email to them might help clear this up one way or the other ? Sure @"tompoland"#121 will be along with some thoughts.. he does have 2 of them in operation:)

Motor being shrill ,I agree, it's not a "nice sound" IMO. As far as leaping, I'm not able to determine one way or another. Burr alignment, I didn't take it apart enough to be able to see. I hated the grommet in place which means you can't rotate the grind dial fully so I have completely removed it. I'm no engineer but I wish they could have designed something better to "protect" the burrs. As my initial shot, I seasoned with at least 3-4kg through it before pulling my second shot and there was a huge difference in grind size after the seasoning. And I would suggest the seasoning still isn't complete from what I'm seeing in mine. Mixed feelings: I totally agree!! I love it because of what I get in the cup, but is that because it's a flat burr? I knew before going into this that flat burrs would suit me much better than conical (and after using 3 conicals, 2 of which were good quality hand grinders) I can wholeheartedly say that flats are for me. I have no experience with any other flat burr grinder so cannot compare, I may have loved any other flat just as much. As far as the "Swiss-ness" goes, I am not impressed I have to admit. It feels bomb proof for sure, but the user experience as a whole isn't excellent - for this price (and being Swiss) and did anticipate better.

Olympia Moca SD - UK Review

tompoland

Cuprajake sure, understood, it’s on the long side 🙄 TLDR territory

Cuprajake

@tompoland name dropped twice

In the df64v and again for the Olympia 47min in

tompoland

Cuprajake

… blush …

MediumRoastSteam

I watched the whole thing. I quite enjoyed it.

M5Sime

Well… quite some time has passed with this grinder and things settled-down.. I eventually got to a point where I was into the workflow, and not overly punishing the burrs to get an 18-19g espresso grind. So far so good.. Yes, it is loud.. Yes, it does always jump a bit on switch on.. I have not tried RDT, so for many beans it sprays everywhere (wife not impressed)..

I did however hit a new snag.. I have had two sets of coffee (I note that most roasters do not seem to state roast level on the bag).. I will say medium (I like fruit notes and not tarmac syrup).. Both of these beans shifted the required ind setting to burr facing setting and still I could not get a 30 sec extraction.. At one point, the burrs touch so much the grinder stops instantly once the beans are fed and power turned off.. So the frustration kind of came back.

I have tried contacting Ditting on the EK7 platform but not had a response).. Is this an issue of SD grinders? I see other forum reviews of high end SD grinders where for Espresso they are close to burr touch already. I have started to think what my exit path is and looking back at grinders like the Ceado E37SD (I liked the build and proven heritage).

Anyone else had more experiences with this grinder?

DavecUK

M5Sime I have tried contacting Ditting on the EK7 platform but not had a response).. Is this an issue of SD grinders? I see other forum reviews of high end SD grinders where for Espresso they are close to burr touch already. I have started to think what my exit path is and looking back at grinders like the Ceado E37SD (I liked the build and proven heritage).

When you cannot close up enough for an espresso shot even with burrs just touching….then there is an alignment issue. I’ve done enough prototype testing to know this is true.

MediumRoastSteam

M5Sime Yes, it is loud.. Yes, it does always jump a bit on switch on..

Swiss labour (and branding) is expensive ;-)

tompoland

M5Sime I regularly ground medium/light beans (as measured by a Tonino coffee bean color analyser) and could have dialled finer for light roast if needed. Like Dave I suspect alignment issues. Question therefore: if you were to grinder darker beans to get the standard 1:2 ratio in 25 - 30 seconds, is the espresso well balanced between sour and bitter I.e. neither of those tastes? If not, and you are tasting an unbalanced espresso, that would add more weight to the misaligned burrs theory.

M5Sime

DavecUK I did test this early-on and tried to improve it (not sure I managed it).. Might look again.

M5Sime

tompoland Thanks, Tom. I am mostly drinking with milk (flat whites), so do not have much comparison on the espresso itself. I am going to have another look at alignment, but the issue on this grinder seems to have become well known/repeatable (I recall one YouTuber saying this was due to the design to match the smaller Olympia portafilter for their lever machine. I recall even Olympia saying they build and design for dark roast as a preference. I will report back.. Weirdly, even Olympia suggest a burr touching noise when grinding is ‘normal’ and less of an issue with beans in the chamber vs when dry run.. Still always seemed off to me. If the consensus back when I originally posted and discussed was double down on alignment, I would have done that. Onwards!

DavecUK

M5Sime I recall even Olympia saying they build and design for dark roast as a preference. I will report back.. Weirdly, even Olympia suggest a burr touching noise when grinding is ‘normal’ and less of an issue with beans in the chamber vs when dry run.. S

Which is all total BS

M5Sime

DavecUK which is why the engineer in me never could understand given I never had espresso grind issues with my ‘basic’ specialita first grinder.

M5Sime

Checking alignment , I seemed to get a good even wipe, but then realised the faces were touching more closely than initial chirp, so repeated

M5Sime

This is the result. Not great as you can see the amount on the top burr especially. The bottom Burr I needed to improve also and in this pic is already done

M5Sime

Final result. Small shim needed on the bottom Burr. Four layers of kitchen foil needed on top burr.

MediumRoastSteam

I’ve got no idea of what to make of it, whether it’s good or bad… But there are four segments in the bottom burr where the ink has completely disappeared.

Edit: this was related to the previous post

M5Sime

Update: Rather annoyingly, I have made a few coffee’s since the adjustment and needing to take the grind setting finer and finer as extraction for 18.6g in a 18g VST 58mm basket is too fast (13-14 secs). Burrs touching. So, things remain rather irritating with this. Time to move on I think..

DavecUK

M5Sime Check the radial alignment, this can also have a huge impact on this sort of thing. See if the bottom birr is radually centered e.g. not like an off centre hole in a record.

I believe that grinder is basically off the shelf guts (motor burr assembly) in a bit of Olympia tin….but can be in many other grinders.

MediumRoastSteam

M5Sime So, things remain rather irritating with this. Time to move on I think..

if the grinder is brand new, I’d be tempted to return it as faulty. If you can’t extract an espresso with an espresso grinder without having to open it up and adjust it, something is not quite right.

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