I wondered if any member had owned or does own the Kafatek Monolith Conical? I have nearly pulled the trigger on one several times now. I have a friend who has one of the flat versions and he really does enjoy it, especially praising the burrs. Is it an itch….most definitely. Will I scratch it……I hope so. They are taking $1000. deposits (non-refundable) for June delivery. Does anyone have any suggestions of a similar grinder that maybe worth thinking about? I think one of the things putting me off is that I had really wanted 83mm and not 71mm burrs. But I keep on hearing about their in house designed burrs!

https://www.suddencardiacarrestuk.org/2024/02/thank-goodness-for-madeira-cake/

I’ve considered one of the Monolith flats but yeah, serious money and probably enormous costs in getting them to the UK.

The Weber Key uses 83mm although that’s not a proprietary burr, rather a Mazzer Robur burr that I think they do something to in-house.

La Marzocco Linea Mini - Mazzer Philos

Ikawa Roaster

I had a deposit for the monolith flat max before financial sanity intervened and I sold it to someone else. I understand the pull as the reputation of the shurikone burrs seems uniformly positive just as it is for the shuriken flat burrs, but it is a lot of money…one thing good is that if u change your mind you should be able to sell the deposit and your place on the waiting list to someone else (presuming if the demand for them is still as robust as it was when I had a deposit)

    ive lusted after one for years, and never had chance to buy,

    you have to jump through hoops to get them new, bit charlie and the chocolate factory….

    Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -

      dfk41

      I think you are being daft.
      You have claimed multiple times to not have a very discerning palate.
      You have also poo poohed various puck prep/dosing techniques ad nauseam.
      You have at least one very good conical.

      That said, life is short if you can afford it treat yourself.
      You can always sell it on for a minor loss. 🥳

          dfk41
          The fact that we r spending thousands on coffee instead kf guzzling instant coffee like most other people is already proof to the rest of the world all of us on this forum are quite daft! So if your finances are in the happy situation of being able to afford it responsibly, then there’s no reason why u shouldn’t buy one. Worse cometo worse u can sell it if it is unsatisfactory and a kafatek grinder tends to be more in demand than most other grinders.

            If you change your mind after placing the deposit, your purchase is actually transferable. Meaning, if you change your mind, prior to shipping and your paying the 2nd payment, Denis allows you to transfer the reservation to another person.

            dont you have to get in quick though to even pay the deposit?

            Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -

              dfk41 - But but but… Don’t you already have a Niche Zero conical? Surely it can’t be that different? I remember at the time Dave compared the Niche Zero to the Ceado E92 conical - and that is a beast of a grinder! - and there wasn’t much perceived difference in his opinion, to the point he adopted the Zero - and the rest is history.

              Of course I can’t say much as never had the Zero and the Monolith Conical side by side to compare, but I do wonder whether you’ll get real value in taste terms, specially after Amberale’s summary :-)

                  MediumRoastSteam The real deal for me, is not the grinder but the burrs. Kafatek have developed in house, I will quote them here rather than confuse the issue

                  Dual-conical burrs, first in the world. 71mm “pancake” burrs for coarse pre-grind stage and 71mm Shurikone™ patent-pending Conical Burrs for fine second grinding stage (both designed and made in house) rated conservatively for ~1700lbs (771kg)  of coffee run through.

                  The burrs are 71mm as opposed to 63mm on the Zero. I agree about my tastebuds being terrible but @Amberale gave me a get out of jail card in pointing out that if I do not get on with it, moving it on ought to be quite easy and not suffering an almighty loss!

                  https://www.suddencardiacarrestuk.org/2024/02/thank-goodness-for-madeira-cake/

                    We all have various expectations, intended use, etc. Recently spotted a thread on the Kafatek forum in which a new owner of the MC6 was seriously disappointed with the performance. Based on previous equipment he clearly knows how to dial in for espresso that he likes, but he pretty much got bashed and everything but the grinder was blamed. Denis even offered to send him a set of Mazzer burrs and once he installed them he said the espresso was drastically better than the FOMO touted Shurikones. I personally wouldn’t tolerate that sort of crap when buying into a brand and of course I’m definitely not missing out by avoiding it.
                    Have noticed that Denis seems a bit defensive at times when people question the form/function of what he builds when issues do arise. His grinders remind me of Decent as in there will never be a true finished product and all customers are basically neverending beta testers. That might be fine for some, just not my thing.

                      I think grinder style/design does make a large difference. I bought a hybrid 64mm conical/flat burr grinder from here. I sold it a short while after to buy a niche duo (83mm flat).

                      It’s my only coffee sale that I regret, that grinder made a huge difference and the nicest coffee I’ve ever had.

                      the honne are 1500E

                      Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -

                      currently 2 kafatecs fs in the uk

                      Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -

                        dfk41 have emailed you

                        Decent De1pro v1.45 - Niche Duo - Niche Zero - Decent is the best machine ever made -