I wouldn’t argue with the lack of faff of hopper fed on-demand grinders. I know some people don’t mind but even after a year of pre-weighing espresso doses I still find it an inconvenience. A hopper fed grinder, especially grind-by-weight is just so effortless and quick. When you think some commercial gbw OD grinders will deliver a perfectly measured dose in three or four seconds, that’s a significant time saving on even the fastest single dose measuring.
My biggest annoyance is when you’ve got a light, finicky bean, it’s humid and it’s taken you four shots to dial-in and you’re there weighing out over and over again.
Don’t get me wrong I enjoy good espresso, but not this ‘ritual of preparation’ thing that seems to have taken hold since Covid and efficiency is also important to me.
However, as a household that enjoys pour over coffee as much as espresso, the benefits of single dosing for me are nothing to do with freshness, rather being able to just have one grinder to do well at both, with different beans on rotation. I’ve enjoyed the reclaimed worktop space since switching to one grinder.
If I was espresso only though, I’d have a hopper fed grinder in a heartbeat.
