Having a hard time picking between the Forte and the Mazzer Mini electronic doserless...about the same price point...any ideas??

What are you going to use the grinder for?

The Forte does medium and coarse grinding and is not meant for espresso. The Mazzer Mini is -- more or less -- espresso specific.

Kids! Collect 'em all!

BDL

Mort, as much as I like Prima as an enterprise, the video is merely a quick overview.
I've not used the Mini E, but have used the regular mini. I believe the burr set was different.

We all know ho well built Mazzers are, and I'm sure current models are as well.
I can only say this Forte, from a build standpoint is solid, weighty for its size, and the electronics APPEAR to be a bit simpler than the Mazzer.
Those who know Baratza will note the Vario's characteristic of no waste, barely any grind trapped in the upper chute, no mess is carried over with the Forte.

I've done some grinding for vac pot and find the grind beautiful, no apparent heating of the grind, despite the rapidity of the grind, and no fines I could see with the nekkid eye.

The grind was fluffy, and mixed beautifully at the water up explosion. 3 minutes up, drop down, delicious coffee. In a taste comparison with the previous pot made afterwords, I'd say a slightly rounder, more full body, almost as much top end as the Preciso pot (but a wee bit more than my former Vario, as I can remember) and this varietal, in both grinders tasted like it should, just slightly different. (An Ethiopian Amaro Gayo roasted not quite city+, rested 3 days.) Impressive, especially for this ceramic burr version versus the very nice conical burr set in the Preciso. I love that grinder for Kalita.

I can't do taste comparisons as an espresso grinder as yet, as I'm wanting more time to try the Forte with both an Alex Duetto 2 and 3 and hopefully, sometime a Londinium L1 Commercial spring lever, located close to my domicile.

The Forte has the option of ceramic or steel burrs. The ceramic burrs make it essentially identical to a Vario, with better and stronger internals. That would be very good for espresso, and I'd personally take it over a Mazzer Mini for espresso, based on what I've seen of the Forte.

The steel burr option is suited for drip and similar brews. You can always get steel burrs later if you want to try it for pourover. Or as BDL says, collect them all.

boar_d_laze wrote:What are you going to use the grinder for?

The Forte does medium and coarse grinding and is not meant for espresso. The Mazzer Mini is -- more or less -- espresso specific.

Kids! Collect 'em all!

BDL

Rich, not quite correct. The Forte designed for espresso has CERAMIC FLAT BURRS like the Vario, whilst the Forte designed for drip and coarser grinding has a special set of METAL burrs.
2 different Fortes for 2 different uses, though, as I said I've had, so far excellent results at the drip setting, as I'd expect with the ceramic burr.
I'd also expect, at least as expressed by Baratza, that my results at a presspot grind would be better overall with the metal burred grinder.

coffeedom wrote:The Forte has the option of ceramic or steel burrs. The ceramic burrs make it essentially identical to a Vario, with better and stronger internals. That would be very good for espresso, and I'd personally take it over a Mazzer Mini for espresso, based on what I've seen of the Forte.

The steel burr option is suited for drip and similar brews. You can always get steel burrs later if you want to try it for pourover. Or as BDL says, collect them all.

Ah, late to the party again!

I really want to thank all for your input..really helpful indeed. Since espresso is my cup of tea...so to speak, I can't imagne going wrong with the Forte...time to get off the fence and hit the order button!!

I would give very strong consideration to the Mini E

I had a regular mini, and upgraded to a Vario. The mini is a tank, which you know it would operate as good as new for a long time (10+ years).

My vario is several years old, and it is far from perfect. I have had many issues, which Baratza has addressed for the most part. I do think the Vario is finicky, and requires more patience to operate. Would that translate into the Forte? hard to say.

I sold the mini to my cousin, and I borrowed back from her as I suspected something was going on with the Vario. At this time the mini is able to produce a better cup, so I have issues with the Vario.

It is also a risk to buy V1 of anything. Long term reliability/potential issues is up in the air. That won't be the case with any of the Mazzers.

I'm in the same conundrum as I'm considering a HG-ONE vs K10, and so far I'm leaning towards the K10 for the reasons stated above.

It is a tough choice for sure. Good Luck

Miami_AJ wrote:SNIPPED
I'm in the same conundrum as I'm considering a HG-ONE vs K10, and so far I'm leaning towards the K10 for the reasons stated above.

It is a tough choice for sure. Good Luck

AJ, those are VASTLY dissimilar grinders, one being a manual, the other electric. Both have conical burrs, but that's pretty much where it ends.

On the other hand, I'd say there are more similarities between the Forte and MiniE, though operationally, they do some of the same things quite differently.
As far as a "1st generation product", I'd almost say that the entire Vario history PREPARED Baratza for the birth of the Forte.
Also, Baratza's history of very fine CS should be including whilst deciding. The same for Mazzer's record of hardy construction. Sorry to confuse you further!

That said, as was mentioned, it IS a tough choice.
Perhaps, for peace of mind Mort, you might want to wait a few weeks, read some "reviews" from owners, and professionals, then decide.

Truthfully, Mort you really can't go wrong in this price range with either. I would maybe read some comments regarding the MiniE as well, so you can check out it's pluses and minuses.

Rob
My comment on 'I'm in the same conundrum as I'm considering a HG-ONE vs K10', was based on considering a new product vs one with a track record