Coffee machine

[FeK9]

@schweinehund

 

Will this do?..

Edited August 18, 2013 by FeK9

[V12man]

Nice! Gf and I bought a Husqvarna No. 10 "Reliance" meat grinder recently at the Irene Market. Has a rustic charm, but turns out one can't use a meat grinder for coffee beans :'(

Any recommendations where to get an old-school coffee grinder in Gauteng?

 

Welkom...

 

http://www.junkmail.co.za/Household/Antique%20Furniture/Free%20State/Welkom/coffee-grinder-antique-30241287

[cadenceblur]

The are great in a busy coffee shop where the coffee gets used so fast it does not go stale (the accepted norm is 15 minutes post grind - although I think it's less)

 

The problem in home use is that you can grind exactly the quantity of beans you want to the doser, and then use it to drop it into the portafilter - but it's something you don't really need to do with a good grinder (there are arguably some advantages in terms of distribution using the doser - especially in the 'lower quality' grinders) - so if you can avoid a step, then you should I think - also they are fairly noisy in use, so at 5am they have a tendency to wake up kids etc, and removing stale coffee from them is a pita (and with a doser removing it is even more of a pain than one that grinds direct - especially if you use a hopper - because you inevitably grind a bit more than you need into the doser - more waste and more stale coffee to clean)

 

With my grinder it would take me longer to get the coffee from the doser to the portafilter than from the grinder to the doser - so going straight to portafilter saves a few seconds.

 

I think you picked up on that because I recommended the Mazzer Mini E rather than the Mini (with doser),- BUT they have different burr sizes, with the Mini E being bigger - I am a fan of the bigger burrs.... and you can use the super Jolly burrs in the Mini E - which is an improvement in the cup - this you cannot do with the mini.

 

This discussion is pretty esoteric actually... using a different grinder you can work differently - so using the Maelkonig Vario W, you can specifically weigh the grinds in the doser - which saves you pre-weighing beans (manually) and allows the use of a small hopper.

 

http://www.mahlkoeni...tLanguage=en_EN

 

Strangely - when looking at the Vario-W's page above, I see they say it is not suitable for espresso grinds... and I actually thought it was based on the initial reviews (US based) I read about it.... so maybe the above is not an option... Not that I plan to change my grinders anytime soon.... I don't think it is even run in yet - what I do in a year, it can probably do in a day - or less.

 

Of course - there are other grinders to look at too... It gets REALLY difficult to choose after a while - especially if you don't have a budget constraint, and even more so once your wife allows you to start looking at the BIG grinders.... My wife just rolls her eyeballs and stops talking to me for a couple of weeks....

having a GOOD look at the Mazzer. The price difference between the Doser and doserless is like R2500! I would definitely be weighing my beans, could I therefore just go with the Doser variant? That said the mini E's have awesome reviews, also like the neatness of grounds distribution etc. Maybe I should consider the Vario instead? What do think?

[Maniax]

I got the Breville Barista Express. Picked it up for R3000 bargain. Its the complete kit for a home coffee bar. Grinder, portafilla, 'stomper'. Beautiful finish and great coffee.

[V12man]

having a GOOD look at the Mazzer. The price difference between the Doser and doserless is like R2500! I would definitely be weighing my beans, could I therefore just go with the Doser variant? That said the mini E's have awesome reviews, also like the neatness of grounds distribution etc. Maybe I should consider the Vario instead? What do think?

 

Remember - the Mini and the Mini E are 2 different grinders - the Mini E is much better.

 

That said - Mazza vs Vario - depends - if you need course grinds fairly regularly for filter/brew coffees - Vario - if you are espresso only - Mazza (unless you have height constraints that the mini hopper won't sort out.)

 

What I don't know is if the Vario allows you to remove the hopper or if you must use the hopper for small bean doses.

 

Last I looked, the Vario and the Mini E were priced about the same.

[cadenceblur]

Mazzer Mini E Type A doser less - R9 600

Mazzer Mini Doser with timer R7 000

Vario R 6 500

[V12man]

Mazzer Mini E Type A doser less - R9 600

Mazzer Mini Doser with timer R7 000

Vario R 6 500

 

Good price on the Vario - check which model it is against this list - you can see that relative to the Mini E it is a lightweight, but it does work well - either of the centre 2 columns is good, with a preference for the Vario W with ceramic burrs - that one is espresso capable (seems there are actually 2 of them....) and it grinds by weight, which is a good thing.

 

https://www.baratza.com/wp-content/uploads/Grinder-Comparison-Chart.pdf

 

Who is your source on the grinders?

[CMDC]

Nespresso at R3 to R5 - where??

[cadenceblur]

It's actually the Home model, not the W. Found the pricing here...

www.onlinecoffeeshop.co.za

[V12man]

It's actually the Home model, not the W. Found the pricing here...

www.onlinecoffeeshop.co.za

 

It will work fine - same as the mini e - just timer based, which gives small variances in weight - which is ok, as long as they are not too big a variance.

 

You might get better pricing on the Mazzer from Ben at Importalia - the official importer - give him a call - then you can decide - they also stock the Vario home - just branded as a Ditting...

 

The other thing you want to do is do a bit of touch and feel on the devices... this may sway you in a direction - it may not.

[cadenceblur]

Are those the guys that do the isomacs? If so, spoke to one of them in the week, gave me some pricing on the isomacs and grinders

[V12man]

Are those the guys that do the isomacs? If so, spoke to one of them in the week, gave me some pricing on the isomacs and grinders

 

Yup - they do a few machines - Carimali and Grimac too.

[Weight Weenie]

Okay I reckon I've narrowed down my selection to the following...

Nuova Simonelli Oscar (price TBC) or the Lafaimac machine (subject to price confirmation) but reckon it will be expensive

Got a quote on the Isomac Tea, but R15000 ex Vat is a bit on the steep side, also the power hungry concerns are putting me off as well.

On the grinder, looks like the Mazzer Mini Doser less, unless there is anybody that can convince me otherwise on a cheaper but as reliable and solid grinder?

 

Should be a few rands over 10K for the Oscar, go for it!

Grinder wise the Mazzer sounds great, is that the electronic version? They seem a bit expensive for me though, would rather go with the doser model or a Kompak K3

[cadenceblur]

Yeah, got a quote for R11000, no stock at present though. Saw the k3 as well yes, not as pricey also. Had a good review on Seattle Coffee. Not too keen on the cleaning side of the doser grinders though.

[Lexx]

Why do you want to Spend Between R11000 and R20000 just to make coffee. For Frisco you pay R20 a tin and you also get the same Foam effect but just for so much cheaper :whistling:

[V12man]

Why do you want to Spend Between R11000 and R20000 just to make coffee. For Frisco you pay R20 a tin and you also get the same Foam effect but just for so much cheaper :whistling:

 

When last did you buy a tin of Frisco for R20?

 

Next time you are in Jhb let me know - I make, you drink, bye bye Frisco forever...

 

You are allowed to drink Frisco..... 50/50 with Brandy - should not affect the taste of the brandy in the slightest...