hthec Greetings…..I appreciate thatb64 mm seems to be the current go to size for the current crop of grinders, but I still do not get it. When the Niche was developed, in the final stages and after testing, the decision was made to go with genuine Mazzer burrs on grounds of taste. If you agree that the burrs are the single most important component of a grinder, then why skimp? It just seems plain daft doing anything else!……to me anyway. Why develop old technology?
What grinders have I had? Over the years, everything you can name and my favourite is the Mythos. Not the Clima Pro but the fast spin. The 75 mm burrs are mounted at a 45 degree angle so the only place the coffee can go is out and down. They retain very little indeed. I once bought a Versalab M3, brand new. I had it two weeks! What a pile! There was so much folklore written about it……folklore?……I mean nonsense! I refrained from buying any of what was considered the new crop of grinders and sat amazed as they became more and more expensive. The Titus grinders came along…….Frank took second hand Versalabs, sorted all the alignment and belt problems out, refashioned components out of Titanium and stuck a few noughts on the price. People bought them, smug in the knowledge they really had a superior grinder!
I believe in coffee as a hobby, that you ought to own whatever the hell you want to and it has nothing to do with anyone else. I also believe that if you are shelling out vast sums the thing ought to work 100% out of the box. An example, ok, but not a grinder. The Londinium L1 was released with the absolute minimum amount of testing. The results were problem after problem, all successfully hushed up. The early adopters really were pioneers for future buyers, yet we were constantly told we were buying the most thermally stable lever machine in the world…..the Carslberg of all machines, and paying top dollar for them. Why are they so expensive? They are built by Fracino and dispatched by Fracino. What part do Londinium play for the additional mark up they put on top? Good question. My own L1 has no ventilation built into the case and the boiler is not insulated. The Gicar box has scorched causing malfunctions. What sort of R & D team comes up with that?
So back to grinders. When buying new, especially crowdfunded machines (on the whole) if you are paying top whack, then you deserve a well tested, well designed machine. Whether you get that or not remains to be seen of course. So, to all modern breed grinder owners……enjoy what you have
