ID'ing a Ditting grinder

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CoffeeMan9000
Posts: 76
Joined: 11 years ago

#1: Post by CoffeeMan9000 »

Hello All,

I am wondering if I can get help with the identity of this grinder.

Is it of the type that is appropriate for espresso?

Thanks

John


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TomC
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#2: Post by TomC »

That's an old KFA 903. They're meant to be batch grinders. New burrs, tons of patience and a lot of work and you can probably use it for espresso, but it's not designed for espresso.
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CoffeeMan9000 (original poster)
Posts: 76
Joined: 11 years ago

#3: Post by CoffeeMan9000 (original poster) »

Thanks, Tom.

As my wife would tell you, patience is not my strong suit.

How much patience, relatively speaking, does it take to get a Bunnzilla making espresso that can soundly beat a Vario?

John

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JohnB.
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#4: Post by JohnB. »

The Bunnzilla's strong point is grinding for brewing, not espresso. It has a very narrow espresso grind range & certainly isn't your best option.
LMWDP 267

CoffeeMan9000 (original poster)
Posts: 76
Joined: 11 years ago

#5: Post by CoffeeMan9000 (original poster) »

Thanks, John.

I got on the commercial track based on the K-43 excitement, and then the Ditting 1203.

It seems the Vario is very hard to beat, value-wise.

John

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nickw
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#6: Post by nickw »

Replace the burrs if needed, then try it and see if you like it. It will take some practice.

Using an Ek43, I find the lower pressure of my L1 is much easier to pull a shot with, compared to my Strega with higher pressure.

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TomC
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#7: Post by TomC »

CoffeeMan9000 wrote:Thanks, Tom.

As my wife would tell you, patience is not my strong suit.

How much patience, relatively speaking, does it take to get a Bunnzilla making espresso that can soundly beat a Vario?

John

More than I'm willing to employ. Then again, I've probably owned 20 commercial grinders to play with. The design of the 903 will leave you with high retention, messy output and you'd have to grind into a separate receptacle and re-dose/weigh for proper measurements. I personally wouldn't bother, there are easier ways to get the job done. Big flats like this ride a razors edge in grind setting and dose when it comes to espresso. And if the grinder's bearings are worn, (it was built in the 70's and 80's and is likely well worn) you're not going to have perfectly parallel burrs.
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