skylark So, am now faced with either another Zero OR the bigger burr set of a DUO. Question i have is whether the bigger burr, forget the ability to switch burr sets on the DUO as i’m not a filter drinker, yet., is a worthwhile improvement over and above their Zero option? If so, which i hope is the answer i get, then can anyone like to explain why?
I personally believe it is, but you have experienced the Zero. Duo has better flavour definition and clarity over the conical, slightly harder to dial in though because there’s less fines. In terms of workflow, it’s pretty much identical, the grinder is just a bit bigger but still compact for an 83mm grinder.
If ever you want to experiment with different burrs on the Duo,you can. With the Zero, the Mazzer conicals are way better than any other conical.
A bigger burr (83mm) can make a difference over a 64mm but only when the speed is correct….which on the Duo it is. I took great pains to find the right speed that gave the best results and the minimum burr overpack which would cause regrinding. When a burr spins very fast, the coffee packs it’s way in and mills against itself, rather than the burr. This is the huge elephant in the room that manufacturers don’t talk about. The evidence for this has always been there… (facts below, all tested not only by me but by others over the years)
- We all know that as the weight of beans in the hopper diminishes, the grind size needs to be tightened up, hence the weight in the grinder throat or those tall borosilicate glass hoppers with a weight, to keep grind consistent
- If you single dose, do 2 doses and and divide each dose into 1/2s as it exits the grinder (swapping grind receptacles mid grind, the two first halves might choke and the 2 second halves will gush
- If you set any single dose grinder for espresso e.g. 18g in 36g out over 28s…then next shot feed it 18g, 3 beans at a time, you will get a gusher
Hedrick in his recent P100 video was talking about regrinding, but he got the science completely wrong, he assumed coffee was left in the burrs after coffee finished coming out the spout and the speedup caused regrinding. This wouldn’t have been the case and had he done the simple checks required, he would have realised that wasn’t happening (I have a P100). Get the speed wrong though and you increase fines unless you reach a point where bean bounce back actually slows things down, but then you get fragmentation.
I extensively tested all this stuff and much more over 2+ years. So I would recommend the Duo, it’s an excellent grinder for the more advanced user. Unless you like deep chocolates and medium to darker roasts with milk drinks, then you might prefer the Zero.