The drip/siphon/cupping grinder from Japan arrived at the house today. Briefly, this grinder was known for producing less fines. It is often used at siphon competition and sometimes compared to another Kalita grinder, although the Kalita appears to be of larger dimension.

I used some stale beans for some weight measurement: 12g in, 11.8g out. I sifted the ground and got 11.2g left.

I also used the Versalab for comparison: 12g in, 11.9g out. 10.4g left after sifting.

Since it is late already, perhaps tomorrow I'll use beans intended for the Roast Competition.

Looks like a KA Proline.

Thank you for this information Henry.

How much is this grinder? Where can it be purchased? It does look like a Kitchen aid but it looks a lot smaller.

I need a Press and filter only grinder for the office. I have started bringing fresh roasted coffee at work and giving it out. But I have to grind home before I leave. Nonetheless they rave about it and are almost hooked. The next step of the assimilation program is the fresh ground coffee... Once they're firmly hooked I'll start offering my roasts. No intention of making money, just roasting more to learn and experience more coffee.

Yes, resistance is futile once people have tried fresh and properly roasted coffee.

Fuji grinders have been around since the 1950's, predating the Kitchen Aid Proline. The Fuji Royal burrs are mounted vertically, with auger and grinding pattern similar to Grindmaster.

The grinder can be obtained directly from the manufacturer, but at list price. Amazon.jp or rakuten has it at much better price, around JPY30000.

http://www.amazon.co.jp/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_...+royal+220

Most amazon.jp and rakuten items have to be shiped by EMS by a forwarding service like tenso. Generally, from acceptance at tenso to the US, the shipping time is about one week.
http://www.tenso.com/en/

Here are some initial experience with this grinder.

The grinder retains very little coffee, and can be used to grind single non-espresso shot. The grinder however spews ground coffee everywhere if not careful. The accompanied container solves this problem, but the container is made of plastic, and can be tedious to brush the ground coffee out. The coffee can be ground directly into a cone or the Abid Dripper.

It may come as a surprise, but when I compared the Hario Skerton, Versalab, and Fuji, the dry aroma is most intense with the lowly Skerton. This is verified unscientifically, but blindly, with the wife. Taste-wise, the Fuji tastes "clean", with little, if any bitterness, but can be boring. The Versalab is marred by excessive bitterness. The Skerton actually tastes the most balanced.

This grinder is one of the few grinders that is marketed as a non-espresso grinder, yet durable enough to be used in Japanese market as a light cafe commercial grinder. It operates on 100V/50-60Hz, therefore for long term use, a step down converter will be necessary. The smaller size compares favorably to a commercial Bunn grinder on kitchen counter. This way I don't have to place the grinder in the garage.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! What brew method did you use for the taste comparison?
Any chance of a burr pic?
Cheers.

These are the burr pictures with residual coffee after weekly usage. The burrs measure about 67mm in diameter.





PS: Although this forum is about coffee, I feel compelled to express my condolences to the Japanese people due to the recent natural disaster.

Those look a lot like the Grindmaster bulk grinder burrs.

r-220 is a cool grinder~ i would like to have one. i am trying to let one of my friend bring it back from japan~
I hope this could cost much less.
i would like to hear more about the grinder.~

Nice DOF on that lens too!