Hello all:

I've been using a mazzer mini for AGES, and I'm convinced it's the weakest link in my set up. I have a probatino roaster and a synesso espresso machine in my home kitchen. Although the mini has been a great grinder, it was the only piece I haven't upgraded.

Can anyone make any suggestions? I've been considering the mazzer robur doserless. Is that the most solid choice?

Here is a link to my current set up:

Post a pic of your home espresso setup...

P.S. I know this is all overkill for my home, but this machine / grinder combo may end up in a small cafe that I would be opening in the future.

Thanks!

With all due respect, you really need to utilize the search engine - you'll find plenty of info on what to consider in a grinder and plenty of first-hand experience and pros/cons of each. The Robur is definitely far from the best choice for your needs.

Thanks for the quick reply! I will continue my search. Just hearing the Mazzer Robur may not be my best choice sends me in a different direction, especially considering the price.

Thanks again.

I disagree. If you have a Synesso, you need a Robur! I remember your kitchen from that thread a few years ago and even have it bookmarked to show other people awesome setups.

If not a Robur, definitely get one of the titans. Robur (E), Compak K10, Versalab, etc.
If I were doing it all over again, I think I would get the "Competition" robur doser from Espressoparts. It's a doser'ed robur with a timer already installed among other smaller modifications. http://www.espressoparts.com/MAZZER_ROBUR_COMP

Great setup! I really like that Probatino...

I think that if you don't mind single dosing get a doserd Robur or a K10 pro barista.

Single dosing has many advantages for home use because you can switch coffees easily and there is no waste.

For a doserless grinder I think the Elektra nino will fit nicely in your setup (and in your lovely kitchen) and it should have relatively smaller retention than the k10 fresh for example.

Kfir.

P.S: nothing is an overkill if it makes you happy, enjoy because life is short...

Definitely get a Versalab. Best grinder that I have owned.
Rob

Definitely a Titan, even if not a Robur. Even a Titan flat, like a Mazzer Major or Anfim Super Camiano.

Despite my recent frustration with the Compak K10, MANY others are just thrilled with it as a grinder. Even in my current situation, Id still suggest it to someone.

Doser or doserless is purely based on how you use the grinder. Whether you single dose, or keep some beans in the hopper. Having a timer is only beneficial if you keep beans in the hopper. There are exceptions, but generally, single dose=doser, hopper=doserless. Quite ironically, seeing as how a doser was originally designed with the idea of filling it completely with ground coffee.

Wow - thanks for the suggestions, and thanks for the compliments on my set up! This is why I asked the original question. I knew the top grinders would be presented.

I must admit I never heard of the Versalab... but I think I love it! It's a very unusual looking grinder, which I love. More importantly, it seems like it may be a top choice. I've read some early reviews that scare me a bit (beans flying out, wobbly bearing, loose belts, messy grinds)... but I'm hoping those issues are straightened out by now.

Does anyone still think the Versalab is a bad choice?

Thanks again everyone!

Here is a recent enough thread to give you answers to recent performance of the Versalab.

Recent Versalab M3 performance

The OP in the thread did opt for a K10 if my memory serves, but the Versalab can be a great grinder. I borrowed a friends recently and loved it. I also love my K10.

Pretty much every grinder can have a problem. I have a friend who had a robur that had issues when he got it and had to be returned, but he loves the replacement he got. We have a current thread about a K10 having issues (mentioned above), and obviously some people have had issues wiht Versalabs.

It would be nice to have much better data about which grinders tend to have problems and which ones don't and which ones might start out working and then develop problems (I think the dosered K10 and Robur, for example, will last forever if they aren't defective from the start, but that is just a hunch based on message board posts).

In any event, my perspective is that if you are paying more than 1k for a grinder for home use it will probably be an excellent choice and serve you well and the differences will be more in the nuance category than the dramatic category.

Oh, and yes, all of the Titan grinders from Mazzer, Macap, Compak, and the Versalab should be a major step up from the Mazzer Mini (which is a good grinder itself, but not in their class).

I have a Synesso, albeit only a one group!

It is paired happily with two grinders: an HG One and a Mazzer Kony-E. With an espresso machine this good, you can actually perceive the differences among the different classes of grinders quite easily, provides that your coffee quality and skills are up to the task. Seeing your kitchen, you can clearly afford any grinder you want, if you can justify the expense. It will be the consensus of most here that you should go with a "Titan" conical grinder, and I concur with this opinion. There are other options, such as the Mazzer Major or Versalab that will be excellent, and provide a good but different profile, but the large conicals provide the flavor profile that most high-end shops, roasters, and HB power-users prefer.

It is of utmost importance that you consider how you intend to use the grinder. If you want to use the same coffee a lot, or entertain large numbers of people at a time who consume espresso, then you need one of the big motorized conicals. They are all good. Pick one. The Kony-E is great, and it is the smallest of them. They will all taste the same, when broken-in. The same will be true of the Titan hand grinders, Pharos and HG One. They are well-suited to single dosing, and to frequently changing grind and coffee type with essentially no coffee waste. They are slower to grind, and sometimes require additional techniques, such as RDT or WDT, or dosing into a cup and transferring grinds to basket to obtain perfect distribution -- a feat which all the motorized counterparts accomplish pretty much effortlessly "out of the chute."

On the other hand, different gyrations are required to single-dose the big motorized grinders. You can peruse the HG One threads for some rather heated discussion about the appropriateness of single-dosing the big motorized conical grinders. It has been exhaustively demonstrated that this is possible and predictable, with excellent results, and relatively little coffee waste. It requires modifications to the grinder, which defeat its manufacturer-intended usage as a hoppered grinder, and bump/grind/sweep maneuvers, which take some time and effort as well. Each person must decide which style of single-dosing is best for him/her, and indeed, whether single-dosing is desired at all.

I prefer the HG One for single-dosing, and the Kony-E for larger scaled events. I have not touched the Kony since I purchased the HG One, as I have had no parties, company, marathon shot-pulls for beer making, etc. in the time since I purchased the HG One. I have no intention of parting with either grinder, and in your position, I would strongly consider both types of grinder.

-Mike