Hi all,

Not sure how it really happened (and it happened rather quickly) but I got myself a new hobby/pastime/lifestyle 'thingey' just last week...to cut a short story even shorter, following christmas gifts of vouchers/money, I decided to slightly upgrade my Bialetti stove top for an espresso machine. Ended up purchasing a machine I wasn't happy with and which I'm returning today for a better (gaggia) model. Still on the amateur end of things (the money and extra space confines my choices) however, I nevertheless want to spend just a little more (I have a birthday coming up...) on a decent grinder which won't get me in trouble with the missus (again - space, aesthetics and money come into play).

So having a good scan around these boards I thought the Ascaso i mini would be a suitable choice. It's within my limits cash wise and will also find a home on the kitchen worktop (of which there is little space left).
Shopping around (uk sites) I found a very good price for the i-imini - a good £20 cheaper than the nearest rival. However whilst on the site I also saw an Ascaso i2 for the same price as other sites are selling the i mini for. Physically they look slightly different (the i2 looks a little bulkier, sturdier perhaps?) but they both seem to be conical burr grinders which leaves me wondering what other, if any, differences there are?

Many thanks.

Just to add, I understand that both the Ascaso I mini and the I 2 have conical burrs over the I 1's flat burr...which, to be honest, I have no understanding of any benefits (or negatives) they might bring.

i2 and i1 don't differ very much. The version with doser has an important disadvantage - the doser itself. A friend of mine had bought it for home use and very soon some elements of the doser broke into pieces. Bad luck perhaps, however I wouldn't recommend this doser for even medium volumes of coffee.

Yes - I don't think I'll be going for the doser models. Just wondering whether the I-2 and I-Mini has, apart from size, any other differences (they're both conical burr grinders).
I won't be overdoing the coffee making each day (perhaps 2 - 4 espresso's on a given day) so perhaps the smaller I-Mini would suffice. The 'lip' for the portafilter might be handy though, and I guess if the I-2 is heavier, it won't shift around as much on the workbench.

Cheers.

thaxton wrote:i2 and i1 don't differ very much. The version with doser has an important disadvantage - the doser itself. A friend of mine had bought it for home use and very soon some elements of the doser broke into pieces. Bad luck perhaps, however I wouldn't recommend this doser for even medium volumes of coffee.

Actually, although identical from the outside, they differ a great deal internally. It's unfortunate that they are sometimes lumped together when reviews are made.

The I-2 is a conical burr grinder, with the burrs mounted in a plastic threaded holder. In the one I had (and returned) the manufacturing tolerances weren't up to it, so they wobbled around too much for grind consistency.

The I-1 has flat burrs in a brass (?) burr carrier which is reported to be a much better and solid setup. The price is generally higher than for the I-2.

My experience was a couple of years ago, so possibly improvements have been made to the I-2 since, and also to the other often reported problem with the non-doser version's spout cracking up (as mine was).

They are both relatively inexpensive, and you probably shouldn't expect commercial component quality or longevity.

My first-hand experience is entirely with the i-Mini... with which I've been very pleased. In fact, when I bought my second Gaggia Factory lever machine, I bought a second i-Mini for it without hesitation. Both of my i-Minis have the black cast aluminum housing. For overall aesthetics and compact practical design the i-Mini can't be beat... FWIW, in my house it passed the all-coveted "spousal approval test" when nothing else on the market even came close

My general understanding is that the innards of the i-Mini and i2 are quite similar (with the innards of the i1 being different), though I stand ready to stand corrected on this if anyone knows better...

I've heard that the clear plastic spout of the i2 is prone to breakage. Not so with the spout of the i-Mini, as the i-Mini's spout is an integral part of the i-Mini's cast aluminum metal housing. Though, the spout of the i-Mini is prone to retaining grounds... requiring an occasional thwak with a rubber mallet, an occasional "nose pick" (pardon the image...) with a chopstick, or the occasional mid-dose rocking/thwwacking motion on the counter of the whole machine on its front or back rubber feet. Don't know if the i2 requires similar gyrations to occasionally clear the ground from the chute... But don't take these occasional gyrations as an indictment of the i-Mini - just part of the character of the machine... Overall it's a great bargain and an excellent choice, especially if price, size and aesthetics are a concern...

r-gordon-7

Thanks for all the comments. @keepitsimple: absolutely - I think this should see me through as I start my journey in espressoland. I simply cannot afford anything approaching the more commercial levels at the moment...and I have a small portion of 'real estate' left on the benchtop...the i Mini will just about fit.

@r-gordon-7. Given I've found a good price for this and it's small size, I think I've made my mind up now. I've just saved (all going well!) over £100 on a gaggia classic via ebay, so I can probably grab the Ascaso i Mini this month now....just have to find a good UK fresh coffee dealer and my coffee path commences...
Incidentally, what (in real terms) capacity does the iMini hold? I don't suppose I'll be making more than 2-4 espresso's per day...

Huge thanks for the comments and advice.

Cheers.

Dave, the i-Mini has a hopper capacity of 250g. I've never put more beans in either of my i-Minis at any one time than I'd likely grind for 3 or 4 doubles - and usually no more than 1 or 2 doubles at a time... which is to say only a small fraction of its hopper's capacity - barely up to or above the "little three-legged plastic stool" (finger guard) inside the hopper at its bottom.

r-gordon-7

I think 'she's' the one for me then. For little over £100 (although that price fluctuates somewhat depending on where your mouse takes you in googleland) I can just about justify that. To think my Bialetti stove top and pre ground coffee was doing me ok for the past couple of years...!

Cheers r-gordon!

...oh and any linkies for gauging how to judge when the beans have been ground just right would be massivel appreciated. I'm anticipating a few trials and errors there. Should I purchase a packet of pre ground (espresso - cheap and cheerful) and try and attain a similar consistency of grounds? From what I've read on this type of (stepless) grinder it takes a good few turns of the dial to hit the spot...!

Cheers.