Nice post, Dodger. The maths doesn't make sense, but the pleasure does!

I've never tried the Vario, so I can't comment, although I have read, more than once, that it is more or less in Super Jolly territory. If that it is the case it might be worth adding that I find there is a very noticeable difference in the cup between my Super Jolly and Nino for taste complexity, layering and sweetness as well as for mouthfeel, with the Nino being fuller, richer and more lush. The Nino is of course also much faster and fuss-free.

Dodger1 wrote:<image>
... I've found that if you judge everything by price alone; you're bound to live a very boring life.

This is Brilliant. My new mantra.

michaelbenis wrote:the Nino being fuller, richer and more lush.

See, that's crazy cause I have the Mazzer Mini and was thinking about upgrading from that to something in the $1500-$2500 price range and I hadn't even explored the idea of a Nino.

I think I will have to reevaluate the upper tier espresso grinders.

tekomino wrote:What is step-up in terms of better results in cup from Baratza Vario?

Seeing as the OP is concerned with better cup results I don't know that you're really going to get much better results. Sure, you can pay a lot, and I mean A LOT more for a grinder that will out last your grandchildren but the Vario is a damn fine grinder and in terms of results in the cup it's on par with the best. Different burrs sizes and setups (flat, conical) are pruported to change flavor profiles but that is just different, not neccissarily better.

Do you have a Vario? Are you feeling like you're missing something?

Long time passed. Vario is good, but is far from "damn fine grinder". It is fantastic value with good quality grind, but I would not characterize it as damn fine grinder. You should do some tasting yourself with big conical grinders before making statements of Vario being on par with the best. I did and its not.

Score: Dennis, 1; Nickolai, 0.

Seriously, the Baratza Vario -- aka the Mahlkönig VARIO Home within the EU, and not to be confused with the Mahlkönig K30 Vario (a "HORECA" grinder) -- is an excellent grinder for what it is, and "plays well above its weight class." That said, it is not "on par with the best" by any stretch of the imagination. All things being equal (i.e.: ignoring price), there are several grinders I would prefer to have, but am I about to give up my Baratza Vario? No, absolutely not.

Cheers,
Jason

tekomino wrote:I would not characterize it as damn fine grinder

All things considered, I disagree. But that's what opinions are all about right?

zin1953 wrote:That said, it is not "on par with the best" by any stretch of the imagination.

I did qualify that comment with "in terms of results in the cup". Obviously when price and size is removed the Vario is less desirable than the titans.

Jason = 0 on spelling my name.

Николай, прости меня, пожалуйста. Я знаю лучше, чем это.

You are forgiven...this time.