cafeIKE wrote:At one time no argument, however stopping all conversation in the dining room while I grind coffee in the kitchen, 18 feet away through a door, constitutes TOO LOUD.

Of course one could keep a grinder for entertaining or grind a couple of hours before need

Same for me, the Max used to be a conversation stopper for me. On weekdays, I tend to make coffee between 6pm and 11pm. Usually the timer on my machine kicks in at 5pm and when I get home an hour later, I make a coffee. Given the layout of my apartment and the proximity of my setup, it tends to affect others. It is only a couple of minutes, but I would either have to wait for ad breaks during the news or whilst no one was watching tv. I do like to have coffee late at night, so having a quieter grinder was helpful in that it wasn't as noisy when I came to pull shots at those times.

Grinding doesn't take long at all, but I just seem to want to pull shots at the wrong time for others in my household. With the Mazzer, it isn't a conversation stopper, and my flatmates don't tend to notice me anymore when I make coffees which is good.

Yann

Thanks Yann.

How would you rate/describe the taste difference between the Max and the Kony, if you do not mind?

I'd recommend you consider the Elektra Nino. Sweeter taste profile than the Kony, less grind retention and no clumping or static issues from a doserless solution.

if you can taste before you buy, so much the better. I wouldn't take it for granted that you will prefer the flavour profile of a big conical over a big flat burr. It depends as much as anything else on the type of beans and roasts you prefer. If you favour the complex, bright SO beans that are currently fashionable in gourmet circles, then a conical could be just the ticket. If you like big, deep, rich creamy beans, then you could well prefer a flat burr such as a Major or Super Caimano.

Thanks Mike.

The Elektra Nino is WAY too big for my kitchen. It looks great. Sorta art-deco-retro-techno. But it is just too large for the current kitchen...

Mazzer Kony: 16.5" deep x 9.5" wide x 25.5" high (420mm deep x 240mm wide x 650mm high)

Elektra Nino: 17.75" deep x 11.5" wide 27.0" high (450mm deep x 290mm wide x 690mm high)

Sometimes an extra inch or two makes all the difference . . .

The height is not really a concern to me, but both the width (most imoportant) and the length are. I am not starting with the Kony. I was starting with the La Cimbali Max (less than 7" wide). The Kony is the most "extreme" size that I could live with. And as I write this, I am not sure that my wife would even let me go that big.