Hi all,

I'm opening a cafe soon, and I'm having trouble finding a grinder that has all the features I'm looking for. I want a larger conical grinder with a doser and a timer. The timer could be digital, or an analog dial like the one on the original Anfim Caimano (see description here). Additional features that I'd love to have include a fan and an auger, but I could probably live without them. Thus far, the only grinder I've found that gives me even the basics I'm looking for is an aftermarket modded Robur from Espressoparts which is unfortunately a little costly for me, especially when compared to the cost of an unmodded Robur (I sadly missed the sale on these models over the summer by just a few days -- I would have happily paid the sale price.)

I've considered purchasing something like the Compak K10 WBC and plugging it into an external timer. Can someone here can speak to the suitability of these timers in a commercial environment? Do they take up a lot of space? Are they durable enough to handle contact with some grinds or moisture occasionally? Anyone here run such a setup in their shop? As noted, I'd also be content with a non-digital timer, if anyone has any info on hacking such a mod into an existing grinder, or if someone knows of a conical with doser that comes with such a feature.

Thanks to all in advance for their input!

Commercial darkroom timers are designed for a duty cycle similar to what your grinder will see. Gralab is a good make. Since you can control them with a foot switch (~$40), you can wall-mount yours where it won't be subject to spills or impact; it won't even get very dirty since your employees won't get their clever little paws on it except when changing times to control dose.

Gralab 450 and 451 are among your best choices. I use a 450 (at home), for my LaCimbali and it does everything it should. I've never run a coffee shop, but wouldn't have any hesitation using it in a commercial kitchen -- as long as I could keep it clean, dry and out of the way.

Comparatively, the 451 is something like two 450s controlled by the same clock, and more timer than you need. But Adorama currently has the 451s on sale for less than the 450s; and while the extra hookups and capacities won't get used, they won't hurt anything either.

Adorama seems to have the best online prices for new Gralabs. The 450 is $200, and the 451 is $180.

BDL

As with all recommendations here for using non-NSF equipment in a commercial setting, check with your local health department as to whether they will have any problems with a darkroom timer or will require it to be placed in a food-free area.

My old Waring timer was designed for commercial kitchens and was completely washable. It worked great with my Cimbali Max Hybrid. Unfortunately its 1-second increments would be too long for a high-end commercial grinder.

My findings...Conical burr grinders tend to grind too fast to obtain accuracy in dose when using a timer (even when using a timer that measure to 100th of a second) this is because of the variance in 'purge' time. An occasional 'hard' bean in the start (speed up) or finish (slow down) phase (or worse both) can cause variances of in excess of 3g. Better to use a quality flat burr grinder with a timer.