Comandante Baracuda C60

tompoland

Feeling pretty chuffed to have one of these, from the third batch of 24 each, arrive on my espresso island this morning.

Featuring 60mm steel conical burrs, the C60 weighs in at a very impressive 1,005 grams and must surely be one of the best quality hand grinders on the market.

First grind was 18 grams of medium/light beans which was super easy to grind in 25 seconds.The other premium hand grinders I have are either easy to grind and take closer to 45 seconds or stiffer to grind and closer to 30 seconds. The C60 seems to have achieved the best of both grind speed and ease of grinding.

Whilst the C60 is a lot heavier than its precedessor the C40, it appears to be the same diameter, if not height. That’s quite remarkable given the jump from 40mm to 60mm burrs.

Haven’t pulled a shot yet and fit fit Red Clix first, then I’ll try it for both filter and espresso.

First impressions video from Hoons Coffee featuring Josh from Alternative Brewing here in Australia

tompoland

Update…

I fitted the Red Clix axle and knob which descreases the grind size per click so that it’s easier to dial in for espresso. (10 clicks on the original = 20 clicks with Red Clix fitted).

I then dialled it in and got it into the sweet spot on grind #4. The adjustments resulted in the expected changes but the differences are quite significant even with just a single click adjustment.

(I posted above that it was very easy to grind but that was a filter setting. It’s definitely harder to grind at espresso setting but still around only 30 seconds which is pretty good, just a bit stiffer.)

So can it grind for espresso? Yes. Grinding at 9 clicks with a medium/light (closer to light) bean means that there is plently of adjustment left for lighter beans..

As for flavor, let’s just say it won’t be dethroning my 1Zpresso J-Max S travel grinder any time soon. The latter produces a fuller bodied espresso with choc-like notes. The C60 is …. just not doing it for my tasted buds. A bit brighter I guess. I’ll have to play a bit more and see if the discordant flavor is operator error or if its simply not an espresso orientated grinder.

I’ll try espresso again tomorrow with other beans and see how it goes. And I’ll give it a whirl with filter as well.

delta76

tompoland As for flavor, let’s just say it won’t be dethroning my 1Zpresso J-Max S travel grinder any time soon.

that’s nice to hear, especially the Barracuda C60 is like > 3x times more expensive

John_Yossarian

tompoland Tom, you made me look at 1Zpresso J-Max S and I came across two more versions:1Zpresso JX-Pro S, 1Zpresso JX-S. I am a bit confused as when reading they all come with 48 conical burrs.
Do you know if these are for real and if yes, what are the differences and which version you would recommend (for the latter I believe you have already said it).
Thank you!

EDIT: I did some reading.JX-Pro has 12.5 microns step while J-Max has 8.8 microns. The question now is, can you use yours for pour over coffee as on their website they recommend, JX-Pro to cover pour overs to espresso?

FadedFrontiers

Thanks for sharing.

Was hoping they’d improve the grinds adjustment mechanism at some point or at least move it to the top but can understand why they’d want to keep it consistent across their range.

It’s a little ridiculous to be paying this much and still have to buy an add on for espresso - but as you say maybe there are better espresso grinders for the job if that’s what you’re after.

whinmoor85

Looks decent! Good to see them come up with a new grinder, they’ve been slow to innovate otherwise.

tompoland

John_Yossarian John can’t say I’m a 1zpresso expert. However I have three and love two of them.

For full flavoured espresso I have this one https://alternativebrewing.com.au/products/1zpresso-j-max-coffee-grinder?variant=43228253192391

And for filter I like this one https://alternativebrewing.com.au/products/1zpresso-k-ultra-coffee-grinder?variant=43228229435591

I also have the 1zpresso ZP6 for filter but it produces coffee so clear that for my unsophisticated taste buds tastes too much like water.

Of all the hand grinders I’ve tried, the 1zpresso are hands down (sorry) my favourites for ease of adjustment (external and numerical dial guage) and ease of grind (smooth and fast).

MWJB

tompoland I also have the 1zpresso ZP6 for filter but it produces coffee so clear that for my unsophisticated taste buds tastes too much like water.

I thought the ZP6 used Etzinger burrs? If so, these are not wildly abnormal so I wonder why you’re getting this result as this sounds more like you have the ZP6 set coarser?

How are you ensuring that you are comparing grinders at equivalent grind settings for filter?

John_Yossarian

tompoland Hi Tom, thank you for your detailed response! The result: a 1Zpresso J-Max is on a pre-order 😃. It seems the demand is still high. In fact, my wife liked the look of the dark grey version so much that she almost “forced me against my will” 😂 to buy it.
I was looking at the J-Max (my first choice), Timemore C3, and the Commandante C40, (for C60 I would not even comment, almost a thousand EUROs). I could not justify the price point of the latter, no matter what.

tompoland

Re the C60: better espresso this morning. Very bright. Thinking that part of my critical reaction on day one may have been partly down to the espresso being such a different style to what I’m used to. But the other part was that it was definitely consistently unbalanced in flavor. Not so much today.

Maybe it just needed more seasoning. It’s still only had approx 160g through it so I’m going to get that up to 300g before I try again.

Not ready to try filter yet. Still keen to see if the espresso improves again tomorrow after more seasoning. Watch this space.

It’s possible, just maybe, that if the espresso continues to improve and the grinder lives up to its reputation for excellent filter coffee, that this may just be the first burr set that I’ve tried that (for my taste buds) excels at both espresso and filter. Unlikely, but I’m excited to see.

tompoland

MWJB no idea which burrs the ZP6 uses sorry, I just assumed they were from 1zpresso’s normal supplier. Certainly a lot of clarity though. And yes its entirely possible that it’s down to operator error (too coarse). There is this from someone who knows a lot more about filter than a novice like me:

I’ve only used the 1zpresso ZP6 and K Ultra for filter (the others only for espresso so far). Relative grind size measured by sight and touch and the comparision was non-blind so not professing anything scientific there. It sounds like you suggesting a finer grind so, I’ll give that a go at some point, thanks for the idea.

MWJB

The burr he shows in the video appears to be an Etzinger, or a copy of it, These have been standard fitment in Baratza & OE Lido grinders for many years now (I have 3 grinders fitted with them) and none of these make normally extracted coffee taste ‘like water’. Intensity of flavour won’t be significantly different to other steel burr grinders with bearing support.

whinmoor85

@MWJB ZP6 uses the same burrs as the JS/KS/Z Pro which are similar to the Etzinger burrs in the Lido 3, Coffee Chronicler has confirmed it here too:
https://coffeechronicler.com/best-1zpresso-grinder-overview

@tompoland I’ve never had a problem with watery brews on the ZP6 - what number are you using to grind? I grind between 3.5 and 5.5 for pour over.

tompoland

whinmoor85 thanks for that information. I’l have another crack at that finer grind setting which @MWJB also suggested. Are you using the ZP6 for espresso at all and if so what are your impressions?

MattH

The C60 looks a lovely well engineered bit of kit… luckily I dont need anymore hand grinders :)

JonWoo187

Regarding 1ZPresso, they do make some rather good devices, but have no clue as to why they feel the need to offer so many burr types/grinder designs that just confuses most possible buyers. That’s the only real complaint I’ve seen mentioned quite often. I had a JE-Plus for some time and found it to work rather well, but just too light/dainty for my expectations/use and let it go in favor of the Helor 106, which is actually starting to feel a bit lightweight too, bwahaha. With a recent experimental bearing swap it’s working as awesome/fluid as any manual grinder can be expected to and it’s definitely a keeper. Regarding the C60, it looks the part of being nicely machined, etc., but just never have been drawn to anything they do. Especially not at that price point!

tompoland

JonWoo187 have no clue as to why they feel the need to offer so many burr types/grinder designs that just confuses most possible buyers.

I’m glad you mentioned that. Agree 100%. Their product range needs similifying.

The Helor 106 is simply an awesome grinder. Arguably the best of the best for espresso. Do you also use it for filter?

Re the C60, its eye wateringly expensive for sure and it would be helpful if the manufacturer would explain why. If it delivers in the cup I’m sure it will do well.

whinmoor85

tompoland Give that a go and feedback, hopefully it will help. Also worth checking if your zero point is where the burrs close (or close enough).

Using it for espresso - haven’t tried and won’t bother, too much work TBH. 1zpresso don’t list it for espresso on the grind chart either so it might not work.
https://1zpresso.coffee/grind-setting/

FadedFrontiers

tompoland @MWJB also suggested. Are you using the ZP6 for espresso at all and if so what are your impressions?

Despite the burrs looking similar to Etzingers in the OE Lido 3 etc, the ZP6 burrs must have some differences in the final cutting patterns as they can’t do espresso unless you want turbos.

JonWoo187

tompoland Have no idea why they apparently discontinued the JE-PLUS either as it was quite good at finer ranges. They could have kept that and maybe add 1-2 more designed for coarser methods and leave it at that.

The 106 is espresso duty only for my use. No clue how it would do coarser as I haven’t had interest in press, pourover, drip for quite some time. It is nice that lots of hand grinding options are available. Back when I first started pretty much all available was vintage models that you would have to look through 15-20 to find one really espresso capable.

tompoland

Now 300g through before this morning’s grind. Arms like Arnie now.

Pleased to report that the espresso is now very nice. City roasted (medium/light on the Tonino color analyser) AA Kenyan produced a quite intense but well-balanced bold flavor. Enjoyable.

I guess it just needed seasoning. Definitely just a guess. I wouldn’t otherwise know what to put the change down to. It’s not like the first four pours (the ikky, unbalanced espressos) were hit and miss; they were consistently unpleasant.

I’ll try it again tomorrow with a light (Cinnamon) bean.

I’ll have a crack at filter mid week.

The C60 might be a keeper after all.

MWJB

FadedFrontiers Maybe it’s the adjustability? The Lido 2 & 3 aren’t recommended for espresso either, The Lido E & ET are and use a finer pitch adjustment thread.