www.wholelattelove.com: our caffeinated commitment to you

Mazzer Super Jolly, Macap Conical MXKR, Cimbali Max Hybrid: Which is better for drip?

Grinders are one of the keys to exceptional espresso. Discuss them here.

Link to "Mazzer Super Jolly, Macap Conical MXKR, Cimbali Max Hybrid: Which is better for drip?"by Cafesp on Thu May 01, 2008 10:15 pm

Any HB can share your thought ? :roll:

I have only a little more than 24 hrs to get one! the special edition HB3 one. :lol:

Cafesp
Love in the air, Taste it!
Cafesp
 
Posts: 61
Joined: Dec 09, 2007
Location: Disney Land, California

Link to "Mazzer Super Jolly, Macap Conical MXKR, Cimbali Max Hybrid: Which is better for drip?"by HB on Thu May 01, 2008 10:22 pm

Do you mean drip coffee only? Or switching between widely different grind settings? If the latter, the Super Jolly is the clear winner since the other two have worm drive adjustments. The MXKR is a possibility if you're willing to modify it slightly. The turning mechanism can "swivel" back out of the way temporarily to allow the adjustment collar to move freely.
Dan Kehn
User avatar
HB
 
Posts: 6821
Joined: Apr 29, 2005
Location: Cary, NC
www.espressoparts.com: espresso machines, grinders, brewing equipment & parts
www.espressoparts.com: espresso machines, grinders, brewing equipment & parts

Link to "Mazzer Super Jolly, Macap Conical MXKR, Cimbali Max Hybrid: Which is better for drip?"by Cafesp on Thu May 01, 2008 10:30 pm

Thanks Dan for lightning fast to reply :D

Which one of them is best for dripping ONLY !
I think I'd like to keep my CMH for Espresso ONLY over Versalab, MXKR and SJ ( but open for ADVICE 8) )

Cafesp
Love in the air, Taste it!
Cafesp
 
Posts: 61
Joined: Dec 09, 2007
Location: Disney Land, California

Link to "Mazzer Super Jolly, Macap Conical MXKR, Cimbali Max Hybrid: Which is better for drip?"by HB on Thu May 01, 2008 10:45 pm

Sorry, I have no idea which is best for drip coffee since they're designed with espresso in mind. If I was shopping for a dedicated drip grinder of similar caliber, I would choose a doserless Rocky Rancilio. It has good solid construction and is easy to adjust. Depending on the humidity in your area, static can be a problem for Rocky, but it's manageable.
Dan Kehn
User avatar
HB
 
Posts: 6821
Joined: Apr 29, 2005
Location: Cary, NC

Link to "Mazzer Super Jolly, Macap Conical MXKR, Cimbali Max Hybrid: Which is better for drip?"by cannonfodder on Fri May 02, 2008 11:05 am

I have a Cimbali Jr (flat burr) and Cimbali Max (conical hybrid) for espresso. I do 'think' I notice a difference between the two grinders even for drip coffee. The difference in espresso is even more pronounced but changing from one to the other on a micro adjustable grinder is a pain. So I have one for each brew method.
Dave Stephens
User avatar
cannonfodder
 
Posts: 3682
Joined: May 23, 2005
Location: Dayton, Oh

Link to "Mazzer Super Jolly, Macap Conical MXKR, Cimbali Max Hybrid: Which is better for drip?"by Cafesp on Sat May 03, 2008 8:10 pm

Each grinder type has its own grind particles. I don't know among them, ( SJ flat burr, MXKR conical, CMH mix conical&flat ), which one produces the coffee grind particles best suits for drip brew method ?

I used my CMH for drip coffee while waiting for the S1 VII delivery, and were stunned by its taste. After dialing CMH to grind for espresso, I like it more and use Versalab grinder just for the after midnight decaf espresso.

Still looking for drip coffee grinder, :roll: or might crazy upgrade to Mazzer Robur :shock: for espresso grind and save CMH for drip :roll:

Cafesp
Love in the air, Taste it!
Cafesp
 
Posts: 61
Joined: Dec 09, 2007
Location: Disney Land, California

Link to "Mazzer Super Jolly, Macap Conical MXKR, Cimbali Max Hybrid: Which is better for drip?"by another_jim on Sat May 03, 2008 10:15 pm

Espresso grinders are designed to produce fines, and thereby do worse for brewed coffees than grinders designed specifically to produce no or few fines like the large Ditting or Mahlkoenig grinders. I would think even a grinder designed for supermarkets, like the Bunn, which are easy to find on Ebay, and for which burr replacement is inexpensive, would do better for drip or any steeping method.
User avatar
another_jim
 
Posts: 1996
Joined: May 05, 2005
Location: Chicago

Link to "Mazzer Super Jolly, Macap Conical MXKR, Cimbali Max Hybrid: Which is better for drip?"by IMAWriter on Sun May 04, 2008 4:40 pm

HB wrote:Sorry, I have no idea which is best for drip coffee since they're designed with espresso in mind. If I was shopping for a dedicated drip grinder of similar caliber, I would choose a doserless Rocky Rancilio. It has good solid construction and is easy to adjust. Depending on the humidity in your area, static can be a problem for Rocky, but it's manageable.

Dan...have to agree totally with you on this....
I owned a Rocky DL for a year....multi-purpose...It did an awesome job on vac and press pot..as well as drip...the press pot grind was even better than on my pristine SJ. I now use a Solis Maestro for all but espresso...serves my needs.Another reason the Rocky would also be a great choice for the OP as it would serve as an alt espresso grinder in the (un) likely event the Cimbali fails.
User avatar
IMAWriter
 
Posts: 318
Joined: May 09, 2005
Location: Brentwood, TN

Link to "Mazzer Super Jolly, Macap Conical MXKR, Cimbali Max Hybrid: Which is better for drip?"by Cafesp on Sun May 04, 2008 6:17 pm

Correct me if I'm wrong! Andys has Mazzer for espresso and his M3 for french press! ? :roll:
If that the case, I wonder which one should I go ( Versalab or Rocky )

Cafesp
Love in the air, Taste it!
Cafesp
 
Posts: 61
Joined: Dec 09, 2007
Location: Disney Land, California

Link to "Mazzer Super Jolly, Macap Conical MXKR, Cimbali Max Hybrid: Which is better for drip?"by IMAWriter on Sun May 04, 2008 7:19 pm

Cafesp wrote:Correct me if I'm wrong! Andys has Mazzer for espresso and his M3 for french press! ? :roll:
If that the case, I wonder which one should I go ( Versalab or Rocky )

Cafesp

This has to be a joke?
User avatar
IMAWriter
 
Posts: 318
Joined: May 09, 2005
Location: Brentwood, TN

Link to "Mazzer Super Jolly, Macap Conical MXKR, Cimbali Max Hybrid: Which is better for drip?"by Cafesp on Sun May 04, 2008 7:34 pm

IMAWriter wrote:This has to be a joke?


:lol: I'm missing the key word " ROBUR "

Cafesp :lol:
Love in the air, Taste it!
Cafesp
 
Posts: 61
Joined: Dec 09, 2007
Location: Disney Land, California

Link to "Mazzer Super Jolly, Macap Conical MXKR, Cimbali Max Hybrid: Which is better for drip?"by scalla on Mon May 12, 2008 11:34 pm

IMAWriter wrote:Dan...have to agree totally with you on this....
I owned a Rocky DL for a year....multi-purpose...It did an awesome job on vac and press pot..as well as drip...the press pot grind was even better than on my pristine SJ. I now use a Solis Maestro for all but espresso...serves my needs.Another reason the Rocky would also be a great choice for the OP as it would serve as an alt espresso grinder in the (un) likely event the Cimbali fails.


I'm looking make my Mini E for espresso only and had come to this same conclusion. Curious as to why you now use a Maestro? How does it compare to the Rocky?
scalla
 
Posts: 10
Joined: Mar 23, 2008
Location: Tucson Az

Link to "Mazzer Super Jolly, Macap Conical MXKR, Cimbali Max Hybrid: Which is better for drip?"by IMAWriter on Tue May 13, 2008 12:34 am

scalla wrote:I'm looking make my Mini E for espresso only and had come to this same conclusion. Curious as to why you now use a Maestro? How does it compare to the Rocky?

Not in the same league (as an espresso grinder). But as I have had no stalls with my vac pots, and my Chemex pots taste great (I don't do French Press), I'd say it's more than adequate for my purposes. This is not to say my vac pot brew might not be slightly sweeter using my SJ, or your Rocky...but again, I'm satisfied with what I'm getting. The Maestro IS a rotary burr grinder (small burrs, to be sure), but the grind appears pretty dust and chunk free.



Edit....again, I must say, I find the subject (title) of this thread to be most silly, :roll: but I always endeavor to respond to a legitimate post.
User avatar
IMAWriter
 
Posts: 318
Joined: May 09, 2005
Location: Brentwood, TN

Link to "Mazzer Super Jolly, Macap Conical MXKR, Cimbali Max Hybrid: Which is better for drip?"by CafSuperCharged on Tue May 13, 2008 2:08 am

Guys, please read Jim Schulman's (another_jim) input and take it seriously.

another_jim wrote:Espresso grinders are designed to produce fines, and thereby do worse for brewed coffees than grinders designed specifically to produce no or few fines like the large Ditting or Mahlkoenig grinders. I would think even a grinder designed for supermarkets, like the Bunn [...] would do better for drip or any steeping method.


If that is not enough, read the Titan Grinder threads (the Bench) on analysis of particle distribution, shape, etc. and the relation to taste.

As to Jim's remark "or any steeping method", I am not sure about Turkish coffee the grind of which is finer than espresso. It might require a Mahlkoenig type of burr with the ability to go fine enough yet without the espresso grinder particle distribution with two bumps (at two different sizes), which would confirm what he says.
Question is if this can be reversed and espresso grinders must be considered unsuitable for any extraction other than espresso?

Regards
Peter
CafSuperCharged
 
Posts: 138
Joined: Dec 22, 2007
Location: Netherlands, Europe

Link to "Mazzer Super Jolly, Macap Conical MXKR, Cimbali Max Hybrid: Which is better for drip?"by IMAWriter on Tue May 13, 2008 9:40 am

CafSuperCharged wrote:Guys, please read Jim Schulman's (another_jim) input and take it seriously.

Regards
Peter

WHY?
Just because Mr. Schulman was polite enough to respond does not make this topic any less silly.
The OP has 3 super expensive espresso grinders, and can't get decide which makes the best DRIP coffee :lol:
Come on, folks. He further states he uses the Versalab for "after midnight decaf"? :roll:
Uh, I'll be most happy to take that horrible Versalab off his hands. Decaf indeed.
User avatar
IMAWriter
 
Posts: 318
Joined: May 09, 2005
Location: Brentwood, TN
www.eccocaffe.com: custom coffee roasted in Northern Italian style
www.eccocaffe.com: custom coffee roasted in Northern Italian style

Link to "Mazzer Super Jolly, Macap Conical MXKR, Cimbali Max Hybrid: Which is better for drip?"by another_jim on Tue May 13, 2008 1:11 pm

CafSuperCharged wrote:If that is not enough, read the Titan Grinder threads (the Bench) on analysis of particle distribution, shape, etc. and the relation to taste.

As to Jim's remark "or any steeping method", I am not sure about Turkish coffee the grind of which is finer than espresso. It might require a Mahlkoenig type of burr with the ability to go fine enough yet without the espresso grinder particle distribution with two bumps (at two different sizes), which would confirm what he says.


My experience trying to use a Mahlkoenig, which produces no fines, for espresso, is what really drove this home. For my first shot, I set the grind for espresso fineness (discernible graininess between the fingers, but powder appearance). I got the correct 6 to 7 second dwell time, but then came a gush that was pretty well indistinguishable from having no puck at all (except it formed a cone in the bottomless). I kept making the grind finer. By the time it hit Turkish, I got a flow rate appropriate to espresso; but I had to wait over a minute for the first drop to appear. None of these shots tasted like espresso, just like strong coffee; the espresso mouthfeel was entirely absent.

In short, the story I learnt on alt.coffee, that the better the grinder, the fewer the fines, is wrong for espresso: there is no espresso without fines. However, it is true for brewing coffee. For both styles, big burrs are almost always better than small ones, probably because the particle distribution can be more precisely engineered. But the burr design for brewing grinders is different than for espresso ones; the espresso grinders have a solid ring at the outer/lower diameter to create fines, while brewing grinders have burr channels cut all the way through to the outer/lower rim. On espresso grinders, I call this the "fines-ring."

With small burr grinders, this differentiation into grinder types is either less or absent, since the burrs will produce some fines no matter what. However even here there are differences: the trespade burrs on the Lux, Innova, Lelit, etc etc have a fines ring, and are clearly designed as espresso only grinders. The Capresso Infinity or Solis grinders, along with all hand powered grinders, have burrs cut all the way through, and are clearly more suitable for brewing. Very oddly, the original Solis Virtuoso, their "Rocky-killer," had a fines ring; but they removed it in subsequent production and thereby improved the taste, even for espresso. I guess the soft mounted burrs don't need a ring to produce the right amount of fines.
User avatar
another_jim
 
Posts: 1996
Joined: May 05, 2005
Location: Chicago

Link to "Mazzer Super Jolly, Macap Conical MXKR, Cimbali Max Hybrid: Which is better for drip?"by CafSuperCharged on Tue May 13, 2008 1:43 pm

IMAWriter wrote:[...] this topic [...] silly.

I see the fun in your view, and probably would have been a writer too if I had picked this up faster.
You made me look a bit further and I noticed the OP's location: Disney Land.
This reminds me of an American visitor of this location to his son: "look son, you see? It's all real! It's all real! It's all real Disney!"

Regards
Peter
CafSuperCharged
 
Posts: 138
Joined: Dec 22, 2007
Location: Netherlands, Europe

Link to "Mazzer Super Jolly, Macap Conical MXKR, Cimbali Max Hybrid: Which is better for drip?"by CafSuperCharged on Tue May 13, 2008 1:57 pm

another_jim wrote:My experience trying to use a Mahlkoenig, which produces no fines, for espresso, is what really drove this home. For my first shot, I set the grind for espresso fineness (discernible graininess between the fingers, but powder appearance). I got the correct 6 to 7 second dwell time, but then came a gush that was pretty well indistinguishable from having no puck at all (except it formed a cone in the bottomless). I kept making the grind finer. By the time it hit Turkish, I got a flow rate appropriate to espresso; but I had to wait over a minute for the first drop to appear. None of these shots tasted like espresso, just like strong coffee; the espresso mouthfeel was entirely absent.

I checked Teemu Pihlatie's blog Espresso Passione as I seemed to remember he had tried the Mahlkoenig (German for grind king). Recently the passione has cooled a bit on his side, but the site is still up and I found it. Aside from the K30 IMNSHO being a design misfit (tacky art deco) with the techy La Marzocco GS/3 he uses:
Teme's Espresso Passione wrote:[...] Yes, I am still very happy indeed with the K30 - more so than with any of my previous grinders.

I do note that I use the naked PF less than I did with the conical grinders that I had because the K30 is less forgiving than they were. The shots also tend to go blonde earlier than with the conicals.

Nevertheless, once you get the dose and grind dialed in, it is good. Very good. Definitely better than the Rocky, MiniE or even the Casadio that I owned. The Compak was better in terms of the taste but a lot less user friendly. So I am happy. Others who have done comparisons between these grinders may disagree (I know that the casadio is popular in Germany), but I am happy with my choice.


Which makes me wonder, professore Schulman, caffè esp. h.c., if you refer to another model, maybe, or Teemu was in an euphoric pride of ownership state of denial when he wrote this.

Regards
Peter
CafSuperCharged
 
Posts: 138
Joined: Dec 22, 2007
Location: Netherlands, Europe

Link to "Mazzer Super Jolly, Macap Conical MXKR, Cimbali Max Hybrid: Which is better for drip?"by Cafesp on Tue May 13, 2008 11:17 pm

IMAWriter wrote:
...Edit....again, I must say, I find the subject (title) of this thread to be most silly, :roll: but I always endeavor to respond to a legitimate post.


Relax :lol: Enjoy :D
It's a drink and it's only a drink !
Still looking for a GOOD grinder for Drip ( Cause I'm not only entertain myself but believing in sharing good coffee if I could and...still.. trying my best.)

How's about Ditting supermarket grinder model ? Good for drip ? Overkilled for home used ?
Thanks all for your input

Cafesp
Love in the air, Taste it!
Cafesp
 
Posts: 61
Joined: Dec 09, 2007
Location: Disney Land, California

Link to "Mazzer Super Jolly, Macap Conical MXKR, Cimbali Max Hybrid: Which is better for drip?"by another_jim on Wed May 14, 2008 1:47 am

CafSuperCharged wrote:Which makes me wonder, professore Schulman, caffè esp. h.c., if you refer to another model, maybe, or Teemu was in an euphoric pride of ownership state of denial when he wrote this.


The K30 (Ditting KE640) is an espresso grinder with a standard (for espresso) 64mm flat burr. I was using the Guatemala (Ditting KE804), a 130mm or so flat burr grinder. They aren't even in the same zip code in terms of size or capacity (500 kilos for the K30, 5000 for the Guatemala, and burrs that can be reconditioned). If you are spending big bucks for a brewing grinder, it's pretty nuts to buy one designed for espresso, when these brew grinder monsters are roughly the same price.
User avatar
another_jim
 
Posts: 1996
Joined: May 05, 2005
Location: Chicago

Next

Return to Espresso Grinders