Grinder for moka/pour over

halfcaff

Hi all,

I have a tired old grinder bought as a stop-gap that I’m looking to replace.

I drink a mix of Moka pot and pour over (60/40), with an occasional espresso probably twice a month. I’ve been doing the usual rounds of research but can’t really settle on one do-it-all grinder since I would need to change beans and settings quite often. I say change beans as well because we drink regular most days, and decaf some days.

I could stretch to 300-350 but don’t want to spend more than that. I can’t decide whether to spend this on 2 grinders (mix of electric and manual), one for each bean type/brew type. Since I do change beans often I don’t care for grinders with hoppers that are difficult to empty.

I have been considering something like the Sage Dose Control or Barista & Co Core for the moka, with the 1Zpresso JX Pro to handle pour-over and occasional espresso duty.

Any thoughts?

LMSC

halfcaff Although I own a JX Pro for espresso, pour overs, and am happy with it, I would rather stretch and buy a Niche (if I were to start afresh).

It is great, has an easy work flow, perfect for a single dose, can swap beans during the course of the day, etc.

If you say, you won’t spend more than £350, get a JX. You will probably save £160-£170.

I’m sure you will get other valuable inputs from other members.

halfcaff

Thanks for the super quick response! The Niche is about 500 isn’t it? That would be quite a stretch indeed.

The reason I’m considering something more than just the JX is that we brew a large moka pot in the morning which might need more than one round of the JX. And I’m not sure how keen my wife will be to use the manual grinder. So I was thinking of getting something alongside the JX that would do the job for the Moka grind.

LMSC

halfcaff Yes! Niche will cost you £500. I would say it is worth it, if you can stretch.

Moka Pot grind in Jx Pro would be 2.4-3.0 rotations. Anything more than 2 grinds for 2 cups will be a chore and more so, if you are going to grind medium light and light roasts. You need to go electric. I am thinking perhaps Wilfa Svart, which I don’t have. I do not know if it can handle medium light and light roasts.

All my brews are either medium light and light. But, I only make 1 cup.

Mark @MWJB is our go to person for brews and pour overs. I am sure he will put you in the right direction.

halfcaff

Yes precisely the reason I’m thinking of electric for the Moka.

My main concern with using the same grinder for regular and decaf is getting beans out of the hopper and purging. Decaf tends to be pour over so I’m thinking that could be done with the JX and it could double-up for the occasional espresso.

Unless of course there is a better option that works for both brew types and makes the bean swap easy.

LMSC

Decaf is very nice as an espresso.

You basically have Svart for brews/pour overs (assuming it is fine to grind medium light / light roasts) and Jx for occasional espressos

If you want an all-in-one better option, then you are going to require a single dose grinder, which is a better option for espresso, brews/pour overs, using more than one type of beans, etc.

Of the single doser, I would still consider (a) Oro (£500) mainly for espresso, (b) Niche (£500) the great all rounder and the best IMO and the competitively priced and © Solo (£400). As far as the latter is concerned, some are happy, some aren’t and many have modded it to suit their convenience. I am sure we have some Solo users here, who would be able to chip-in with their views.

There is one Lagom Mini, which I think is still not out. I have no clue what it is and how it would be.

The final choice is buying a used Mazzer —- there is one in our classified—- and modify it for a single dose. @Cuprajake has a modified Mazzer and uses the SSP burrs for single dosing. He will be able to advise you on this further.

halfcaff

Thanks that is very useful indeed and much food for thought.

I agree that decaf espresso is great but I prefer a slightly longer drink in the morning. Yeah I know I’m strange :)

I’ll have to take another look at the single doser all rounders and see what looks best. Just checked Niche and they’re not shipping until Feb.
The Solo does look interesting and might be worth a stretch further to £400. Would be curious what other users here have made of it.

Cuprajake

I have a svart that i only single dose for pour overs.

Works a treat really

halfcaff

Thanks cuprajake. Choices choices! :)

I think something like the svart single dosed for Moka and a JX for pour over/espresso might just be the road I go down.

Cuprajake

https://squaremileblog.com/2018/06/26/wilfa-grind-size-guide/

Cuprajake

Svart goes more than fine for any brew

dutchy101

I have the Solo and I love it. I only use for espresso based drinks and the odd Aeropress.

I have one of the first release units and the model on sale now has already had some modifications to improve the grinder, such as the font and I understand the clump crusher has also been modified in the new models.

I don’t find the clump crusher on my unit an issue. I’ve had a 3D dial pointer ring printed to assist with grind size consistency when changing beans. I also fitted an anti-popcorning ring but it worked perfectly well before I fitted it.

You need to be prepared to use the bellows after each grind to clear the chute and I very rarely lose more than 0.1g when using the grinder. I’m sure the workflow on the Niche is better and easier, but personally I love the Solo and can’t see me switching from it.

halfcaff

@Cuprajake Svart will handle moka and pour over but I was considering separate grinders simply because of retention if I’m swapping between regular and decaf, and also between brew types..

@dutchy101 thanks for the input on the Solo. Having the bellows (and using them!) would reduce any issues with retention when swapping between beans/grinds so might well be worth the stretch in budget.