T64 Grinder From Bella Barista

odor4fun

This morning, the grind time for a 17 gram dose of coffee was 12 seconds at 1200 rpm.

I don’t use RDT at all and most often don’t use WDT either. Above is an extraction plot, the bottom green line is the flow rate, as you can see it is pretty uniform.

The extraction profile is an 8 bar with a drop to finis to 5.5 bar.

The results are good but the best coffee is still the first coffee I brewed when I got the grinder. Maybe I am subjective.

MediumRoastSteam

odor4fun the grind time for a 17 gram dose of coffee was 12 seconds at 1200 rpm.

If I remember correctly, @DavecUK suggests that the best speed for this grinder and this size of burrs is around 800rpm or thereabouts. (if my memory serves me right)

edit: But I suppose it’s not as simple for your grinder because it speeds up to full speed after 15 seconds anyway…

dfk41

odor4fun As you own the grinder longer, I would be interested to see if you think rpm has an effect on taste. Common sense says it will but who knows!

odor4fun

dfk41

I haven’t owned the grinder for a long time, I only used it for a few days. I think I prepared a coffee, which was ground at 900 rpm, I like the taste obtained by grinding coffee at 1100 - 1200.

But I didn’t test enough to have a point of view.

odor4fun

My grinder is equipped with other burrs, and the taste is subjective.

Another extraction with a dose of 17 grams, ground at 1100 rpm, the grinding time is indicative, I just started a timer on the tablet and it is possible that I started even 0.5 - 1 s faster than starting the grinder. The grinder has a start-up delay of about 1 second after pressing the start button.
I reduced the water temperature by 1 degree and the flavor is close to the first coffee extracted. But it still doesn’t seem as good.
I should take a coffee break for a few days.

I asked the manufacturer if the grinding time of 15 seconds is normal and he confirmed that this is how it is set by default. This timing should be adjustable, I’ll suggest that.
On a new order, the reported issues could be resolved and they can send me an additional set of burrs.
I will buy another T64S grinder and test them side by side over the next few months.

odor4fun

The 15-second timer is definitely too short if the grinder is used for a brewing method other than espresso. For filter brewing it would be useful to grind at a lower speed, but with this grinder it is practically impossible.

odor4fun

Of interest to some of you, if you remove the lower burr, be careful not to lose the metal washers under it. I have two installed in my coffee grinder, one thicker and one thinner for zero calibration I suppose.

FadedFrontiers

I imagine a way to bypass the timer would be to adjust the rpm dial very slightly while grinding, that should reset the timer and not have a significant impact on taste if the change is small enough. It’s not ideal but a way to override the 15s limit until you find a way to properly mod it.

Either way I’m glad the version @DavecUK fed back on is analogue and doesn’t have an RPM timer.

odor4fun

A correct implementation should take into consider the motor load and extend the running time at the set speed if there are coffee beans that are grinding. It’s easy to implement.

dmcgoy

Hi @odor4fun, thanks for the info. I’m also interested in this “alibaba” grinder.

I find it strange how similar it looks to the D64v - perhaps they borrowed a mold.

Could you provide a picture of the new “digital” RPM dial?

I’m hoping they can quickly improve the 15second timer logic to something less … crazy. That would be a dealbreaker for me as I would use this for pour over and espresso.

dfk41

If you remove the cost of the SSP burrs that are included in the BB one, then the price comes down to about £300 which includes a full warranty…….whether or not you can order one from them without SSP I do not know of course but having owned one in my humble they had no issues and I enjoyed owning it

MediumRoastSteam

dfk41 - I don’t see the point of fitting burrs that expensive to a cheap grinder. It would’ve been better to have the choice and save over £100 in the process.

MediumRoastSteam

dfk41 - I can’t explain it. I don’t set the prices!

Anyway. Just my opinion of my rationale based on your own comment:

dfk41 If you remove the cost of the SSP burrs that are included in the BB one, then the price comes down to about £300 which includes a full warranty

I hope I’m entitled to have one. 🤷

dfk41

MediumRoastSteam Why, if the burrs are fitted OEM then it is with the manufacturers blessing and warranty. How many manufacturers say the warranty is invalid if you swop burrs?

MediumRoastSteam

dfk41 - in understand that. But when the grinder is £489, SSP burrs are £189 = then grinder is technically £300. 64mm Mazzer burrs, which are supposed to be good, cost eternally £35 and £60, depending where from (edited as I re checked prices). The SSP burrs are just under 40% of the total value of the grinder as a package. That’s a lot.

I bet a lot of people would be happier paying £350 rather than £489, specially when the “taste in the cup” from those SSP burrs are very much the same sort of profile as standard Mazzer’s, for example.

No right or wrong, just my opinion. The selling strategy and product is up to Bella Barista to decide what’s best. 😊

dfk41

MediumRoastSteam I doubt Mazzer would supply a Chinese manufacturer, or be able to in terms of quantity. A retailer will always want 30% of £489 than 30% of a lesser figure

MediumRoastSteam

dfk41 doubt Mazzer would supply a Chinese manufacturer

All I’m saying is that, for me personally, I’d rather have bought a grinder costing £330 rather than £489 just because it has SSP burrs. I’d be happy with the Chinese burrs and in 2 years time when it’s out of warranty I could have bought Mazzer burrs if I wanted to. Maybe it could have been a good idea to let customers have a choice, maybe BB could install the SSP on request, so there would be no warranty issues.

Would you pay £649 for a Niche Duo with Mazzer burrs or would you pay £839 for a version with SSP burrs? I know which one I’d choose 😊 - but again that’s my opinion.

Based on a very quick internet search:
Mazzer burrs 83mm: £89
SSP 83mm: £279
Niche Duo one burr set: £649

dfk41

MediumRoastSteam The SSP burrs differentiated the grinder making it in the same ball park, in fact substantially cheaper than the new to arrive DF64 variable @ £549……explain that one
https://bellabarista.co.uk/collections/single-dose-grinders/products/df64v-single-dose-grinder-variable-speed

oddbean

unfortunately Bella Barista does not have them for sale anymore. And the alibaba producer is asking 400USD + shipping for the grinder with SSP HU. There is 20% VAT and custom duties on top of that. Maybe the price can be lowered if we know it was sold for 260 before.

DavecUK

oddbean Maybe the price can be lowered if we know it was sold for 260 before.

Not with SSP burrs it wasn’t.

dutchy101

Bella Barista don’t have it on their website, but if you phone up you can still buy it from them as far as I am aware

oddbean

dutchy101 Bella Barista don’t have it on their website, but if you phone up you can still buy it from them as far as I am aware

I did talk to them online and they don’t have it anymore. As I would have bought it.

DavecUK Not with SSP burrs it wasn’t.

It was sold with the titanium burrs indeed, but the shop told me it’s the same price with the titanium burrs(400USD). Still wondering how much would the custom duties are.

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