Two Rocky's or One Mini?

[Fr. John]

I have been in the market for a second Rocky for decaf. However I have recently fallen off the Decaf wagon (never liked it much anyhow) and most everyone else drinks regular.

Just wondering, is there a work around that would enable me to sell the Rocky and get the Mazzer and still be able to grind some decaf on occasion. Is there a noticeable difference between the Mazzer and the Rocky, especially in speed of grind and dosing?

My only idea is to pregrind 1/4 lb. or so of decaf and keep it sealed on hand.

[k7qz]

Well, I think it depends on how much decaf you will be preparing and how picky your decaf audience will be about their coffee. (after all, we are talking decaf here right?...).

How about a relatively inexpensive solution such as the Capresso Infinity grinder. Not a Mazzer by any means but a decent little grinder for the occasional decaf customer of yours. At about $90 it is attractively priced. Furthermore, a little WDT applied to the ground coffee would likely compensate for any distribution deficiencies.

Doing my best to stay within your budget for you!

[nmayweather]

why not 1 grinder and a dustbuster? just vacuum it out when you're done?

[SteveM]

I disliked the Rocky. So I demoted it to decaf, and bought a mini-mazzer as a replacement.

[boykin]

I have both grinders; my Rocky is about 5 years old, the Mini is only a few months old.

The Mini grinds *much* faster than the Rocky.

If you don't need decaf (or any other change of bean) often, it is fairly easy to do this on the Mini. You can remove the hopper even if it is full (and replace the beans). Once you have removed the hopper there are a bunch left in the machine, but most of these can be removed by hand. Grind the rest and either make something for yourself or discard; there isn't that much wasted...

[Fr. John]

I have both grinders; my Rocky is about 5 years old, the Mini is only a few months old.

The Mini grinds *much* faster than the Rocky.

If you don't need decaf (or any other change of bean) often, it is fairly easy to do this on the Mini. You can remove the hopper even if it is full (and replace the beans). Once you have removed the hopper there are a bunch left in the machine, but most of these can be removed by hand. Grind the rest and either make something for yourself or discard; there isn't that much wasted...

VERY interesting. I had no idea the hopper is removable. Do you know if it would be possible to keep two hoppers on hand, one with a different type of bean?

Also, does anyone know if the MACAP has a removable hopper also?

Sounds promising.

[boykin]

All you need to remove the hopper is slide the trap door closed, loosen a screw and lift. You can buy a spare hopper (Chris' Coffee has the parts: hopper for $25, trap door $1.50, cover $9.75), but because it is funnel shaped, it is easy to tip over, especially when full. Of course, you could always rig something up so it is more secure.

[HB]

Also, does anyone know if the MACAP has a removable hopper also?

Yes. The MACAP M4 and Mazzer Mini hoppers have the same diameter throat too, i.e., they're interchangeable.

[KarlSchneider]

I have one grinder and interchange decaf and high octane constantly. My solution is to use no hopper at all. I measure the right amount of beans per each shot and dump them directly into the throat of the grinder, cover with a 53 mm basket and grind. I empty the doser as well as possible each cup. Just did two decafs and two regulars this morning. For a small number of shots per day this works perfectly and I have no problem of the hopper not fitting under the kitchen cabinets.

KS

[Dmars]

Similar issue - wanted to come home from work to have an espresso, but high octane would keep me up till 2. Not good when the alarm goes off at 6.

Bought a Mazzer-Mini electronic type B which is a "doserless" (no coffee left in the doser), but lets you dose via a timer switch. Push in once for the first timed setting (I have it timed to deliver 7.5g) Push it twice to deliver the second set time - I have it set to deliver the max, 20g - Why?

The grinder has a removable short hopper - with a gate that lets you lift off the hopper to install another hopper. You would think Ah Ha!, just switch hoppers.. But the problem is that after removing the hopper, beans still remain in the hopper base - more than a double shot. these are a pain to remove, and the grinder still has half ground beans in the burrs.

Solution:

I ground off the face of the top of the hopper (I couldn't get the beans in other wise, as the bottom of the cabinet is too close to the top of the hopper) to allow me to measure by volume 15g of beans - dump them in the hopper, and hit switch two times. the double tap is set to grind longer than the amount of beans would normally require. This lets the grinder grind all of the beans and clean out the burrs. It all goes into the portafilter. this has the other advantage of always grinding the fresh beans - you have purged out the half ground beans that have been sitting in the burrs.


Why not just leave off the hopper?

1. If I am making a lot of espressos, I can measure up, or fill up the hopper, and hit the single tap in the electronic (timer) doser. Hit again to fill to a double shot.

2. The gate at the base of the hopper keeps the beans from hopping out.


On a related note: I want to buy a second grinder to take on the road. Can anyone recommend a compact grinder - quality and portability being the most important qualifications. Tired of drinking stale "El Pico" when I visit the parents. I want to treat them to some real coffee.