Would I notice difference going from Rocky to Super Jolly?

Would stay with Silvia.
tia!!!
Kristi

The short answer is yes, you would.

The true answer is both long and a bit complicated.


The big differences (as a barista) with the Super Jolly are:
- stepless grind adjustment,
- large burrset,
- powerful motor.

While the stepless adjustment will allow you to have far greater control over the precision of your grind and thus will allow you to achieve greater control over your extraction, many users of stepped grinders have developed "work arounds" to get greater control. These involve adjusting additional variables (as opposed to just the grind) including dose and tamp to "tune" extraction. When switching to a stepless grinder, there is often a period of adjustment for these users as attempting to juggle variables in this manner with the Super Jolly can result in a fair amount of frustrating "tail chasing" and achieving consistency in dose and tamp sometimes can take a bit. Once settled in, however, the stepless grind adjustment is a huge positive. I know that I, for one, will never choose to use a stepped grinder again.

The large burr set coupled with the powerful motor means very rapid grinding of the coffee. This, in the end, is a positive thing. But folks tend to have a bit of a learning curve with the change. The rapid grinding coupled with the fact that the Super Jolly tends to "trap" a lot of coffee can result in folks having a hard time settling on the right grind. Learning to purge coffee through the grinder as and after adjusting the grind is really important. You'll want to expect to initially waste a lot of coffee.


Finally, keep in mind that the Super Jolly is really big - this comes as a shock to some people.


I like the Super Jolly a lot as a grinder. In the realm of "affordable" serious espresso grinders I'd put it high up - behind grinders like the Kony and the Max but still quite servicable.

Thanks profusely for the long reply, Chris!!!

I modded my Rocky to stepless very shortly after I got it - removed the button, lots of teflon tape to kill wobble, a garden hose washer jammed between the case and the hopper where the numbers are, on each side, to kill the effect of the startup torque.

My rocky is doserless so I would probably have to get used to a doser, which I understand on the Mazzers, is a good thing. I mostly grind single batches for my rimless double filter basket.

So I would be gaining speed and probably quality of grind, and losing the clumpiness of the grounds of my doserless...

Time and luck will tell!

Kristi:

If you like doserless, you might consider going with a Mazzer Mini-E, which is still a substantial step up from the Rocky (a stepless step, if you catch my meaning), and not as massive as the Super Jolly. Probably a bit less expensive, too, unless you're getting a super deal on a used SJ.

No way I can afford something new... Hoping to scarf something up used...

Chris pretty much summed it up.

I'm currently using a stock rocky with a stock Silvia. (stock?! how shameful!) I have been lucky enough to have been loaned a mini a while ago by one of the baristi at my old job and, just last week, a mini-E. To me, there is a significant difference in adjustibility. With the Rocky, I'm often at one notch and need to move up or down just a teensy bit. I'll change it one notch and vary the dose to try and compensate for the steps and, invariably, end up completely wrong (but less than if I had just tried to use the steps). It usually takes me about three shots to dial in the Rocky properly. By contrast, with the mazzers I just dial and am at the right spot for the second shot. A fair bit of the time, when changing beans, I'm able to just move a notch or two and get pretty close. The only real difficulty is that sometimes I have a complete brain seizure and move the collar in the wrong direction ;P Perhaps this advantage is because I'm able to shoot for a consistent dose, or perhaps I've just developed a bit of an affinity for the mazzer parallel burr grinders by having used them in a cafe environment.

As for doser v doserless, each are good, but in different ways. If you're prepared to do the duct tape and cup mods on the super jolly, I think you'll find it quite convenient for home use. It's neat to be able to grind into the doser whilst doing other stuff, come back, flick the switch and get your dosing done in a few seconds, rather than standing there holding the PF.

The mazzer spring system holds the burrs much more solidly than the pin thing on the Rocky. If you're pedantic enough to tape the burrs in the first place - I am, too - you'll appreciate the spring support system.

I'm sure that you're aware that the mazzer hoppers aren't the greatest for home use.

Cheers,

Luca

Thanks Luca,
Definitely mod your Rocky for infinite grind adjust.

Large hopper - yup - I would probably store it when not needing it and rig up a simple PVC thingie.

Can you give me any different links for the mods I would need to make to a SuperJolly?
(I've seen Mazzer Super Jolly doserless modification )
( tape on vanes: http://temesblog.blogspot.com/2005/07/m ... sweep.html )
(finger guard off: http://temesblog.blogspot.com/2005/07/m ... rd_02.html )
(cup mod: http://temesblog.blogspot.com/2005/10/m ... d-cup.html )

tia!
Kristi