Mazzer Super Jolly (2-liter bottle) doserless modification

[TimEggers]

Edited 3-11-07: Please note that I have replaced the original post with this the latest version of the mod. The prototype used a green plastic bottle. Enjoy!

Preface

I was sipping on the last of the Mountain Dew in a bottle and all of a sudden something felt familiar in my hands. It was from when I removed the doser off my new-to-me Super Jolly! Ding a light bulb went off. Preferring doserless I had an idea, but would it work?



It's a perfect fit and best of all I have the basic doserless functionality of a Mazzer Mini-E (minus the timed dosing system) and larger burrs at a fraction of the cost (gotta love ebay finds). The bottle works beautifully to break up any clumps. My first shots (using the WDT without a funnel of any type) extracted beautifully even.

Who will this help most?

This will be the most useful to those who A) prefer doserless B) already use the WDT and C) grind on a per shot basis. Although distribution isn't too bad with this setup it isn't the most perfect and the WDT will make this foolproof. As well as those who hate having to clean a doser and those who don't mind holding the handle there while grinding into it.

Who will this NOT help most?

People who prefer a doser (obviously) and those who don't like to take the time to use the WDT. This set-up is very similar to using a doserless Rancilio Rocky and if that bothers you, this setup may not appeal to you. Those who may not like the look of a cheap plastic bottle bolted to an expensive piece of coffee equipment. But hey it's about function right?

Pros:

- Cheap
- Easily removed allowing grinder to be completely reverted to its stock configuration if you so choose
- Easy to make, no special tools needed (I used a knife to cut the bottle end off/chute opening, ball point pen or nail to poke the screw holes, one short Philips head screwdriver and regular flat blade screwdriver, clean dry 2-liter bottle with label and adhesive removed and Goo Gone to remove the adhesive left on the bottle from the label)
- No real fuctional need to fashion a backing plate unless you'd prefer the look of one (bottle seals completely around the chute opening)
- Doesn't look too bad
- Simple doserless set-up that works beautifully!
- 99% of grounds drop into basket (a few taps with your chute brush will knock all grounds down into basket)
- Super clean counter tops (wife will love this feature)
- I haven't noticed any static problems when espresso grinding; terrible static when grinding a lot of coffee for drip (see comments below)
- Stock doser lid fits well to complete "the look"
- Easy access to exit chute for brushing between shots

Cons:

- Ok so maybe a little tacky looking (but if you can use a yogurt cup, you can use a 2-liter bottle!)
- If grinding into portafilter handle (as in not just the basket as I do) the bottle opening may be a little off center of the basket, making distribution less than ideal. But with just the basket (my preferred method) this set-up works well
- Portafilter holding fork becomes unuseable for a spouted portafilter (bottomless handles work great)
- Since the bottle causes the doser lid to sit a little higher it may interfere with the adjusting knob if you commonly go from an espresso grind to say a press or drip (for espresso tweaking the knob can simply be moved to a different hole if desired)
- Distribution is affected by how fast the coffee exits the chute. Can potentially fill basket off center or unevenly (WDT eliminates this)

How to build it:

Step 1: Remove the doser


I removed the doser by backing out the two flat heat screws on the bottom with my blade screwdriver. I also removed the two Philips head screws on either side of the exit chute with my short (stubby) Philips screwdriver (keep these, we'll be using them to hold the bottle on).

Step 2: Trim of the bottom of the bottle


I left the label on as a guide. It's vital to cut the bottom off level so that the doser's lid will sit level on top of the bottle! Once done remove the label and then the label adhesive with Goo Gone. Also it goes without saying be sure the bottle is completely clean and dry.

Step 3: Fitting the bottle


Make sure the bottle is level, up against the grinder wall and you have good clearance from the bottle opening to the holding fork. I like a few inches clearance. Too much and grounds may miss the basket where too little will leave you little room to work. Put it where you like although I have noticed that an optimum height is where I have it. When it was lower the grounds filled the basket very unevenly (towards the back). Once level and in place poke the holes for the screws (do one then double check placement before doing the other one).

The optimum placement:


Step 4: Opening for the Exit (Chute)


Using a marker trace the opening needed for the exit chute. Remove the bottle and using a knife cut the opening out being sure to allow plenty of room for the grounds to escape:



Reattach bottle. That's about it. Put on your doser lid if you'd like and enjoy your doserless Super Jolly!

More photos:




You can see that some grounds can hang up in the bottle. But a light tap on the bottle and the bottle will be spotless!



Please share any comments/questions. I'd love to hear from you!

Thank you!

[beanmuncher]

A couple of thoughts...

I agree with you that a clear bottle would look better, but you might also want to remove the white ring from the cap (aesthetic reasons only).

An idea that I had for anyone contemplating this who doses into the PF would be to use a heat gun to bend the plastic of the bottle and thereby make it drop directly into the center of the PF.

Just some ideas...

[RapidCoffee]

Nice job, Tim! Any static problems with the plastic? (Nothing apparent in your pix.)

[TimEggers]

Thanks guys!

Yeah the white ring is going to be gone in my next version (tomorrow). I am also going to edit the original thread to the finished product/version.

As far as static, I don't see any significant problems at all. I have only used this set-up today mind you, but I am quite pleased with how cleanly the bottle passes the coffee to the basket. The shape and slope (not to mention smooth seamless plastic) works very well for dropping the coffee. What doesn't immediately fall does when I tap on the bottle with the brush I use to clear the chute after grinding. Overall very clean indeed.

[HB]

I was sipping on the last of the Mountain Dew in a bottle and all of a sudden something felt familiar in my hands. It was from when I removed the doser off my new-to-me Super Jolly!

That's just too easy. Brilliant!

[varuscelli_II]

Great stuff, Tim.

I was rolling around ideas to do something similar with the Mazzer Mini I have to make it doserless. How strange to run across your post at just this time. Again, great stuff.

Al

PS,

And it shares an uncanny similarity to my homemade brine shrimp hatchery...



Grinding coffee and hatching brine shrimp. Who'd have thought there'd ever be any common ground...

[beanmuncher]

Now that was a painful pun... common ground...

[varuscelli_II]

Now that was a painful pun... common ground...

Oh, it gets even worse than that. Want to know what I use to filter out the brine shrimp?



And do you want to know why I use this device?

I think it's because brine shrimp and coffee share a common grind.

(Sorry, but if you've ever seen brine shrimp eggs, you'll know what I mean.)

[seitanguy]

Hmmmm... This might be worth a try. My girlfriend doesn't like "the bang bang" that the doser makes when I make coffee in the morning. Just a few questions:

By removing the doser, you open up a huge hole with the motor behind it. Do you have any problems with grinds getting back there? I have noticed other doserless mods cover that area.

[TimEggers]

Hmmmm... This might be worth a try. My girlfriend doesn't like "the bang bang" that the doser makes when I make coffee in the morning. Just a few questions:

By removing the doser, you open up a huge hole with the motor behind it. Do you have any problems with grinds getting back there? I have noticed other doserless mods cover that area.

No I haven't had any problems with that at all. Like I say the bottle seals around the chute. Although one could fashion (or purchase) a backing plate to complete the look but I doubt it would add a whole lot to the function aspect.

[TimEggers]

Nice job, Tim! Any static problems with the plastic? (Nothing apparent in your pix.)

I did my first drip grind today and I must say that static was a very serious problem! Yikes coffee everywhere. I wound up having to leave my lid on and also cap the bottle. After grinding the whole inside of the bottle was covered. I removed the lid and brushed the coffee down to the bottom. Removed the bottle cap and emptied the grounds into the lid from my coffee jar (then into my drip filter basket). I wonder if a sleeve of aluminum foil would buffer the static issue?

But when grinding for espresso static doesn't seem apparent. Keep in mind I only grind enough for a double at a time. But with this set-up you can't really fill the "doser" can you?

[varuscelli_II]

Very well done, Tim! Excellent photo illustrations and text. Nice stuff.

Would make a nice standalone "How To" somewhere.

[HB]

Would make a nice standalone "How To" somewhere.

Agreed. I've added it to the Espresso Gear FAQs and Favorites under Grinders and the site-wide FAQs and Favorites. FYI, the latter topics are also used to feed some of the Related Topics matches at the end of each thread.

[TimEggers]

Wow! Thanks guys.

I'm tickled that the set-up in hindsight seems so "common sense." It's funny, it's just like I said above when I was holding that bottle a light went off. I'm glad it came together as well as it did. Not to mention it just works great. Sure is nice not having a doser to clean anymore (once was enough)! Looking at it I don't think it looks terribly ugly...(wife doesn't mind it either).

Again, my thanks to you all! This has been a lot of fun.

[cgfan]

Just thought I'd add in my 2 cents worth by sharing the doserless mod that I did on my Mazzer Super Jolly. Having purchased a Super Jolly but being used to a process where I grind for each shot, I knew I had to do something about the over-sized bean hopper and the doser. Neither were suitable for the way I like to do my shots, using beans ground just prior to pulling my shot.

When I was going through my options I knew I needed something relatively easy to do, as might befit my rather modest fabrication skills. I also didn't care to invest too much money or time, although I've invested plenty of both in the pursuit of the ideal shot. What eventually came together far exceeded my original expectations, as not only did I find a solution for the hopper and the doser, but also a solution that has affected my entire workflow in a very positive way...

You'll see how this all comes together; a workflow which is clean, efficient (no coffee waste), and utilizes a simple, off-the-shelf, grain/canning funnel as a veritable Swiss Army Knife - you'll see that it gets used in three different ways!... The latter is possible due to a series of dimensional coincidences between the grain/canning funnel, my tamper, the Mazzer grind chamber, and the E61 portafilter.

Here are the principal components to my mod and consequent workflow, after which is a link to a YouTube video demonstrating my entire workflow (when paired with my Expobar Brewtus I).

doserless mod using 2 ABS couplers (lined with copper foil for static control)



grain/canning funnel fits into the grind adjustment collar



the funnel also fits into my portafilter



So how does this all come together? Rather than put it into more words, it's probably best demonstrated via this video that I put together showing the entire workflow.

A video of the entire workflow.

[cgfan]

I did my first drip grind today and I must say that static was a very serious problem! Yikes coffee everywhere. I wound up having to leave my lid on and also cap the bottle. After grinding the whole inside of the bottle was covered. I removed the lid and brushed the coffee down to the bottom. Removed the bottle cap and emptied the grounds into the lid from my coffee jar (then into my drip filter basket). I wonder if a sleeve of aluminum foil would buffer the static issue?

When I originally did my mod, (shown in the post immediately above), I thought that I had somehow managed to avoid the static issue. However as the weather got warmer and drier I realized that I did have a static problem, though not as profound as what you describe. With my mod the ground coffee did not seem to have much of an affinity for the ABS couplers that made up the mod, but rather as soon as the grounds were dispensed into a non-conductive container, I could tell that it was charged quite a bit. When I would spoon out a measure of grounds from the container, (with a non-conductive scoop), some of the disturbed grounds would get dislodged from its neighbors and jump to the other side of the bowl.

The first thing I did was to use a metallic bowl to collect the grounds. That didn't completely solve it, as there was still much residual charge left in the grounds that didn't make contact with the container. What was needed was a means by which the grounds, during its free fall to the waiting container, would touch a grounded surface.

What I ended up doing was to fashion a sheet of copper foil into a cone, as tall as the stackup of the two ABS couplers used in my mod. This copper cone would then line the inside of the ABS couplers, and as it fell it would encounter the narrow portion of the cone, increasing the likelihood of contact with the copper. It also had the benefit of presenting a smooth surface to the falling grounds, vs. the steps and ridges present in the ABS couplers themselves.

Perhaps copper foil isn't quite the right word, as the copper I used was substantially thicker than household aluminum foil. It's easy to work with and doesn't "crinkle up" like foil does, and it takes on a relatively strong and permanent crease when you want it to.

Where the rectangular exit hole from the grind chamber would be, I cut into the copper foil an "X" of equivalent height and width. This created four triangular tabs which I bent through and back a similarly shaped hole in the top ABS coupler. Though it is making superficial contact via these tabs to the grinder body, the main grounding is occurring with the 2 screws (that used to attach the doser to the grinder) that is now used to attach the top ABS coupler to the grinder body, and in the process also clamps down the copper foil completing the ground.

I have been using this mod for over a year now and no longer have a static issue. As you will see in my "workflow" video (also linked in the above post) I no longer scoop out the grounds from the container either, but rather dump the entire contents into my portafilter via the use of a wide-brimmed funnel.

[PaulTheRoaster]

I use an RR45, and one thing that annoys me is that the coffee sprays everywhere in the doser, and much is left behind. I tried (on a dry winter day) to build a chute from a plastic soda-bottle to guide the grinds and experienced awful static problems. So, count me in the boat that is curious to see how well this works in dry weather.

[Theodore]

Edited 3-11-07: Please note that I have replaced the original post with this the latest version of the mod. The prototype used a green plastic bottle. Enjoy!

Preface

I was sipping on the last of the Mountain Dew in a bottle and all of a sudden something felt familiar in my hands. It was from when I removed the doser off my new-to-me Super Jolly! Ding a light bulb went off. Preferring doserless I had an idea, but would it work?

....

Hi.

Can you write please, what brand of refreshment ,was the bottle from, because I found some bottles from Pepsi, but there are not totally cylindrical, but it is of larger diameter up and down, and less diameter in the middle of the bottle.

Theodore.

[RapidCoffee]

I live in a dry area, and also experience static problems when using plastic (in both dosered and doserless grinders). My Mazzer SJ doserless mod uses a small copper spout, readily available at hardware stores, which eliminates static issues. IMHO dosers (if used properly) can help reduce clumping, but otherwise a doserless design is much better suited to the needs of the home barista. I took my SJ doser off two years ago, and I've never been inclined to reattach it.

[TimEggers]

Hi.

Can you write please, what brand of refreshment ,was the bottle from, because I found some bottles from Pepsi, but there are not totally cylindrical, but it is of larger diameter up and down, and less diameter in the middle of the bottle.

Theodore.

Hello Theodore, yes any 2-liter plastic bottle should work. At my location many soft drinks use the same 2-liter bottle size and shape.